IBTCPOTME Novel - Chapter 139
**Chapter 139**
**The Mexican-American War (12)**
The President of the Republic of New Granada, Mosquera, after his capital Bogota was captured by the Mexican Imperial Army, informed the commander of the Mexican Imperial Army that he was willing to pursue a rapid, independent peace agreement without consulting the United States.
July 1, 1846.
Vicente Álvarez, a diplomat of the Mexican Empire, arrived in Bogota, the capital of the Republic of New Granada.
He did not immediately engage in negotiations. He had something else to do first. The orders given by the Imperial heir had to be executed meticulously.
Many within the Empire advocated for the annexation of the entire Republic of New Granada.
‘No, this should not be done that way. Even if we received a declaration of war, conquest through war would be a heavy burden.’
If you have the power, you can seize territory by putting forward a preposterous justification that seems like a clear destiny. But what if you don’t have to?
‘The most important thing for our Mexican Empire is Panama. We must take Panama, even if it’s included in the peace treaty. But we can phrase it differently.’
While politicians and bureaucrats were simply considering full annexation or how much territory to take, the Crown Prince presented a more sophisticated approach.
“Extra, extra! Panama will declare independence from our country and join the Mexican Empire!”
“Independence?”
“This is not Gran Colombia! Who decided to declare independence?”
The citizens of Bogota had to watch as Ecuador on the left and Venezuela on the right declared independence as the federation collapsed.
This was why New Granada, the successor to the federation, Gran Colombia, became a republic aiming for centralization.
The citizens of Bogota were furious when they saw the statement signed by dozens of Panama’s local elites, but there was nothing they could do.
Mexican Imperial soldiers in their uniforms were controlling the streets everywhere they looked.
By mid-July, Panama’s declaration of independence spread throughout New Granada. President Mosquera, unable to bear it any longer, went to see Vicente Álvarez, the Mexican Empire’s diplomat.
“What kind of trickery are you up to now! We can negotiate a peace treaty right now!”
President Mosquera also vaguely understood what the Mexican Empire was doing. He still had time left in his term, and he was preparing to quickly conclude a peace agreement and blame it all on Pedro Erán, the former president.
It was the only way to maintain this country on the brink of collapse, no matter how he thought about it. He had pursued a military alliance with the United States without much thought for his own personal greed, and when war broke out, he insisted on joining the war. Pedro Erán.
The country could only survive if he took the blame for all the hatred and was executed.
But Mexico did not move according to his intentions. The Imperial Army was controlling the situation so that he could not control public opinion, and they were shaping the public opinion that the Mexican Empire wanted.
Vicente Álvarez calmly spoke in front of the furious President Mosquera.
“Very well. Go ahead, peace treaty.”
The demands he presented were surprisingly simple.
1. Respect the decision of the people of Panama.
2. Pay the Mexican Empire a war indemnity of 30 million pesos.
President Mosquera blinked and flipped the paper over.
There was nothing written on the back.
“…”
President Mosquera was speechless. These Mexican Empire bastards were more cunning than he had imagined.
Nations unite in the face of a common enemy. Although the United States and New Granada declared war first, they had acquired an enemy in the Mexican Empire, and if they seized the Republic’s territory, there would be no way but to feel anger and hostility towards the Mexican Empire.
President Mosquera was also planning to use that sentiment. But the Mexican Empire used a cunning phrase, “respect the decision of the region,” instead of “cede the territory.”
It was a play on words.
They could argue that everything was invalid because it was a statement obtained through military intimidation. But what would be the point? There was no way to stop Mexico from immediately declaring the annexation of the entire country.
“······This is the end of New Granada.”
President Mosquera said this and signed with a regretful expression.
Considering how overwhelmingly they were defeated, the peace terms were not harsh. In reality, they only lost Panama, which was part of their territory, and 30 million pesos in war reparations. But as the “Bogota Treaty” was signed and the Mexican Imperial Army withdrew, the voices that had been holding back erupted violently.
“President Mosquera, step down!”
“The members of Congress who voted for the war, step down!”
The citizens of Bogota, who were the direct victims of forced conscription, exploded in anger, and the provinces were filled with resentment.
“The central government started the war on their own accord, lost, and now they want us to pay the war reparations together?”
In a normal country, declaring war would be the right of the central president and Congress, but the provincial elites, who strongly resented central interference, denied even that.
The Republic of New Granada began to plunge into chaos, unable to see even a step ahead.
***
BOOM!
Whistle-whistle-whistle-
BANG!
“Damn it. I told them they would target this place, but they ignored me.”
The American officer cursed. The Mexican Imperial Navy had been prowling around the waterways leading to Washington D.C. throughout July, investigating. There was no reason to investigate without a reason.
There was no way to stop them from investigating, but at least they should have strengthened their defenses. The defending officer had repeatedly reported signs of danger, but the Federal Army remained silent.
BOOM!
The Potomac River connected Washington D.C., the capital of the United States, to the Atlantic Ocean.
The river, which was attacked by the British fleet in 1812, faced the same situation 34 years later. Only the name of the country had changed, but the opposing country was pushing forward with overwhelming naval power.
“Shouldn’t you learn from your mistakes?”
In most countries, the capital is defended meticulously, with separate troops guarding it. But the United States was different.
After the Burning of Washington in 1812, when the British approached Washington D.C. through the Potomac River and burned down several public buildings, including the White House (then called the President’s Mansion) and the Capitol Building, the defenses of Washington D.C. were strengthened, but New York was still the top priority for the United States.
Washington D.C. maintained a second-tier level of defense, similar to Philadelphia and Baltimore.
“Fire! Stop them from entering Washington!”
BOOM! BOOM!
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-
The garrison of Fort Washington, which guarded the entrance to Washington D.C., began to resist fiercely.
***
August 15th.
Conducting battles in the middle of summer could lead to non-combat losses. But the president’s anxiety and hysteria were getting worse by the day.
The person appointed to replace General Winfield Scott was Major Zachary Taylor, who was famous for ruthlessly defeating the Indians within the United States.
President James Polk had appointed Winfield Scott as commander because he thought it would be dangerous if Zachary Taylor, who was of Whig Party tendencies, achieved military glory, but he dismissed him after only two battles.
Winfield Scott and other generals opposed the attack on Memphis, arguing that it was impossible, while Zachary Taylor insisted that it was possible.
‘I have to seize this opportunity.’
It was a chance to become a hero of the United States, and he truly believed he could win.
The United States, with its ports completely blockaded and the Mississippi River lost, had enormous potential after transitioning to a full-fledged wartime posture.
According to intelligence, the Mexican defense force was about 140,000.
On the other hand, they had mobilized a force of 220,000. Moreover, half of them were experienced in combat, and even the newly recruited ones had been trained for over a month.
The motley crew of officers recruited from all over had also gained some experience in combat, learning how the army and the battlefield worked.
The Springfield Model 1844, which had been identified as one of the biggest problems in the last battle, was replaced with the Springfield Model 1846, which had significantly improved its malfunctions.
The Springfield Model 1846 was being produced at a rate of almost a thousand a day, and they had plenty of food, ammunition, and artillery shells.
“As expected, they don’t seem to be planning to come out of Memphis.”
“Yes, they have been building defensive structures day and night since the battle.”
The enemy seemed content with just holding onto Memphis, showing no sign of advancing north or east. The American army had to break through the defensive line that the Mexican Imperial Army had built over the past four months.
As the American army approached, the Mexican Imperial Army was busy preparing for battle. They began to deploy troops in the front-line trenches, and the cannons were ready to fire.
Hours passed as both sides frantically prepared for battle, just within range of each other’s cannons.
As the hearts of hundreds of thousands of soldiers pounded, Zachary Taylor gave the order.
“Advance!”
The order was quickly relayed to the entire American army surrounding Memphis, and tens of thousands of American troops began to run.
“Forward!”
The officer who gave the order ran with them. There was no formation. Everyone started running, following the pre-trained plan, pacing themselves appropriately.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
Cough-
About 30 seconds after they started running.
The Mexican Imperial artillery fired first. It was before they even reached the obstacle area with the circular barbed wire.
“Open fire!”
The Mexican Imperial officer ordered as the American army came within firing range.
BANG! TATATATATANG!
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-
The Mexican Imperial Army emerged from the trenches, firing from their chests, their rifles and machine guns spitting fire.
AAAAAH!
Bullets rained down like rain, and screams echoed. They had cleared away the obstacles beforehand, so there was no cover. They had no choice but to break through.
“Open fire! Those who brought the wooden planks, throw them at the barbed wire!”
The American officer shouted, and the soldiers began to throw the wooden planks they had been carrying with difficulty onto the circular barbed wire.
CLANG-CLATTER-CLANG!
The circular barbed wire clattered loudly as it was covered with wooden planks.
“Charge!”
“AAAAAH!”
Even though the American army had prepared in their own way, charging after covering the barbed wire with wooden planks was still quite dangerous.
“Ouch!”
Underneath the wooden planks was the barbed wire, and it swayed with each step they took. The planks were easily dislodged, flipped over, or broken by the barbed wire. Even if they didn’t, it was difficult to cross quickly on these planks. If they ran too fast, they would trip over.
“KRAAK!”
The barbs of the barbed wire tore through their uniforms and pierced their flesh. The soldier, startled by the pain, twisted his body, but the barbed wire, as if it had no intention of letting go, dug deeper into his flesh with a rattling sound.
Most soldiers ignored their comrades writhing in pain and continued to advance, but some couldn’t. The soldier, who had brought a tool that looked like large nippers, began to sweat as he carefully removed the barbed wire, one stitch at a time, in the middle of the battlefield.
“Don’t move!”
That’s when he shouted.
BANG!
The soldier who was removing the barbed wire for his comrades was shot in the chest.
CLANG!
He collapsed on the barbed wire.
The Mexican Imperial Army in the trenches wasn’t without casualties. The enemy outnumbered them, and trench warfare was new to them.
“Gasp-“
“You idiot! I told you to crouch lower!”
Fortunately, he was hit in the shoulder. There was no time to call for anyone. The officer pulled the soldier out himself.
As the American artillery, after heavy casualties among the infantry, took their positions and began to fire, the stationary machine guns came under fire.
KABOOM!
The machine gun, hit directly by the shell, was destroyed, and its debris tore through the soft flesh of three machine gunners.
The American casualties were still overwhelming, but as the machine guns were targeted, the Mexican Imperial Army’s firepower and defensive strength began to decline, and the surviving American soldiers began to approach the trenches more and more.
They were pushing forward with overwhelming numbers.
August 1846.
Fierce battles raged in Memphis and on the East Coast of the United States.