I Became The Crown Prince Of The Mexican Empire - Chapter 174



Only Krnovel

The first battle between the revolutionary army and the church-landlord coalition

It happened in Mompos Valley.

This area, located about 200km southeast of Cartagena, is a fertile plain in the Magdalena River basin and was a strategic point for agricultural development.

The Allied forces targeted this area, which had previously been a stronghold of church and landowner influence.

The revolutionary army, which had been carefully observing the movements of the Allied forces, first pushed into the Mompox Valley and took up positions.

The clergy of the local church retreated with their troops.

“We must gain the support of the remaining farmers.”

“Leave it to me.”

Santander said to Marquez. Marquez nodded.

It’s already early July and the hot sun is beating down.

After spending a long time gathering their forces, the Allied forces finally reached the village of Mompox in the Valley of Cartagena Province.

A combined church-landlord force of 25,000 men advanced into the Mompox Valley. In front of the village, about 18,000 men advanced slowly toward the revolutionary camp under artillery cover.

On both flanks, 2,000 cavalry and 5,000 infantry were approaching to threaten the flanks of the revolutionary army.

“Come on! The enemy’s forces and weapons situation remain unchanged!”

“Okay. I’ll just trust the numbers. This is it.”

Although the revolutionary army was far smaller than the enemy’s force of 15,000 men, Márquez was confident of victory.

Márquez formed a defensive line with 10,000 infantry and artillerymen outside the village of Mompox, while the rest of the infantry was deployed in the hills south of the Mompox Valley.

“It’s a display of overwhelming firepower!”

“Commence firing!”

The revolutionary army’s cannon fired first.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The cannons purchased from the Mexican Empire, despite being old, had a longer range than the enemy cannons.

Soon the enemy artillery counterattacked, but the number of shells was small.

“That’s right. They didn’t bring many cannons because of the distance they had to travel.”

The coalition was made up of landowners and churches from all over the country. Some were close to Cartagena, while others were far away. The date of the gathering was set, but what if the distance was still too far? Inevitably, the cannons, the main culprit that slowed down the pace, had to be abandoned.

The revolutionary army, which had already been through several battles, dug trenches and waited. Even without obstacles, the defense was effective.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The shells exploded, splitting the ground. A flash of light and dust shot into the sky, and ominous black smoke covered the battlefield.

– Kwaaak!

As soon as the enemy’s screams could be heard, the infantry in front began firing.

“Commence firing!”

Bang! Tata tata tang!

Even though they were confronted from the front by an army twice their size, the revolutionary army did not give up and held firm in their trenches. Their faces were filled with determination rather than fear.

There were differences in weapons, but there were also big differences in experience.

The revolutionaries had the experience and training they had gained from fighting the Cartagena landowners for nearly a year, but the Allies had none of it.

The Cartagena landowners’ association, which was supposed to share its experience, left for Argentina as a group.

Clang-bang! Clang-bang!

The revolutionary soldiers fired their bolt-action rifles madly.

Meanwhile, the Allied forces were armed with some American-made weapons and some completely outdated flintlock rifles.

“Overwhelming firepower.”

“As expected. At this point, I’m sure he won’t be able to hold out any longer and will just slam in.”

The enemy must also know that some of the troops on this side are not visible. They are not 1 or 2 thousand, but a whopping 5 thousand. However, their patience will reach its limit if they keep the troops on the left and right waiting any longer. This is because, contrary to expectations, they are losing the frontal battle.

“The cavalry on the left has moved!”

“Five thousand infantry on the right are also approaching!”

It was as expected.

The enemy commanders were equally inexperienced. These so-called officers did not even participate in a war between nations. Their affiliations were with the landowners and the church, not the central government.

“They’re coming in! Get ready!”

The cavalry charged, but this was a trench. Even the cavalry could get in a little faster and shoot from above, but they couldn’t jump down into that narrow space unless they wanted to be bayoneted to death.

“If you block it just once, you win!”

Marquez also held out in the trenches.

Now was the perfect time to follow the enemy’s footsteps, but there was no way to contact the troops hidden in the hills.

I can only hope that you will come and see for yourself.

“Back, back!”

“The enemy appeared from behind!”

Santander did not disappoint Marquez’s expectations this time either.

The 5,000 infantry he led struck the rear of the Allied forces who had dug deep into the north.

“Our artillery!”

The few cannons that were there were all captured and turned on the Allied forces.

“Commence firing!”

Santander’s troops opened fire with the enemy’s captured cannons. Flames and smoke enveloped the muzzles, and a deafening roar filled the valley.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The power of the cannon fired at close range was tremendous. A single volley of fire tore nearly a hundred Allied troops into pieces.

“Attack the enemy behind you!”

“No! We have to retreat! If we continue like this, we’ll be surrounded!”

Another weakness of the Allied Forces was revealed. Unlike the Revolutionary Army, which had a unified command system centered around the leader of the revolutionary army, Marquez, and the deputy leader, Santander, the Allied Forces commanded the troops they brought with them. There was a command system, but even the supreme commanders were two: Diego Sanchez, the landowner, and Pedro Morales, the church leader, each faction represented.

“Pursue! Death awaits those who do not surrender!”

Santander’s troops cut off the Allied retreat route and fought a fierce pursuit. The revolutionary soldiers moved as one body, breaking the enemy’s lines, and the Allied forces were forced to retreat in disarray.

The revolutionary army’s tactical ability and unity were fully demonstrated.

The Allied forces were defeated despite having 66% more troops.

***

bang!

“What a shame! Didn’t I say that the revolutionary army was a rabble?”

“You too were confident of a landslide victory!”

Morales and Sanchez, who had fled outside the borders of Cartagena, blamed each other. After fighting for a while, they began to look around and come up with countermeasures.

“We’ve lost half of our troops, so we need to replenish them.”

“It’s not difficult. The problem is the weapon.”

Even after being hit hard in the back of the head, Morales blamed the weapons rather than the tactics of his officers or the training of his troops.

The church-landlord alliance still had a lot of troops to mobilize. They brought only a few because they had a lot of farm work to do.

“They can’t help it, they’re being given weapons by the Mexican Empire. They’re fucking traitors.”

It was not something that Sanchez, who had been thinking of establishing an independent country, should have said, but surprisingly, a lifeline was thrown from the sky, or rather, the sea.

“Hello. My name is John Smith of the British Empire. Do you need a weapon?”

Santa Marta, the second port city of New Granada.

After the city of Cartagena fell into the hands of revolutionary forces, trade and diplomacy were conducted through here.

John Smith, who identified himself as a British citizen, did not give his exact identity, but it was certain that the ship he came on contained weapons and supplies.

Because it was shown.

With just this, we could have a weapons system that would not fall behind that of the revolutionary army.

The answer from Sanchez and Moreles was obvious.

“It is necessary.”

“Then I will sell it to you at a reasonable price. I will sell it to you as much as you need. Here is the price list.”

John Smith said so and handed them the price list. He knew full well that his offer left them no choice. It was a golden opportunity to make a huge profit.

The prices written there were obviously expensive. They could be called a rip-off. They had also purchased weapons from the United States during their brief alliance, so they were well aware of the international market prices.

Sanchez and Morales looked at each other in confusion.

“This price is···.”

He must have been trying to put a huge burden on the Allied Forces. He must have been confident that the British Empire would collect the debt. But he needed weapons.

Since they had already started a fight, they couldn’t just leave the revolutionaries alone. Now, the revolutionaries wouldn’t leave them alone. But at this price, even if they wanted to buy, they couldn’t buy much. They didn’t have any cash right away.

John Smith seemed to sense the vibe as he said:

“Ah. Even a loan is fine. As long as there is collateral.”

“What if it’s collateral?”

“Of course, it is your farm. Of course, you two do not have to bear the burden.”

“···”

After a moment of silence, Smith said:

“I heard that all the landowners in Cartagena have left. Then, if you just clear out the revolutionary army, wouldn’t you be able to divide up the vast Cartagena among yourselves? I think it’s worth investing in this amount.”

“···!”

Diego Sanchez and Pedro Morales’ expressions changed.

They both had the same expression.

***

August 1848.

The blazing sun suffocated the earth.

Even the cicadas in the forest seemed to have stopped crying out of exhaustion. Everyone was exhausted from the heat and wanted to rest, but the war had to go on.

The Allied forces moved again.

“You really think we’re going to fight this summer?”

“Oh my. I’d rather die from sunlight than bullets.”

“Judging by their path, it looks like they want to finish quickly and get back by the fall harvest season.”

It was a conversation between the revolutionary army’s executives.

The Allied forces had passed through all the strategic points of Cartagena province and were advancing straight towards Cartagena de Indias, or the city of Cartagena.

“Did you suffer from the heat?”

“···Didn’t you really lose your mind after getting beat up last time? If you lose again, everything will be over?”

The people of Cartagena Province were already on the side of the revolutionaries. Even if they did not join the revolutionaries directly, they had at least one brother or relative who was in the revolutionaries.

Even in Cartagena Province, the moment they lost at Cartagena City, the port in the north, they would lose all their forces. They were confident that they could make it happen.

“Wait a minute, they withdrew their troops to Santa Marta.”

“That’s right.”

“After being defeated in the south, you withdrew your troops to the northeastern coast? Something seems suspicious… Did you import weapons?”

“Hmm… It’s a hypothesis worth suspecting, but there’s no way to confirm it.”

“Otherwise, no matter how stupid they are, would they go straight to Cartagena?”

“Well, definitely.”

“If you had replenished your troops and supplied them with weapons, you would have been so arrogant. You would have lived your whole life being arrogant.”

“Before we move the main force to meet them, we should send out more scouts to gather as much information as possible.”

As Marquez summarized, everyone nodded.

***

A month after the Battle of Mompox Valley.

The revolutionary army also replenished its troops, as people flocked to it, inspired by the news of victory.

Beyond restoring its former strength, it reached a strength of 17,000 men. However, the Allied forces’ troop mobilization capacity was remarkable.

“Thirty-five thousand? Did you just say thirty-five thousand?”

Despite losing nearly ten thousand of his 25,000 men, he managed to replenish his forces and create an army of 35,000 men.

“Yes… It looks like they bought a lot of bolt-action rifles from somewhere. They even added a lot of cannons.”

It was depressing news for the revolutionary army.

“We must withdraw our troops. We must fight a defensive battle.”

The Allied forces that had been stationed at the port of Santa Marta were advancing straight along the coast towards the city of Cartagena.

The revolutionary army tried to find suitable terrain and make a turn, but it was suicidal to make a turn against an enemy who had an overwhelming difference in numbers and even solved the problem of weapons.

“···Yeah. Cartagena has already built defensive facilities, so it’s worth it.”

We must defend the city, even if it means risking its destruction. That was the only way to have any chance of winning.