Austria was making its move, and Britain, France, and Spain had not been idle either. First, the Spaniards seized Hispaniola (Haiti Island), and then the three countries accelerated their expansion into Mexico.
The British had only just suppressed the Indian Rebellion, while the French were still focused on Italy. Thus, Mexico was luckier than in history this time; the various powers focused their expansion mainly on economic and political infiltration.
If they had not feared provoking the two American governments in the midst of civil war, they would likely have infiltrated the American states as well.
Reestablishing a colonial system in North America had always been the dream of British, French, and Spanish colonists. The Americans' Monroe Doctrine had blocked their path, and now it was only natural to kick this obstacle aside.
London
As the world's foremost naval power, Britain rightfully became the leader of this multinational plan to intervene in the United States.
No one contested their leadership. In the Americas, the British possessed the greatest strength. If the Americans did not mobilize, John Bull's garrison in Canada alone could deal with them.
That was nothing to be proud of. The Americans' pocket-sized army did not represent their true strength; the militias of most federal states were stronger than the federal government itself.
At the Prime Minister's residence on Downing Street, the newly appointed British Prime Minister John Russell was holding a meeting.
"Gentlemen, that fellow Lincoln has ordered a blockade of the East Coast. How to ensure that our trade with the Southern Government continues normally has become our current problem."
Without question, the capitalists engaged in the cotton textile industry had put pressure on the London Government. If it were merely a short-term blockade, everyone could grit their teeth and endure it.
But if the blockade