1850 American Gold Baron

Chapter 458 The Second Mexican-American War

Seeing that there was no hope for intervention by the great powers, the Mexican president realized that, at least at this stage, it was unrealistic to obtain the support of any of the three countries, Britain, France and Spain.

Only after the international situation changes and Mexico proves its worth, that is, after Mexico has the ability to curb the expansion of the United States in North America, will the great powers give Mexico a certain degree of support.

At this stage, if it wants to resist the invasion of the American army, Mexico can only rely on itself.

The next day, Santa Ana sent a note to Gadsden, the U.S. minister to Mexico, condemning the U.S.'s shameless behavior and expressing Mexico's determination to resist to the end.

Major newspapers in the capital, Mexico City, also published news of the U.S. military's invasion of Mexico.

This news made all knowledgeable people in Mexico City angry.

It has only been eight years since the last U.S.-Mexican War. This war transformed Mexico from a large country in North America to a medium-sized country.

Before the Mexicans had time to lick clean the pain caused by the war, the Americans and their troops came back again.

Mexican citizens in Mexico City surrounded the U.S. Embassy. They vented their anger on the embassy, ​​smashing, looting, and burning it.

The logistical conditions of the Southern Army were not as good as those of the Northern Army, but they could still ensure that soldiers would eat bacon that tasted bad.

The Mexican central government's control over the states is even weaker than the U.S. federal government's control over the states.

Not only compared with the gray livestock of the Qing army and Tsarist Russia, which could not even supply staple food during peacetime, but even compared with Britain and France, which were at the peak of their national power, the wartime dietary standards of the US military were by no means bad.

Military vendors are also an old tradition of the American military.

Spanish silver coins, fine silver, cloth, furniture, food, and even kitchen bottles and jars could not escape the eyes of these Confederate soldiers.

If local governments can implement the central government's embargo on iron ore in the United States, California's economy will not be completely destroyed, but the steel industry will inevitably suffer.

Some unscrupulous Confederate troops even burned the village after looting.

The problem is that Mexico is not a centralized country.

The Southern Army, led by the famous southern general Jackson, was unstoppable and successively captured large and small border cities such as Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa, and Matamoros.

Economic sanctions have no effect. Santa Ana's only hope now is to defeat the powerful enemy from the north militarily and force the opponent to the negotiating table.

After notifying the American ambassador, President Santa Ana immediately announced an embargo against the United States, especially iron ore.

Compared with the Western Brigade, the military discipline of the Southern Army was not as good as that of the Western Brigade.

Compared with the armies of other countries at the same time, the logistics of the US military are definitely better.

Many Confederate soldiers even disliked this dark delicacy that even sailors could not swallow. Little did they know that the bacon they disliked was a delicacy that the Qing army soldiers and the Tsar's gray animals could not ask for.

After the Mexican army completed its assembly, it was already early February 1856.

Not only does the U.S. military have no worries about the supply of staple food, but it also has an abundant supply of meat.

California's steel industry relies heavily on the import of iron ore from Mexico. Santa Ana believed that as long as Mexico imposed an embargo on California, California's economy would suffer disaster. Liang Yao had to relent.

Gadsden also felt aggrieved. He himself did not expect that the United States would declare war on Mexico without even notifying him, the ambassador.

As a large agricultural country with a vast territory, sparse population, and fertile land, the American army at least fights at home and in places relatively close to the homeland, so it has no worries about the supply of staple food.

To put it bluntly, the economic ties between Mexico's iron ore-exporting states and California are much closer than those of the country itself.

At this time, the U.S. Ambassador Gadsden had just walked out of the Presidential Palace. He happened to collide head-on with the angry crowd. Gadsden was so frightened that he ran away. Unfortunately, he was caught by the Mexicans and was severely beaten. Even his legs were injured.

Got discounted by the Mexicans.

Fortunately, Gadsden only suffered a broken leg and his life was saved.

Thanks to Santa Ana's efforts, Mexico gathered an army of more than 33,000 men at a relatively fast speed.

These states exported high-quality iron ore to California in exchange for California's light and heavy industrial products and gold, and quickly became Mexico's wealthy states.

These military vendors can also be regarded as a supplement to the logistics links of the US military.

At this time, both the main force of the Confederate Army in Texas on the eastern front and the main force of the Western Brigade in California on the western front had already moved south.

Monterrey, the capital of the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon, also quickly changed hands under the strong attack of the Southern Army due to insufficient preparation.

The war belongs to the country, and the gold in your pocket belongs to you.

Except for the states of Chihuahua and Coahuila, which have not been affected by the war for the time being, the northern areas of Nuevo Leon and Tamaulispa have fallen into the hands of the Southern Army.

Wherever the Confederate Army passed, it could be said that chickens and dogs were restless and not even a blade of grass grew.

In Mexico’s iron ore mining states, represented by Colima, local mine owners joined the California Coal and Steel Alliance four or five years ago.

Therefore, the Mexicans on the Eastern Front were not as lucky as those on the Western Front.

Therefore, after Santa Ana's ban was issued to local states, few states took Santa Ana's ban seriously.

After learning that the American ambassador was not in the embassy but in the presidential palace, they went to the presidential palace.

After completing the looting, the Confederate soldiers took these items to the stalls of vendors accompanying the army and exchanged these items for US dollars and hard currencies such as cigarettes, alcohol, sugar cubes, tea, coffee, boots, etc.

The reason why Chihuahua and Coahuila have not been affected by the war for the time being is not because the Southern Army is unable to attack these two states, but because these two states are barren and sparsely populated areas.

The garrison is also very limited.

The Confederate army, which only looted Mexican villages, was considered to be the most disciplined Confederate army among them.

Santa Ana was furious that local authorities did not enforce his embargo.

But as a president with extremely limited powers, apart from expressing his dissatisfaction and indignation, Santa Ana was unable to punish these national thieves.

There are four states bordering Mexico and Texas: Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulispa.

During the most difficult period of the Civil War, the Northern Army was able to ensure that ordinary soldiers on the front line, even black soldiers, had a hot meal of stew every day.

Whenever a war breaks out, there are smart traders who start military business.

Every time the Confederate army captured a village, they looted it. They took away everything that could be exchanged for U.S. dollars from Mexican villages and towns.

After leaving 10,000 people to garrison the capital, Mexico City, Santa Ana personally led his army north to resist the invasion of the American army.

As the president of a country, what Santa Ana can order is only a few hundred kilometers around the capital, Mexico City.

Considering that the economic value of Chihuahua and Coahuila is low and there is no significant strategic value, the sparse garrison in the two states will not pose a threat to the Southern Army. The commander of the Southern Army, Jackson, has been fighting since the beginning of the war.

I did not consider attacking these two states.

The food provided by the Northern Army's logistics was enough to satisfy the British and French armies at the same time.

Fortunately, as a military leader-turned-military dictator, Santa Ana still maintained some prestige in the Mexican army.

They used U.S. dollars and other supplies purchased from the rear to do business with soldiers in the army. During the last Mexican-American War, many vendors who accompanied the army made a fortune from this.

Santa Ana's ideas and thinking are right. California's steel industry does rely heavily on Mexican iron ore.

Most of the soldiers in the Confederate Army came from poor backgrounds, and the reason why they were willing to join the war was for the purpose of making a fortune.

These mine owners have thus become the richest group in Mexico.

At the beginning of independence, the power of the local states in Mexico was controlled by the large landowners and compradors of the states. The party and the central government have long been inseparable.

What is even more unethical is to directly massacre the village.

After all, these veterans who led the new recruits of the Confederate Army had participated in the Mexican-American War ten years ago.

They had done these things ten years ago, and revisiting the old business was not a psychological burden for these southern veterans.

According to their concept, they are just teaching the new recruits the traditions taught to them by their predecessors, so that the new recruits can pass on this fine tradition.

(End of chapter)