Wild North America 1846

"What, there's no telegraph line in Juarez?"

"Your Majesty, it's true. Mexico's long-distance telegraph lines only reach Mexico City and surrounding densely populated states, and reach as far north as the state capital Chihuahua. There are no such lines to Juarez at all."

"Well, that is to say...the Mexican side doesn't know that we have already invaded the border with troops." Richard said thoughtfully, with a faint smile on his lips.

Colonel Tian Mantun saluted with a serious expression and replied: "Your Majesty, judging from the current situation, this should be the case. The news has not been leaked yet, and the Mexican refugees are not fleeing that fast."

"Then it seems that the plan must be changed. The entire army will end its rest and recuperation early and immediately go south to capture Chihuahua. By the way, remember to arrange for people to cut off the long-distance telegraph line from Chihuahua to Mexico before the battle begins." Richard

He immediately stood up and gave the order decisively.

Chihuahua is located 387 kilometers south of Juarez. It is the capital of Chihuahua state, the largest in Mexico. The city has a population of about 190,000. On the surface, it has a government garrison of about 1,300 people. How many people are actually there?

It's unknown.

The Mexican government army has always had the bad habit of being paid by empty soldiers. Its military discipline is lax and its combat effectiveness is extremely poor. Its role is more as thugs and accomplices of local dignitaries than as killers on the battlefield.

Richard thought about it briefly;

Juarez is located on the southern border of the Tang Kingdom, and Chihuahua is located in the heart of the central part of the state. Juarez and Chihuahua are 387 kilometers apart. The cavalry can reach them in three days by traveling day and night with one person and two horses.

But six dragoon regiments (mounted infantry) are enough, and it will take at least 4 days.

Fortunately, the cavalry of the Tang Kingdom launched the pursuit in time, and all the fleeing carriages of Juarez's upper-class dignitaries were stopped. The cavalry established a blockade along the road, and sent a light cavalry brigade along the road to go deep south.

its purpose

That is to encircle and suppress some Mexicans who fled on horseback. The light cavalry brigade was equipped with one person and two horses, and could pursue them along the way day and night to ensure that the particles were returned to the warehouse.

Don't worry about the fleeing people scattered in the wilderness. With their foot strength, even if they flee southward day and night, wading through mountains and rivers in the roadless wilderness, it is impossible to reach Chihuahua in less than a week.

After comprehensive consideration

Richard decided decisively;

"The army rested on the spot for two days, quickly replenished food and supplies, and made easy-to-carry dried meat and salty flour cakes on the spot. It set off at 4:00 a.m. the next day and headed south, aiming directly at Qihuawa.

The whole army must display the spirit of continuous combat, be unafraid of hardship and travel, resolutely implement various combat orders issued by the military headquarters, strictly enforce military discipline, and violators will not be punished without mercy."

"I obey your orders."

Colonel Tian Mantun, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division, Colonel Wu Degao, commander of the 2nd Cavalry Division, Colonel James Kahn, commander of the 3rd Cavalry Division, and Colonel Duan Debiao, commander of the 4th Cavalry Division all clasped their fists and saluted.

The main force of the southern invasion army was these four mixed cavalry divisions, totaling 16,300 people. They were the vanguard in destroying cities and strongholds, and the main force in attacking cities and territories.

The Royal Guards Cuirassiers, as the soldiers of the headquarters, are more responsible for protecting the king and will not engage in specific battles under normal circumstances.

The fast mobile cavalry regiment commanded by Richard himself is powerful and well-equipped. It can be said to be the first-class cavalry force in the world today, and it is not considered second to none in North America.

Each cavalry division is a sharp knife. With a strength of more than 4,000 people, it can be said that it is perfect for dealing with the vast and sparsely populated towns in northern Mexico that are relatively slow to develop.

February 10, 1850, about 4:00 in the morning.

Richard personally led the army to go south again. At around 3:00 pm on February 13, he led his army to appear on the outskirts of Chihuahua City. The overwhelming cavalry of the Tang Kingdom caused a huge shock to the peaceful city of Chihuahua.

In Juarez.

Amidst the bursts of gunfire, huge fear quickly spread. The streets and alleys of Chihuahua city were full of residents who rushed out frantically, crying for their mothers and running all the way to the south. The man ran away and lost his shoes.

, the mother ran away and lost her daughter.

Amid the huge fear, everyone began to scramble to escape. The black crowd of refugees spread out of the city, leaving chaos everywhere.

A scene that had happened before appeared again, and Richard was completely speechless about it.

in North America

Not only is the Yankees’ domestic public opinion frantically smearing and demonizing the Tang Kingdom, the same is true in Mexico.

Due to the backwardness of newspapers, telecommunications and other industries, the ruling class was dark and corrupt, and rumors of demonizing the Tang Dynasty were flying everywhere, with all kinds of bizarre versions.

Those who eat human hearts and brains raw, those who use the blood for beauty, those who carry deadly plagues, those who take pleasure in cruelty and bloodlust, and those who are described as legions of hell.

This mindless slander only aggravated the fear of ordinary Mexicans. When the Tang Kingdom cavalry came overwhelmingly, extreme fear broke out instantly and became contagious, causing this strange wave of refugees.

The residents of Chihuahua didn’t even think about where to escape.

As the capital city of the state of Chihuahua, Chihuahua is located in the heart of the central part of the state, about 291 kilometers south to the town of Colorado at the junction of the two states, and almost 627 kilometers south to the nearest important city, Cuencamé.

If you run with your legs alone, you won't be able to run even if you die.

Chihuahua is the largest state in Mexico, with a total area of ​​247,000 square kilometers, which is equivalent to the combined area of ​​Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces plus Taiwan. The territory is very vast.

Most of the Mexicans living here have never left Chihuahua in their lives, and they only hear about the outside world and make assumptions.

When the Mexicans saw the overwhelming cavalry of the Tang Kingdom coming towards them, their only thought was "Hurry up and run away as far away as possible..."

On February 13, the southern invasion force led by Richard once again occupied the important town of Qihuahua without any bloodshed, which meant that it completely took control of Qihuahua Prefecture.

After resting in place for three days, the army set off south again and occupied Cuencamé, the capital of Durango state, on February 23.

At this point, in just three weeks, the army of the Tang Kingdom had penetrated more than a thousand kilometers into the northern territory of Mexico, and successively occupied the states of Chihuahua and Durango. The sharpness of the troops was jaw-dropping.

After occupying Cuencamé, the capital of Durango State, Richard boldly divided his forces, using the 3rd Cavalry Division to attack Coahuila to the east, the 4th Cavalry Division to attack Sonora to the west, and the 1st Cavalry Division to attack Sinaloa to the southwest.

.

to mid-March

The five northern states of Mexico fell one after another and became a nomadic land for the cavalry of the Tang Kingdom. Urgent documents from the northern states flew in like snow, while the government in Mexico City was still in a troubling quarrel.

The elected General Lesotho finally assembled an army of 8,500 people. After leaving Mexico City and walking north for three days, the army mutinied after less than 100 kilometers.

This serious military mutiny resulted in dozens of casualties. Most of the soldiers of the patchwork army fled. General Solette was injured while riding a horse to escape during the night mutiny.

He had to hand over command of the army and return to his manor to recuperate from his injuries.

Some Mexican congressmen angrily pointed out that this sudden military mutiny was directed by the Lesotho general, and that the culprit should be held accountable and sent to the gallows.

More people came forward to defend General Lesotho, saying that in this patchwork army, there are only more than 770 troops directly belonging to General Lesotho, and all the blame should not be placed on him.

After a fierce quarrel, the Mexican government still forgot about the biggest threat from the enemy, or deliberately evaded it, and has been slow to make a proactive response.

in mexico city

Some influential views believe that using the thousands of kilometers of depth in Mexico, the Tang Kingdom's army can be placed in the center to fight, thereby exhausting and defeating the Datang Kingdom's army.

In other words, relying on the solid defense of Mexico City, reinforcements from all over Mexico were gathered to fight the decisive battle in the capital city.

Let’s not discuss whether this bizarre strategy works for the time being, but it did have a serious impact on the Mexican government’s decision-making, causing it to watch helplessly as large areas of its northern territory fell, but was still unable to take effective counterattacks.

Take this opportunity

The Southern Invasion Army of the Kingdom of the Tang Dynasty further consolidated its existing achievements and completed the Rio Rancho-Juarez road at the end of April. A large number of reinforcements, along with personnel from the Department of Corrections and municipal military and police personnel, arrived and began to take over cities in northern Mexican states.

Accompanying the army going south is the road construction army. The road from Chihuahua to Juarez, and from Chihuahua south to Cuencamé, the capital of Durango state, has begun to be widened and reinforced. It is planned to build a 22-meter wide flat avenue with plantings on both sides of the road.

Trees, setting milestones.

mid-may

15,000 new soldiers arrived one after another, and Richard had enough reinforcements in his hands to dispatch the 2nd Cavalry Division and the 1st Cavalry Division to capture Nuevo Leon and Zacatecas again, expanding the occupied area to seven states.

At this point, the Tang Kingdom, with a mere 35,000 troops, had occupied nearly one million square kilometers of land in northern Mexico, and had to stop its rapid advance to consolidate and digest the fruits of victory.

early July

The 387-kilometer 22-meter-wide standardized highway from Juarez to Chihuahua has been fully completed. As the central trunk road from north to south, it has greatly improved the Tang Kingdom's ability to transport supplies to the south.

mid-July

In the mountains of northern San Luis Poto state, the largest battle between Tang and Mexico broke out since the war began.

Yes

47,000 troops were gathered in various regions in eastern and central Mexico, led by General Hector Dos Santos, and deployed in the mountainous area of ​​northern San Luis Poto State.

This became a stumbling block that prevented the Tang Kingdom's army from continuing to move south. Behind this army was New Mexico City hundreds of kilometers away.

Richard personally led the First Cavalry Division and the Fourth Cavalry Division to fight, as well as a regiment of 5,600 recruits, with a total of 14,600 soldiers.

In terms of military strength, the Mexican army was three times the size of the Tang Kingdom's army, occupying a clear military advantage.

But in actual confrontation

The brightly armored army of the Tang Kingdom was well-organized and full of murderous intent, revealing a huge invisible pressure and gaining the upper hand in terms of morale and confidence.

In front of the two armies

The army of the Tang Dynasty was stationed outside the wide valley, with 9,600 infantry in the center, and 2,000 cavalry from the 1st Cavalry Division and 4th Cavalry Division, respectively, on the left and right flanks.

The royal flag is fluttering behind the infantry array. Here is the central group guarded by the royal cuirassiers. King Richard in golden helmet sits high on a pure white Suffolk horse, looking proudly indifferent to the opponent.

The breath comes out freely.

The Mexican army deployed troops in the valley and built defensive forts and walls along the valley. As many as 47,000 troops in various military uniforms crowded the huge valley, filled with pits and forests of swords and guns.

He looked like he was facing a formidable enemy.

People who don't know the inside story will think that they are wrong. Those with more people are the defenders, and those with fewer people are the attackers.

"Reporting to Your Excellency General, the army of the Tang Kingdom has been sent to challenge us. Please give us your instructions whether we will accept the challenge or not."

"Ignore it. If you want to attack, just come and attack." General Hector dos Santos waved his hand and categorically rejected the other party's request to invite a fight.

His actions made the senior Mexican generals around him secretly curl their lips, and the silent looks they exchanged with each other seemed to say these three words: "coward."

Regardless of whether General Héctor dos Santos is a coward, he is at least the most experienced general in the Mexican military, and the experience of failure is also experience.

In the Mexican-American War

General Héctor dos Santos followed former Mexican President Santa Anna and personally participated in and experienced hundreds of large and small battles with the US military. He is an experienced general.

Former Mexican President Santa Anna and current President Santayo are both hard-line figures who are committed to fighting, but the former takes action personally, always being at the forefront of the battle to participate in command, and doing his best to fight the US military to the end.

Although it failed in the end, it was not the fault of the war.

In comparison, the current President Santayo is an incompetent talker, fluttering back and forth between war and peace. He has neither the prestige to dominate the government's decision-making nor the determination to fight to the end.

He is just a clown who was pushed to the forefront by chance, and his quick talk caused great trouble.

The Mexican people are the unlucky ones when the war spreads. The current President Santayo has enemies all over the government and abroad. There are many upper-class dignitaries in Mexico who want to eat his flesh and hide his skin. Many upper-level dignitaries in the government have their families destroyed by him, but now

This is not the time for reckoning.

Standing on the fortress bastion

The gray-bearded General Hector dos Santos ignored the strange looks behind him. Decades of ups and downs in the military had already worn away his vigor.

Facing the fierce Tang Kingdom army, he now does not seek merit, but seeks no fault.

Don't look at the more than 47,000 Mexican troops in the valley. These troops come from more than a dozen states. Many of them are civilians who have been captured. They wear all kinds of military uniforms. Some of them don't even have weapons. They are gathered.

The rabble rose up.

Such an army can stay in the valley for defense, but trying to march out of the valley to fight is tantamount to courting death.