After Annabelle finished speaking, she looked at the assembled group of people and emphasized, "It's been nearly thirty years since the Civil War, and the conditions in the South today are nothing like what they were when we mobilized the population of various states. If they can't make it work, they should sell their plantations back. We don't have the resources to support them anymore, and we must negotiate with the Brazilian government now."
While the plantation owners in Brazil were considered comrades during the Civil War, almost three decades had passed since then. The group that remained in the South had undergone a transformation. Like many in Texas, they had switched to farming or livestock. However, the emotional bonds with the Brazilian plantation owners remained limited to the distant past. It was now nearly impossible to expect support from these Southern families.
Furthermore, it was beyond their capacity. Money wasn't the issue, but nobody had a compelling reason to recruit people to help their Brazilian relatives and friends fight. The plantation economy in the American South had collapsed, and the environment had changed.
"Let's focus on our domestic issues; our situation isn't great either," Annabelle scanned the room and continued, "It took us years to finally get the Democrats in power, and we've just started to turn the tide. We have a long way to go to reclaim our position. We can't afford to be concerned about South America at this time."
As soon as she spoke, the entire meeting room fell into a heavy silence. Texas had long been a staunch supporter of the Democratic Party in this era. In contrast to the Democratic Party of the 21st century, which was characterized by a coalition of minority groups and the tech industry, the Democratic Party in this time had no connection to Texas and was the stronghold of the Republican Party.
But the situation was quite the opposite in this era, where the Democratic Party represented the conservative faction. During the Civil War, the Democratic Party had suffered a severe setback and lost four consecutive national elections to the Republican Party, which represented Northern industrialists. It was only now that they had managed to get Democrats into power, breaking the Republican Party's long-standing monopoly on American politics and ending the dominance it had enjoyed since the Civil War.
During the Civil War, the Democratic Party advocated compromise with the Confederate South and held conservative views. However, after World War II, the Republican Party shifted to become a conservative party, while the Democratic Party embraced liberal ideology.
Naturally, Texas became the Democratic Party's stronghold in this era. This trend continued for several decades, extending until after the Second World War when Texas transformed into the Republican Party's stronghold following a role reversal.
However, even though the Democratic Party lost the national election due to the defeat of the Confederate States, it did not disappear. This was also a consequence of the aftermath of the Civil War, not to mention the presence of the Sheffield family, which made the war's scale even greater, covering a wider area and intensifying the hatred between the North and the South.
Therefore, from the end of the Civil War, although the Democratic Party lost four consecutive national elections, states like Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas did not cast their electoral votes for the Republicans. South Carolina and Louisiana were exceptions, each giving only one vote. Most of the other states that had seceded from the Union also overwhelmingly voted against the Republicans, with local elections showing similar mainstream support trends.
While the Democratic Party couldn't win the national elections, its base was extremely stable. This situation persisted in history until the Cold War era and was only recently broken with Grover Cleveland's successful election, shattering the Republican Party's monopoly on American politics.
"So, are we prioritizing our so-called relatives and friends, or ourselves? This isn't a very difficult choice. The situation in Brazil now is the same as it was thirty years ago when we made the decision. Are we going to sacrifice ourselves, extending our hand to be chopped off by others? Thirty years ago, they chose the latter, and today, we're facing the consequences. The South has been under oppression since the end of the First War."
"In fact, many of the families that came here seeking our support have exaggerated their losses. If they've only lost their slaves, their large estates are still intact, but they'll need to hire workers again, and the land is still theirs. It's just an additional labor cost. After the war, we also came through this way, and we didn't die off one by one," Annabelle added, emphasizing her point, "Even if Edward were alive today, he would oppose our support. The support Brazil is getting now is even weaker than what the Confederacy received. Another war would yield the same result as the Civil War."
"They always make us bear the losses, sacrificing us for their deluded sense of morality. Now the Yankees even think that black people are the problem. This is retribution," Robert pounded his fist on the table, cursing, "Sooner or later, they'll experience our situation on the brink of bankruptcy."
"As long as there's time, there's a chance," Annabelle's message was concise. This generation won't die off completely, and the hatred will never dissipate. It was because of the Northern Yankees, facing an influx of black people, that their thinking had changed, leading to the recent victories in the Democratic Party's elections.
Knock, knock, knock. There were rhythmic knocks at the door, and a servant opened it, glancing into the meeting room. Deceived by the well-dressed gentlemen, he had no idea that these people, who had just been complaining like market vendors, were in fact quite influential.
"Madam, Miss Isabella and your grandson William have arrived home," the servant asked softly, slightly bowing his head, "Should I have them wait, or shall I bring them up?"
"I'll go down right away!" Annabelle stood up slowly due to her age. Despite her somewhat sluggish movement, this woman possessed an aura that could awe anyone. As she was about to leave, she instructed, "That's how we'll handle it. Convey my attitude to the Brazilian side. Whether they want to wait for defeat or negotiate now, they must pay for weapons. Our family isn't in the charity business. There's no such thing as a free lunch."
"Guests, we've slaughtered a cow on the estate and are preparing to serve it to you. Madam will be back shortly," the maid said, nodding before closing the door behind her.
"Annabelle is still too heartless," one man grumbled after the door was closed.
"Keep your voice down, and besides, she's right. We've just managed to break free from oppression ourselves. Who has the time to worry about our comrades who've run off to Brazil? Now, a few Northern corporations are gaining more and more influence, and who can stand up to them other than Sheffield?" Another person quickly made a hushing gesture. "We can't control them. Let them negotiate with the Brazilian government to minimize their losses. As long as the land and estates are still there, what's there to fear? We've been supporting them for how long now? Continuing this way, the Yankees might truly crush us."
Although everyone here was American, the North was the Yankees, and the South was the Dixie folks. The Yankees supported the Republican Party, while they supported the Democratic Party. The two sides were fundamentally opposed, even though they were all part of the same United States. If given the choice, everyone in the room would prefer to be in the Confederate States.