The Rise Of Australasia

At the urging of the United Kingdom, the actions of the World Alliance speeded up.

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

During the three-month period, the American people must not dispatch any more troops to the Philippines and Central America, and should progressively withdraw the American army stationed in both regions, as well as evacuate their navy.

If the United States could not meet the above conditions, then, at the end of three months, by late November 1924, the World Alliance would formally intervene with military force in the wars of these two regions.

This notice was not only handed over to the American Government but was also widely reported by major European media, spreading to American media and the civilian population.

Such a threat-like notice also firmly clarified the stance of the World Alliance. The American Government naturally understood the purpose behind this notice, but by then, they had no room for retreat.

Or rather, they had to choose a more reasonable plan, one with minimal loss for themselves, to satisfy the American public who were already informed.

<>Let's not speak of the Philippines for now, for most of the time, it was a loss-making venture for the United States, its greatest utility being merely a stepping stone in America's Pacific strategy, a military base on the Pacific Coast.

Compared to this, Central America is quite significant for the United States and is not far from the Native Land.

If the European powers were to take control of Central America, the several Southern coastal states of the United States would be threatened, a fact that would be unbearable for the American people.

Even more critical is that if the Panama Canal were to be lost in this incident, then America's hopes would be virtually extinguished.

The importance of the Panama Canal to the United States was as significant as the Kiel Canal was 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 the Panama Canal fell into the hands of other countries, the economy and development of the United States would plunge into darkness, an eventuality that the American Government could not accept.

With this attitude, the American Government contacted the World Alliance and several key countries within the World Alliance, conveying the stance of the American Government, which was an unwillingness to withdraw from Central America.

No matter how firm the American people's stance was, a country was destined not to be able to combat the union of several countries.

Australasia and the United Kingdom gave a faint smile and brought out the strategy used during the Irish War, which was to control public opinion and unleash a barrage of propaganda.

Previously, the American people did not refrain from undermining the British during the Irish War, widely publicizing the British's brutal rule in Ireland, and portraying the British as a great villain.

Now, it was time for the British to retaliate. The United Kingdom and Australasia showed no mercy, buying up a large amount of news agencies in Europe and the United States, continuously reporting on the war in Central America, and depicting the American army as an evil villain.

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

Lampard was an ordinary American worker. Like other workers, their most content moment was the ten minutes spent reading the newspaper at breakfast, not only providing relaxation but also keeping them abreast of fresh happenings in society.

Picking up today's newspaper, Lampard's face showed mild surprise, looking with bewilderment at the largest headline—The Evil War.

Quietly reading the content of the newspaper, Lampard's face became particularly expressive, captivated by the news editor's fine literary style, drawing him into this narrative.

The story that started the news article recounted the life of an ordinary family in the nation of Nicaragua in Central America, also an ordinary worker like Lampard.

But due to the presence of an American base within Nicaragua, these American soldiers would from time to time harass the Nicaraguan common people, committing all manner of atrocities.

Because of the American soldiers, many Nicaraguan families went from happiness to devastation, and even when sick, they lacked the funds for medical care, ultimately succumbing to illness.

The story concluded with a summary by the news, posing a thought-provoking question: "If this is the real reason behind war, would you still support this evil conflict?"

Although it didn't affirm the veracity of the story, the news included several photographs from the Nicaraguan war, including a few that depicted emaciated, starving Nicaraguan children with pronounced ribs.

This was where the newspaper showed its cleverness—it didn't explicitly verify the story, but let the people guess, allowing them to profoundly immerse themselves in the narrative, to consider from the perspective of Nicaragua.

"Damn, this can't be true, can it?" Lampard's face became uncertain, for he too understood that the world was not so lustrous and the struggle between nations was not so harmonious.

"What's the matter?" Lampard's wife looked toward her husband with curiosity.

"Just read this for yourself, I can't believe this is real. What exactly has our country done?" Lampard said, incredulous.

Scenes like this unfolded in many American households, casting a pall over the atmosphere on the last day of August.

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However, this was not significant; the morning news had no influence on the workers heading to their posts, after all, earning money was the major event.

But it was only when these workers who had all watched the news gathered together that public opinion had the best opportunity to ferment.

A factory on the outskirts of Los Angeles.

"Hey, Orleans, did you see today's news?" The person beside Orleans looked at him with a mysterious expression and asked.

"Of course, did you also see that report?" Orleans nodded, ready to voice his own doubts.
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"Do you think what was in the news is true, Orleans? Did our country really do so many cruel things?" Before Orleans could ask his questions, the person beside him beat him to it.

"I hope not." Orleans replied hesitantly, his mood reflecting his uncertainty: "Aren't those soldiers just regular Americans? They wouldn't do such things, would they?"

"Then how do you explain the influenza matter?" The person continued to ask curiously.

Orleans was at a loss for words, without any thought of rebuttal.

Putting aside the veracity of this news report for the moment, the last influenza outbreak, having come from an American laboratory, was certified by the World Alliance, and the American government had paid a substantial amount in compensation.

If it were not true, the World Alliance wouldn't frame us without reason! Besides, the American government's acceptance of that loan was enough to reveal its guilt.

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

"What are you chatting about?" Another person joined in, eager to take part in the conversation.

"We're talking about today's newspaper, Sherlock. Didn't you see today's paper? You really missed out on big news," the person beside Orleans said with a laugh.

"Are you referring to that report? I saw it too," the person named Sherlock nodded and added.

"Do you think it's true? Sherlock." Orleans asked, quite curious.

"I think it might be. If it weren't true, the World Alliance wouldn't have issued a formal warning.

You know, the World Alliance is made up of five powers: the United Kingdom, Australasia, France, Russia, and Italy; they wouldn't specifically target us, right?" Sherlock shared his thoughts.

"Damn, looks like the news is true then," the person beside Orleans said indignantly: "We can't support this wicked war; do you have any good plans?"

"Why not ask Mr. Dyke what he thinks? If it's about organizing a protest, I'm willing to spend my free time on it," Orleans nodded and suggested.

Mr. Dyke was the person in charge of the factory workers' association, beloved by these workers, and held the highest authority within their ranks.

Protests by ordinary workers were typically organized by these workers' associations, as there weren't many who held enough prestige to organize a factory-wide protest.

If the morning's news report was just the start of Americans' controversy over this war, then as time fermented, this controversy gradually reached its peak.

The United States, as a country not established long ago and also the largest immigrant nation in the world, still had many unstable elements within.

Though a large part of the immigrants had come to identify with this strong nation, many were still dissatisfied with the government and the state.

Driven by both domestic and international forces, the discussion about this war had reached its climax, and many who were unhappy with the government began to emerge, even launching massive protests.

On September 1,1924, the first protest about this incident appeared on the streets of Los Angeles, involving over 500 workers from several factories, drawing the keen attention of the Los Angeles government.

But this was just the beginning. Within a mere week, the frenzy had swept through several U.S. cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, from the West Coast to the East Coast.

If at first, the protests were a covert plan by some factories, with time, the protests became more organized and larger in scale.

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

In all major cities, Americans demanding an end to the war could be seen carrying banners.

Their angry shouts condemned even the American police who maintained order as accomplices of the government.

Both the current President Coolidge and President Wilson during the influenza epidemic were labeled as madmen by the protesting Americans, accused of leading the United States towards the abyss.

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