I Became The Crown Prince Of The Mexican Empire Novel - Chapter 174
**Chapter 174**
<Colombia (3)>
The first battle between the revolutionary army and the Church-Landowner alliance army took place in the Mompos Valley.
This area, about 200 kilometers southeast of Cartagena, was a fertile plain in the Magdalena River basin, a strategically important location with developed agriculture.
The alliance army chose this place, where the Church and landowners had previously held strong influence, as their first target.
The revolutionary army, carefully observing the alliance army’s movements, moved into the Mompos Valley first and secured their position.
The clergy of the local church retreated with their troops.
“We need to gain the support of the remaining farmers.”
“Leave it to me.”
Santander said to Márquez, who nodded.
Early July, the sun already blazing hot.
The alliance army, which had taken a while just to gather its troops, finally reached the outskirts of a village in the Mompos Valley of Cartagena province.
25,000 Church-Landowner alliance troops marched into the Mompos Valley. About 18,000 troops advanced slowly towards the revolutionary army camp from the front of the village, under the protection of artillery.
On both flanks, 2,000 cavalry and 5,000 infantry were approaching to threaten the revolutionary army’s flanks.
“They’re coming! No changes in the enemy’s troop and weapon situation!”
“Good. I’ll rely on numbers. This is it.”
The revolutionary army’s troops numbered 15,000, far fewer than the enemy, but Márquez was confident of victory.
Márquez deployed 10,000 infantry and artillery on the outskirts of Mompos village to form a defensive line, and the remaining infantry were deployed on the hills south of the Mompos Valley.
“Show them overwhelming firepower!”
“Open fire!”
The revolutionary army’s cannons fired first.
Boom! Boom boom! Boom! Boom boom boom!
The cannons bought from the Mexican Empire, though outdated, had a longer range than the enemy cannons.
Soon, the enemy artillery retaliated, but the number of cannon sounds was fewer.
“Of course. They didn’t bring many cannons because of the distance they had to travel.”
The enemy was an alliance army of landowners and churches from all over the country. Some were close to Cartagena province, while others were far away. They had a set date to gather, but if they were still far away? They had no choice but to give up the cannons, the culprits that slowed them down.
The revolutionary army, having already experienced several battles, had dug trenches and waited. Even without obstacles, it had a defensive effect.
Boom! Boom boom! Boom! Boom boom boom!
Cannonballs exploded, ripping through the ground. Flashes of light sent dirt flying into the sky, and ominous black smoke covered the battlefield.
– Aaagh!
As the distance became close enough to hear the enemy’s screams, the infantry on the front line opened fire.
“Open fire!”
Bang! Bang bang bang bang!
The armies clashed head-on, with twice the number of troops on the enemy side, but the revolutionary army held their ground firmly inside the trenches. Their faces were full of determination, not fear.
It wasn’t just the difference in weapons, but also the difference in experience.
The revolutionary army had a year’s worth of experience and training fighting the Cartagena landowner alliance, but the alliance army had none.
The Cartagena landowner alliance, who should have been passing on their experience, had all left for Argentina.
Click-bang! Click-bang!
The revolutionary army soldiers fired their bolt-action rifles like crazy.
On the other hand, the alliance army was armed with some American-made weapons and completely outdated flintlock rifles.
“Overwhelming firepower.”
“As expected. They won’t be able to hold out and will charge in.”
The enemy would know that some of our troops were out of sight. It wasn’t just 1,000 or 2,000, but a whopping 5,000. But they would run out of patience waiting any longer for the troops on the flanks. This was because they were losing the head-on fight, contrary to expectations.
“The cavalry on the left flank is moving out!”
“The 5,000 infantry on the right flank are also approaching!”
As expected.
The enemy commander was equally inexperienced. These so-called officers hadn’t even participated in a war between nations. This was because they belonged to the landowners and the Church, not the central government.
“They’re coming in! Prepare!”
The cavalry charged, but this was a trench. Even cavalry could only approach faster and shoot from above, but they couldn’t jump into that narrow space unless they wanted to be stabbed to death by bayonets immediately.
“Just hold out one more time, and we win!”
Márquez also held his ground in the trench.
This was the perfect time to attack the enemy’s rear, but there was no way to contact the troops hidden in the hills.
He could only hope they would come on their own.
“Behind, behind!”
“The enemy is appearing from behind!”
Santander didn’t betray Márquez’s expectations this time either.
The 5,000 infantry he led struck the rear of the alliance army, which had dug deep into the north.
“Our artillery!”
The few cannons they had were all taken over. They were pointed at the alliance army.
“Open fire!”
They fired with the enemy cannons captured by Santander’s unit. Flames and smoke engulfed the muzzles, and ear-splitting explosions filled the valley.
Boom! Boom boom boom!
The power of the cannons fired directly at close range was tremendous. Almost a hundred alliance troops were blown to pieces in a single volley.
“Attack the enemy in the rear!”
“No! We need to retreat! We’ll be surrounded if we stay here!”
Another weakness of the alliance army was revealed. Unlike the revolutionary army, which had a unified command structure centered on Márquez and Santander, the alliance army commanded the troops they had brought with them individually. There was a command structure, but even the supreme commander was two people. Diego Sánchez, the landowner representative, and Pedro Morales, the Church representative, each led their respective forces.
“Pursue! There is only death for those who don’t surrender!”
Santander’s unit cut off the alliance army’s retreat route and launched a furious pursuit. The revolutionary army soldiers moved as one, shattering the enemy’s formation, and the alliance army had no choice but to retreat in a panic.
The revolutionary army’s tactical skills and unity were fully demonstrated.
The alliance army, with 66% more troops, was utterly defeated.
***
Boom!
“What a disgrace! Didn’t they say the revolutionary army was a rabble!”
“You were the one who was confident of a crushing victory!”
Morales and Sánchez, who had escaped to outside the border of Cartagena province, blamed each other. After fighting for a while, they began to devise a plan, taking notice of those around them.
“We lost almost 10,000 troops, so we need to replenish them.”
“That’s not difficult. The problem is weapons.”
Morales, even after being hit hard on the back of the head, blamed the weapons rather than the tactics of the officers and the training of the troops.
The Church-Landowner alliance still had a lot of troops they could mobilize. They had only brought a small number because they had to work on their farms.
“They’re getting weapons from the Mexican Empire, so there’s nothing we can do. Damn those traitorous bastards.”
It wasn’t something Sánchez, who was confident of establishing an independent nation, should say, but surprisingly, a lifeline was thrown from the heavens, or rather, the sea.
“Good day. I am John Smith, former British subject. Do you need weapons?”
Santa Marta, the second port city of New Granada.
After Cartagena was captured by the revolutionary army, trade and diplomacy were conducted through this city.
John Smith, who claimed to be a British subject, didn’t reveal his exact identity, but it was clear that the ship he was on had weapons and supplies.
Because he showed them.
With this, they could have a weapon system that wouldn’t be inferior to the revolutionary army’s.
Sánchez and Morales’ response was obvious.
“We need them.”
“Then I’ll sell them to you at a fair price. I’ll sell you as many as you need. Here’s the price list.”
John Smith said that and handed them the price list. He knew that his offer didn’t give them a choice. It was a golden opportunity to make a huge profit.
The prices listed were clearly expensive. You could even call it a rip-off. They had also bought weapons from the United States during their short alliance, so they knew international prices well.
Sánchez and Morales looked at each other in confusion.
“This price…”
He must be trying to rip off the alliance army. Since he’s British, he must be confident that he’ll collect the debt. But they needed weapons.
Now that they had already started fighting, they couldn’t just leave the revolutionary army alone. The revolutionary army wouldn’t leave them alone now. But at this price, they couldn’t even buy much, even if they wanted to. This was because they didn’t have the cash on hand.
John Smith seemed to sense this and said.
“Oh, credit is fine. As long as you have collateral.”
“Collateral?”
“Of course, it’s the farms you own. Of course, you don’t have to bear the burden together.”
“···”
After a moment of silence, Smith said.
“I heard that all the landowners in Cartagena province have left. If you get rid of the revolutionary army, won’t you all share the vast Cartagena? I think it’s worth investing in.”
“···!”
Diego Sánchez and Pedro Morales’ expressions changed.
Both had the same expression.
***
August 1848.
The scorching sun suffocated the land.
Even the cicadas in the forest seemed to have stopped singing from exhaustion. Everyone wanted to relax in the heat, but the war had to continue.
The alliance army moved again.
“You’re telling me they’re going to fight in this summer heat?”
“Ugh, I’d rather die from sunlight than bullets.”
“Looking at their route, they seem to want to finish this quickly and go back before the autumn harvest.”
This was a conversation among the revolutionary army’s leadership.
The alliance army had bypassed all the strategic locations in Cartagena province and was heading straight for Cartagena de Indias, or Cartagena.
“They’ve gone crazy.”
“···Are they really out of their minds after being defeated once? If they lose again, it’s all over for them.”
The residents of Cartagena province were already practically on the side of the revolutionary army. Even if they hadn’t joined the revolutionary army directly, they had a brother or relative in the revolutionary army.
If they lost in Cartagena, the port city in the north of Cartagena province, they would lose all their troops. They were confident they could make it happen.
“Wait, didn’t they move their troops to Santa Marta?”
“They did.”
“They were defeated in the south and moved their troops all the way to the northeast coast? Something’s fishy… Did they import weapons or something?”
“Hmm… It’s a suspicious assumption, but there’s no way to confirm it.”
“Otherwise, even if they were stupid, would they march straight to Cartagena?”
“Well, definitely.”
“If they’ve replenished their troops and even resupplied with weapons, they’d be arrogant enough to do this. They’ve been arrogant all their lives.”
“We need to send out more scouts to gather as much information as possible before we move the main force to meet them.”
When Márquez finished, everyone nodded.
***
One month after the Battle of Mompos Valley.
The revolutionary army also replenished its troops. This was because people were flocking in, spurred by news of the victory.
They had recovered their previous strength and reached 17,000 troops. But the alliance army’s troop mobilization power was impressive.
“35,000? Did you say 35,000?”
They had lost almost 10,000 out of 25,000, but they had replenished their troops and created an army of 35,000.
“Yes… They seem to have bought a large number of bolt-action rifles from somewhere. They’ve even added quite a few cannons.”
It was bad news for the revolutionary army.
“We need to pull back our troops. We need to fight a defensive war.”
The alliance army troops, who had been staying at the port of Santa Marta, were marching straight to Cartagena, following the coastline.
The revolutionary army tried to find suitable terrain to engage in a turning battle, but it was suicidal to engage in a turning battle against an enemy with a more overwhelming numerical superiority and who had also solved their weapon problems.
“···Alright. Cartagena has defenses we’ve been building for a while, so it’s doable.”
They would have to accept the destruction of the city, but they had to fight a defensive war. It was the only way they had any chance of winning.
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