The Rise Of Australasia

At the United Kingdom's urging, the World Alliance's actions became swift.

On August 25, 1924, the World Alliance issued a notice to the American Government, demanding that it put an end to the wars in the Philippines and Central America within three months and bring peace to the regions.

During the three-month period, Americans were not allowed to send any more troops to the Philippines and Central America and were supposed to gradually withdraw the American army from these areas and evacuate their navy.

If the United States failed to comply with the above conditions, then at the end of the three months, specifically, by late November 1924, the World Alliance would officially intervene militarily in the wars of these two regions.

This notice was not only delivered to the American Government but was also widely reported by major European media and spread among American media and civilians.

Such a notice, which could be regarded as a threat, also firmly indicated the stance of the World Alliance. The American Government was naturally clear about the intentions behind this notice, but by now it could not back down.

Or rather, it had to choose a more reasonable plan that would result in minimal loss for itself, in order to satisfy the American people who were already informed.

We can put aside the Philippines for the moment, as for the most part, it had been a money-loser, and its biggest use was merely as a stepping stone in American Pacific strategy, nothing more than a military base on the Pacific Coast.

In comparison, Central America was significantly important to the United States, and it wasn't too distant from the native land.

If the European powers got ahold of Central America, several of the southern coastal states of the United States would be threatened, an unacceptable reality for Americans.

Worse still, if the Panama Canal were lost during this episode, then the United States' hopes would be virtually snuffed out.

The significance of the Panama Canal to the United States was no less than that of any canal in the world, just as the Kiel Canal was once crucial to the German Empire.

But the Kiel Canal only saved a few hundred nautical miles of travel, whereas the Panama Canal saved an entire South American journey.

If other countries controlled the Panama Canal, the American economy and development would face darkness, something the American Government absolutely could not accept.

With this attitude in mind, the American Government contacted the World Alliance and several key nations within it, expressing the U.S. Government's stance—unwillingness to withdraw from Central America.

No matter how resolute the Americans' attitude was, a country was destined to be unable to withstand the coalition of several countries.

Australasia and the United Kingdom smiled faintly and took out the strategy they had used during the Irish War—bombarding the media with their control of public opinion.

Previously, the Americans had not hesitated to trap Britons during the Irish War, extensively publicizing the British cruel rule in Ireland, portraying them as a major villain.

Now it was time for the British to retaliate. The United Kingdom and Australasia showed no mercy, heavily investing in newspapers in Europe and the United States, reporting incessantly about the Central American War and portraying the American army as evil antagonists.

On August 31, 1924, in Los Angeles, California, United States.

Oddick was an ordinary American worker. Like other workers, their most comfortable time was that ten minutes spent reading the newspaper at breakfast, which not only gave them relaxation but also informed them of current events.

Picking up today's newspaper, Oddick's face was slightly surprised as he looked incredulously at the biggest headline on the paper—The Evil War

Quietly reading the content of the newspaper, Oddick's face became a spectrum of emotions, drawn in by the news editor's compelling prose which transported him inside the story.

The story at the beginning of the news spoke of an ordinary family in the nation of Nicaragua, Central America—much like Oddick, a commonplace worker.

But because there was an American base in Nicaragua, these American soldiers would intermittently harass the Nicaraguan common people, committing all sorts of atrocities including looting and savagery.

Due to the American soldiers, many Nicaraguan families went from happy homes to being devastated, and even when ill, they had no money for medical treatment, ultimately succumbing to their ailments.

At the end of the story was a summary from the news, posing a thought-provoking question, "If this is the true cause of the war, would you still support this evil war?"

Although the story's authenticity was not declared, the several accompanying pictures in the news were from the Nicaraguan War, including some that depicted emaciated, starving Nicaraguan children with their ribs sticking out.

This was the cleverness of the newspaper—they didn't explicitly state the veracity of the story but let the public guess, deeply immersing them in the story and considering it from the perspective of Nicaragua.

"Damn, this can't be true, can it?" Oddick hesitated, as he also realized that the world wasn't so shining, and the struggles among nations weren't so harmonious.

"What's wrong?" Oddick's wife curiously looked toward her husband.

"Just take a look for yourself. I can't believe this is real. What on earth has our country done?" Oddick spoke incredulously.

Such scenes played out in many American homes, making the atmosphere of the last day of August quite unpleasant.

However, this wasn't really significant; the morning news had little effect on these workers going to their posts to work, as making money was the major event.
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But it was when all these workers, who had watched the news, gathered together that the best time for public opinion to ferment arrived.

A factory on the outskirts of Los Angeles.

"Hey, Oddick, did you see the news today?" The person next to Oddick looked at him mysteriously and asked.

"Of course, did you also see that report?" Oddick nodded, wanting to voice his own queries.

"Do you think the news is true, Oddick? Has our country really done so many cruel things?" Before Oddick could pose his question, the person beside him directly inquired.

"It shouldn't be," Oddick hesitated with his answer, reflecting his mood: "Aren't those soldiers just common Americans? They shouldn't do such things, right?"

"Then how do you explain the influenza incident before?" that person continued to ask curiously.

At this point, Oddick couldn't speak anymore, having no desire to offer a rebuttal.

Putting aside the veracity of this news report, the origin of the last influenza from an American laboratory had been certified by the World Alliance, and the American government had paid a significant amount in compensation.

If it wasn't true, the World Alliance couldn't simply frame us for no reason! Besides, the American government accepted the loan, which was enough evidence of its guilt.

With the influenza precedent, even if they were law-abiding, patriotic Americans, they could not guarantee their government and military wouldn't commit such acts now.

"What are you talking about?" Another person joined the conversation, drawn by the chat.

"We're discussing today's newspaper, Sherlock. Haven't you seen today's paper? You really missed out on some big news," Oddick's neighbor said laughingly.

"Are you talking about that report? I saw it too," the person named Sherlock nodded and said.

"Do you believe it's true, Sherlock?" Oddick asked with curiosity.

"I think it must be true. If not, the World Alliance wouldn't issue an official warning.

You know, the World Alliance is made up of the United Kingdom, Australasia, France, Russia, and Italy—five superpowers. They can't be specifically targeting us, can they?" Sherlock expressed his thoughts.

"Damn it, that means the news has to be true," Oddick's neighbor said angrily. "We can't support this evil war. Do you have any plans?"

"Why not ask Mr. Dyke what he thinks? If we're organizing a protest over this, I'm willing to spend my free time," Oddick nodded and suggested.

Dyke was the head of the Workers Association at the factory, deeply cherished by the workers, and held the highest authority among them.

The protests of average workers were also organized by these Associations, as not many individuals had enough prestige to organize an entire factory's workers to march.

If the morning news report had only ignited American debate about the war; then with time, the debate reached its climax.

As a relatively young nation and the world's largest immigrant country, the United States still harbored many unstable factors.

While a large portion of immigrants had come to identify with the country due to its power, there were many unsatisfied with the government and nation.

Fueled by domestic and international forces, the discussion about the war reached its zenith, with many government dissenters stepping forward, even initiating massive protests.

On September 1st, 1924, the first protest about the incident took to the streets of Los Angeles, with over 500 workers from several factories participating, attracting serious attention from the Los Angeles government.

And it wasn't over yet; within just one week, the popular storm had swept through many American cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, from the West Coast to the Eastern Coast.

If the initial protests were privately orchestrated by a few factories, with time, the demonstrations became organized and scaled.

By September 7, 1924, the number of protesters in America had exceeded 100,000.

In the streets of major American cities, one could see Americans carrying banners, demanding an end to the war.

Their angry shouts and even accusations against the police maintaining order labeled them as accomplices of the government.

And the current President Coolidge, as well as President Wilson from the time of influenza, were called madmen by these protesting Americans, who believed they were leading America to an abyss.