Chapter 129: Raise a Glass to Freedom!
1.5k 3 23
X
Reading Options
Font Size
A- 15px A+
Width
Reset
X
Table of Contents
Loading... please wait.
Columbia, Federal District, the United States of America
March 19th, 1807

Alexander Hamilton, former Senator for New York and now the Fourth President of the United States, paced around the Oval Office nervously. If Madison was dignified and composed, Hamilton was the exact opposite. He was filled with energy, always moving around and asking questions to his Cabinet in order to grasp the nation's domestic and foreign situation. He was just a shade over fifty years old, yet his body moved around like he was twenty. He had been president for over three years, but his enthusiasm never wavered for a single moment. It was for this reason he was known as "indomitable" in the political arena; if he had his sights on something, he was going to accomplish it no matter what.

The Oval Office was littered with stacks of papers and reports. Hamilton was messy, but it was an organized type of messy. He knew exactly what each stack of papers contained and the content of each paper (it certainly helped that his wife, Elizabeth, organized them and told him where everything was). Several maps were strewn across his Faithful desk (the desk was made with the scrapped remains of the first USS Benedict Arnold), some of them portraying the situation in Europe while others were maps of the Americas and Asia. He had drawn a number of the maps himself, as he was meticulous in his efforts to precisely recreate what was happening across the world. A portrait of Madison stared at the mess in the Oval Office as if it was silently disapproving of the disorganized look of the Executive's room. Nearby, a number of Cabinet members watched the president patiently as he picked up a map of Nepal off his desk. While Hamilton lacked Madison's ability to lead the government with a calm and steady hand, he made up for it with his incredible confidence and charisma.

"Nepal," Hamilton simply stated as he slid a map of Nepal on one of the coffee tables in front of the gathered members of his Cabinet, "General Wayne is still there, correct?"

"Leading some of the Nepalese, yes." Secretary of Defense James Wilkinson, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, replied, "He is giving the British a licking. In his last letter, he claimed that he felt like he was twenty-two years old all over again. Apparently, the war is giving him some fond memories of his victories against the British during the Revolutionary War."

That statement earned several rounds of laughter from the gathered members of the Executive branch. While Hamilton did want to keep decent relations with Great Britain, it was obvious that the British government was acting more and more hostile towards the United States. He had enough headaches trying to deal with Britain's outroar against America "stealing the Dutch Cape Colony" (which was blatantly false, since the U.S. and the Netherlands agreed to allow the American government to take over the Cape Colony for "safekeeping" if the Netherlands was unable to do so and vice versa) and selling arms to France (ironically, Britain had supported America's "Armed Neutrality" the first time around). As such, President Hamilton was perfectly happy with giving the British a gentle reminder that the United States was not to be trifled with. Nepal was holding its own against the British East India Company, though reports did reveal that both sides were exhausted from the two-year-long conflict. The E.I.C. suffered severe casualties thanks to the presence of General Wayne and the Nepalese armed with American weapons. However, Nepal was still heavily outnumbered. Thankfully, Britain was preoccupied with fighting France, so the E.I.C. was unable to receive reinforcements in arms or men.

"And the Gurkhas?"

"Nepal has stated they will happily send some over to assess our military and even let a few of them settle in the United States, provided that we pay for everything. Are you sure that they are necessary?"

"Well, I was told that they were some of the finest soldiers the world has to offer," President Hamilton smiled, "And while the 1st Special Forces Battalion is doing an excellent job keeping the Sioux busy, I think they would appreciate a bit of assistance."

Hamilton sat down to sip on some tea and sighed, "Now then, what else?"

"The American Cape Colony is secured. We have already sent out a few explorers to survey areas with mineral deposits," Secretary of Federal Lands and Resources Wishe (also known as Michael Thresh) stated. The Secretary of Federal Lands and Resources was mostly occupied by Native Americans, due to their involvement in the National Parks and elsewhere, "Singapore is being developed. As mentioned in previous reports, the Sultan of Johor was more than happy to loan out the area for annual payments. It's eating up $10,000 yearly, but that's merely a drop in the bucket considering our finances. The city should be available for resupply and trade within three years' time. Thankfully, Congress ratified the purchase before the British were able to react."

The British had taken over all of Holland's possessions in Asia, including Ceylon and the Dutch East Indies. It was evidently clear that the Holland Republic, which was fighting for its life with France against the Second Coalition, was not going to be able to take them back anytime soon, if at all. Therefore, it was important for the United States to maintain a presence in the area, just in case Britain attempted to cut off America's trade with China or seize the Lanfang Republic. While Britain was busy in Europe, there was no doubt among the Cabinet members that Britain would shift its attention towards Asia after it was finished with their European problems.

"Is the Front complaining?"

Secretary Wishe was a member of the Front, who was appointed by President Hamilton after the last Secretary of Federal Lands and Resources retired. As such, he served as the contact between the administration and the Frontier Party. "No, Mr. President. If anything, they're satisfied. They recognize Britain's threat to our trade with China and the trade itself is profitable. They're not too happy with the Cape Colony situation though."

"If they knew what South Africa turned into in the other history, I'm sure they would agree with our pre-emptive actions in the area."

"I agree, sir. Unfortunately, they don't."

"If anything, they should be nervous about King Louis' flight to Saint Domingue," The former Senator muttered as he looked at a map of the Caribbean, "He's right off our shore and they don't want to do anything!"

The Director of the National Intelligence Service, Abraham Woodhull, the longest-serving member of the Cabinet, cleared his throat, "He hasn't made any aggressive maneuvers towards the United States or Haiti, at least, not yet. Additionally, we still have eyes and ears in the area, so we will know anything that occurs in the region. If anything, his actions are simply... odd."

King Louis bought the former French colony from Spain after Spain suffered from a financial crisis due to the French invasion of the Spanish mainland (which was still ongoing) and the never-ending rebellion in the former French Saint Domingue. The French king managed to run off with a chunk of the French treasury and bought himself the island to rally his supporters. Only around 50,000 answered his call, along with a few dozen warships. However, he loudly proclaimed that any freed blacks in the "French Empire" (a name that caused many in the Cabinet to scoff, since the "Empire" only controlled the northern parts of Saint Domingue") were now citizens if they served the monarch. He also introduced a number of reforms and reconstruction projects in the "Empire" to aim for a "reconquest" of the French mainland. It would have been amusing to the members of the American government... if the "Empire" wasn't bordering the only other independent American nation and wasn't off the coast of Florida.

"Keep a wary eye on him. He still has a decent navy and it seems like he's becoming increasingly popular, if almost a cult-like figure, in the "French Empire," Hamilton mentioned, "He's importing thousands of slaves too, to make up for the losses the "Empire" has suffered. He's definitely not a friend of ours."

"Will do sir. Now about Miranda and his followers; they are still in the planning and gathering stages of their revolt."

"Still?"

"They believe that it is imperative to have good support in the area, or that is what our agents in his group have suggested. As such, they plan to launch a revolt in several years, instead of starting one soon."

"Ah, using the Earthquake to turn the religious against the Royalists, correct? And then seemingly obtaining "divine favor."

"Which is why they are working from the southern provinces to the north. By the time they roll around towards Caracaras, the Earthquake will occur and it will make it seem like Miranda and his republican ideals have received the support of God. Additionally, with Spain still embroiled in the Second Coalition War, Spain will be worn out by the time Miranda revolts with his countrymen."

"I have no qualms with his plans. How many agents do we have in his group?" Hamilton asked.

The Director skimmed his notes, "Three. We don't have many Spanish speakers, but our agents in Miranda's group are all Americans that joined him in his endeavors to liberate Venezuela freely. And even if he knows, I'm sure he won't mind that the United States is watching his back."

Hamilton nodded and clapped his hands, "We have focused too much on foreign affairs, gentlemen, now onto the domestic front. Secretary Cockerill, if you will."

Secretary of Research and Development William Cockerill nodded. Years ago, he immigrated to the United States due to a job offer from a man named Samuel Kim. Now, he was a member of the Cabinet and a member of the Society. He wasn't angry for being "sniped" by the American government and brought overseas. Instead, he found it amusing, and he enjoyed his life in the United States than the life of his other self in Europe. "The first horse-drawn harvesters are being used in Virginia, and we expect more states to follow. That will increase our crop yields several times over, with a vast reduction in the manpower required to harvest a field. We already have had several farming cooperatives in Iroquois, Hisigi, Kentucky, and other states request the machines. It seems like combined with our early introduction of industrial farming, we will have a major agricultural and population boom."

"That will keep the Front happy and docile," President Hamilton replied with a playful grin, "Anything to add on that, Secretary Monroe?"

Secretary of Agriculture James Monroe shook his head, "Not much, Mr. President. The Iroquois and Hisigi are going full ahead with their "organic farming" methods. It seems like they are still heavily engaging in the Three Sisters approach, with varied success. The South is producing cotton, this time through African American cooperatives and partnerships. They're also growing a lot of rice and other cereals. Florida is producing most of the nation's citrus, Alabama is growing tea and cotton, Jefferson is still building up the farm infrastructure in the territory. Kentucky is growing various products, such as tobacco and hemp. And so on. The introduction of crop rotations, better-made tools for farmers, land expansions, and improved infrastructure have all led to the current rapid growth of the agricultural sector. If anything, it is growing just as fast as the industrial sector, if not faster."

"Excellent. And details about American industries?"

"Doing well as expected. The railway line between Columbia and Baltimore is complete and is already causing a stir among the population. The telegraph lines are being expanded as well, though they are currently under ARPA's directive. If we manage to rapidly build up the railroads, then our economy will be unstoppable. Along with the telegraph, our economy will easily overtake Britain's economy," Secretary of the Treasury Charles Cotesworth Pickney casually replied, "Our industrial advancements are frightening the European powers. Britain is taking measures to edge us out of their markets and trying to replicate our own innovations. I must say that they are very close behind. They are not going to give up their industrial superiority without a fight. However, thanks to our development, we have become one of the biggest exporters to Europe and since Europe is at war again, we are making hefty profits."

"Which will help with our social programs and improving the United States as a whole," President Hamilton answered with a firm nod. His wife was acting strongly in her role as the First Lady and was leading initiatives to help treat mentally disabled people in the United States and build mental institutions for their care. Additionally, Elizabeth was soft on orphans and pushed her husband to build several federal orphanages across America, which he happily obliged. The orphanages would turn out to be useful since the Second Coalition War was going to leave behind a lot of orphans from what he was seeing, "We are making good progress, gentlemen. However, we still have much to accomplish. Congress may have rejected my proposals for an equal gender amendment, but I'll make sure that they approve the bill on worker's rights if that's the last thing I do. Remember, this is a fight we must make for our future generations. Democrats and Republicans be damned."

And for them to remember me as President Hamilton, the man who remade America following the legacy of the First.

 
23