"The United States has declared war on xico!"
"Good heavens… then what are we supposed to do?"
"What do you an what do we do? This is the perfect chance to join the United States!"
"We are an independent nation. Are you suggesting we abandon our sovereignty and beco part of their federation? Honestly, do you people have no pride whatsoever?"
Since gaining independence from xico, the Republic of Texas had spent years arguing over a single question:
Should it join the United States?
Or remain independent?
Now, suddenly, the republic found itself facing a crisis unlike any it had seen before.
The war had erupted so abruptly that few had been able to keep up with events.
But the dice had already been cast.
After the United States declared war, xico imdiately responded with its own declaration.
Texas now found itself trapped between the two nations.
It needed to decide its position quickly.
Of course, anyone observing the situation could easily guess which side Texas would choose.
Most of the republic's population consisted of Anglo settlers from the United States.
There was almost no chance they would side with xico.
"If we simply allow the Arican army to pass through Texas," soone suggested, "we could avoid participating in the war altogether."
"That would be a terrible mistake," another replied.
"If xico loses—as it likely will—we would be completely surrounded by Arican territory."
"How could we maintain independence under those circumstances?"
"That would be no different from joining the Union outright."
"Then what do you propose we do?" soone snapped.
"It's already too late to tell both sides to calm down."
And even if soone tried—
Those hotheaded Aricans would never listen.
After weighing the options, public opinion in Texas slowly began shifting toward supporting the United States rather than xico.
After all—
Wasn't xico responsible for provoking this entire crisis?
Just as it seed Texas would naturally fall into Arica's camp—
A shocking truth suddenly surfaced.
One that would throw the entire United States into chaos.
Newspaper Headlines
"A War for Whom? The Ugly Truth Behind a War Without Cause"
"My son only served the United States. Now he has been branded a traitor who sold out to xico!"
"Evidence Was Fabricated: The Diary of the Hound Slave Hunters Discovered"
At first, many people dismissed the reports.
They assud so reckless newspaper had gone too far.
After all, accusing the governnt of fabricating evidence during warti would normally invite swift punishnt.
Yet strangely—
Instead of fading away, the story only grew louder.
Because the man presenting the evidence was not a journalist.
He was a mber of the House of Representatives.
And his accusation was explosive.
The war, he claid, had been orchestrated to expand the influence of the Southern slaveholding faction.
The revelation plunged Washington into chaos once again.
Earlier, when the docunts had been discovered, soone had asked:
"Your Royal Highness… should we really give these materials to them?"
"We could bury it for the sake of national interests."
Killian had shaken his head.
"Not Lincoln."
"He isn't simply a moral man."
"He will judge that this fabrication will permanently damage the reputation of the United States far more than any temporary benefit from the war."
The personal belongings of one of the Hound slave hunters, recovered in Canada, had passed through the Pinkerton Detective Agency, then through Jas's network.
Eventually—
They reached Abraham Lincoln.
Inside the belongings was a diary.
It recorded the entire operation.
Every movent.
Every order.
Every paynt.
Lincoln was furious.
He imdiately revealed the docunts in Congress.
"Mr. President!"
"Acting Governor of Virginia!"
"Explain these docunts!"
One governnt supporter scoffed.
"Explain what?"
"The matter is already settled. Why are you still clinging to it?"
"It is not settled," Lincoln replied sharply.
"It begins now."
He raised the diary.
"Look at this docunt. Not a single detail matches the evidence presented by the Virginia governnt."
"So what are you claiming?" soone asked coldly.
"That the governnt's evidence was fabricated?"
"It is not a claim," Lincoln said.
"It is an objective fact."
"If the evidence I present is false, explain it."
The White House remained silent.
It simply refused to engage.
At first, many congressn had dismissed Lincoln as an opportunist trying to gain attention.
But as the docunts circulated, doubts began to spread.
Lincoln's evidence looked far more convincing.
If his docunts were genuine—
Then the governnt's evidence had to be fabricated.
And if one side was lying—
Who was it?
The answer beca increasingly obvious.
"These items were recovered from the bodies of the Hound mbers killed in Canada," Lincoln said.
"The diary records everything."
"Who hired them."
"How they traveled."
"Why they crossed the Canadian border."
"All of it."
Soone attempted to object.
"But even if they were bribed by xico, why would they write it down?"
Lincoln slamd the desk.
"They crossed the border because they received information about escaped slaves who had fled to Ontario!"
"And the source of that information is recorded as well."
He paused.
"The Pinkerton National Detective Agency."
"I personally confird this with the agency."
"They admitted that the Hounds paid them to investigate and that they provided the information."
Murmurs spread across the chamber.
If the slave hunters had crossed into Canada based on information from an Arican detective agency—
Then the governnt's claim that xico ordered the attack made no sense.
Lincoln continued.
"The agency stated they never imagined the Hounds would attack a Canadian settlent."
"But the fact remains: the Ontario lead ca from the United States."
"That alone proves xico could not have orchestrated the operation."
Cornered, the governnt changed tactics.
Instead of disputing the evidence—
They attacked Lincoln.
"Congressman Lincoln, where did you obtain this information?"
"Were you perhaps manipulated by anti-governnt forces?"
Lincoln's voice rose with anger.
"Manipulated?"
"From the mont this incident occurred, I have been working to repatriate the bodies of our citizens killed in Canada."
"Even criminals remain citizens of the United States."
"But the governnt branded them traitors bribed by xico and refused to retrieve their bodies."
"So I did it myself."
He raised the diary again.
"And after reading this, I understand exactly why the governnt was so reluctant to bring them ho."
The scandal exploded.
Even Northern politicians who had supported the war began demanding an investigation.
At the sa ti—
A rumor spread in Texas.
The United States had fabricated the conspiracy in order to justify war against xico and annex Texas more easily.
Texas had always been a land of stubborn contrarians.
People who rebelled against authority wherever it appeared.
xico told them to stay obedient.
They declared independence.
The great powers told them not to join the United States.
Support for joining the Union grew stronger.
So when this scandal erupted—
Public opinion changed overnight.
Texas issued a statent:
"Until the United States thoroughly investigates this matter and provides a satisfactory explanation, the Republic of Texas will indefinitely suspend any consideration of joining the Union."
In other words:
We will not support your war.
The Arican commander Zachary Taylor, marching toward the Rio Grande, suddenly found himself trapped.
The war had begun—
But he could not move forward.
Canada
Reports soon arrived.
"Just as predicted," one ssage read.
"Lincoln has revealed the entire truth."
"The White House is paralyzed."
"Northern politicians demand an investigation, while Southern politicians insist that questioning the war during warti is treason."
Another report followed.
"Slave escapes in the South are proceeding successfully."
"More than 2,300 slaves have fled in Virginia, South Carolina, and Mississippi."
"So groups are preparing to launch revolts."
"If the situation escalates into a major slave uprising, the South will fall into chaos."
I nodded.
Everything was unfolding perfectly.
In the North, politicians were beating the Southern faction like a punching bag.
And in the South—
Their own holand was beginning to burn.
Normally they would have deployed troops imdiately.
But unfortunately for them—
Many of their militias were already deployed in Texas and New xico.
Even the fleet that had been preparing to attack xico's coast had hesitated.
Commanders in the field were miserable.
They had marched to war—
Only to discover their holand collapsing behind them.
xico attempted to take advantage of the chaos.
Concentrating its forces near Arizona and New xico, it tried to strike the disorganized Arican army.
Unfortunately—
xico remained xico.
Even against a confused United States army, it struggled to gain the upper hand.
Still—
The Aricans could not advance.
How could they march west when their holand was erupting in slave revolts?
And with Northern opinion turning hostile, so officers were already asking whether they should withdraw.
But withdrawal was impossible.
The war had begun.
xico remained ard.
The United States was trapped.
Unable to advance.
Unable to retreat.
While the Aricans descended into chaos—
I calmly began executing the next phase of my plan.
"Governor," I said,
"Given the current situation, the war may beco prolonged."
"Should we not take preventative asures to protect our citizens?"
"Preventative asures?" the governor asked.
"Yes."
"There is a region where xico, the United States, and British Canada et."
"Oregon."
"A considerable number of British settlers now live there."
"In the current atmosphere, they may beco caught in the flas of war."
The governor nodded imdiately.
"Your Royal Highness is absolutely correct."
"We should deploy regular troops and organize militia units."
"Securing Oregon will reassure our citizens."
"Precisely."
"Her Majesty is currently in Canada."
"If we appear unable to protect our citizens—even in a colony—it could damage the prestige of the British Empire."
The governor agreed at once.
"We will send forces imdiately."
"Excellent."
"And I have already sent a letter to Parliant."
"We should receive a response soon."
"When it arrives, we may need to move our forces in earnest."
The governor looked puzzled.
"In earnest?"
"Well," I said casually,
"it seems increasingly likely that the United States fabricated this entire conspiracy in order to use Britain as part of their territorial expansion."
"If they dared to do such a thing, surely they must pay the price."
I had already summoned Ambassador Everett.
He was likely rushing toward Canada at this very mont.
If a full war erupted, Britain would certainly suffer costs.
But the United States was in no position to fight on two fronts.
Even the re possibility of British intervention would terrify them.
The negotiations would begin with one simple condition.
All disputed territories in the West—
Would be handed over to Britain.
And if they refused?
I smiled faintly.
Then the Royal Navy would sail.
If the Aricans didn't want their entire coastline reduced to rubble—
They would think very carefully before answering.
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