Wild North America 1846

Chapter 96 The Northern Expedition
The reality made Li Cha deeply understand; there is never a free lunch in this world.

I always feel that this deal is a loss.

think about it now
Looking at it from a higher perspective, I found that the real winner is the British. No matter whether the Tang Kingdom wins or loses, Britain is always invincible.

Once the threat of the United States was resisted, the British not only maintained the majesty of the British Empire, but also had the confidence to reject the United States' claim to the Oregon Territory, and even supported a younger brother who fought against the United States on the West Coast, with political, economic and military harvests.

In comparison, Britain would spend money, troops, and effort to directly confront the United States, which may cost tens of millions of pounds in huge military expenditures and unacceptable casualties. Supporting the Datang Kingdom is undoubtedly a better choice.

if the war is lost
Even if the Tang Kingdom loses all its underpants, it is impossible to affect any real interests of the British Empire.

The unstoppable American federal expansion continued to expand, and the Oregon region, which was originally unstoppable, still fell into the hands of the Yankees.

Well, for London, this is not an unacceptable outcome.

As for the life and death of the Tang Kingdom after the defeat of the war or the situation of Chinese immigrants, it was not originally considered by the British, and there was no need to bear any moral responsibility for it.

I have to say, it is really easy to calculate.

Li Cha secretly gritted his steel teeth. He didn't want to show too much panic in front of his subordinates. After his expression recovered a little, he said in a deep voice;
"Continue to strictly interrogate these captives. I will pry out more details from their mouths. All horses and supplies to be evacuated will be suspended. We must be fully prepared to deal with more difficult situations. In addition, the news is strictly sealed. Don’t let it out, issue a gag order to the officers involved in the interrogation, let’s all go about our business.”

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rabiot and Major Dai Changfu both clasped their fists and gave a deep salute, then turned and left.

Li Cha walked back and forth in the tent with his hands behind his back, feeling a little upset, he raised his head and closed his eyes, and took a few deep breaths to calm his turbulent heart slowly;

How to do?
The intelligence confessed by the captives has been confirmed by each other, and the authenticity cannot be disputed.

The US order to gather in Denver has reached as many as 5000~6000 people, what is certain is;

These U.S. soldiers were not defending Denver, a coal mining town with more than 200 people. From Denver to the Great Lakes region in the north, to the Rocky Mountains in the west, and to Kansas City in the east, there were no targets of these troops within a range of more than a thousand kilometers.

The only possibility is to go south through Wagen Mound, aiming at Rio Rancho, and turning west from here, successively conquering Gallup, Flagstaff, Las Vegas and other towns, until the west coast of North America Los Angeles, conquered the Tang Kingdom by force.

Considering the worst case scenario, the number of U.S. troops in the Western Expedition may reach tens of thousands.

What is worrying is the attitude of the top US officials towards this war.

After calming down

After deliberating carefully for a long time, Li Cha came up with several highly targeted countermeasures, and immediately put them into practice after discussing with the courtiers and military officers.

There are a total of 6 core measures, namely;
Article 1;
Immediately inform the British side of the news of the massive U.S. attack, vigorously exaggerate the threat of the U.S. military, frankly admit the huge gap between the two, and request stronger assistance.

This is mainly divided into 4 sub-items;

1. Request the UK to expand the scale of military assistance, with the ultimate goal of arming 2.5 to 3 people to resist the increasing military pressure from the US.

2. Population size is the basis for winning the war. We request the British side to expand the scale of imported Chinese immigrants from more than 3000 people per month to [-] people, including direct immigration from mainland China. Datang Kingdom will try its best to pay part of the cost.

3; Request the Central American Squadron of the British Royal Navy to be stationed in the two Gulf ports of Los Angeles and San Francisco to prevent the US fleet from invading the above two port cities, and request appropriate naval assistance.

4. Request the British side to unite with European countries that sympathize with the Kingdom of Tang and Mexico in the international arena, and take actions including but not limited to diplomacy and trade sanctions against the flagrant invasion of the United States, so as to put substantial pressure on the United States to avoid repeated escalation of the war and fall into the In the predicament of long-term war.

Article 2;
Immediately strengthen the relevant defense facilities in Rio Rancho Town, call the Grape Valley Cement Factory to urgently deliver a batch of cement, ship it from San Francisco to Los Angeles, and send it to the front line as soon as possible.

More than a thousand U.S. captives were thrown into the hard labor camp immediately. The main job was to mine large rocks and transport them to Rio Rancho Town in a four-wheeled carriage. On the periphery of the existing adobe wall, a vertical slope protection was built by mixing rocks and cement. Greatly enhances defense.

in order of priority;

The fort around the town of Rio Rancho will be built first. The cement stone wall is required to be two feet wide, the adobe wall is four feet wide, and the overall height is 4 meters. One gate and two bastions are set up to form a solid fortress building.

In the case of sufficient rocks and cement materials, 1800 coolies were mobilized for emergency repairs, and the project could be completed within 4 weeks.

The second building is the former US military camp. The camp is located on a gentle hill, the highest point is about 62 feet, that is, a little more than 20 meters. It has a good view of the surrounding area and a large control area. It is a very good place to build a defensive fort.

The site is named "Highland Fort". "Highland Fortress" is adjacent to the Sanhuang River and 4.2 kilometers away from Rio Rancho Town. It will also be widened, reinforced, and cement gable walls will be built to form a fortress-style fortress.

And build a fort on it, which will form a corner with the Rio Rancho Fortress, further increase the depth and strength of the defense, and become an out-and-out front-line military center of the Datang Kingdom.

If the war persists in the future for a long-term and high-intensity, the third phase of the project will build a 3-kilometer city wall connecting the town of Rio Rancho and the "Fort High", thus forming a large-scale defense facility.

Preliminary estimates;

It will take more than 800 days to mobilize more than 50 laborers from Gallup Town and Rio Rancho Town, plus more than [-] American captives, to complete the "Rio Rancho" fort and "Fort Highland".

Article [-];
Immediately carry out emergency mobilization within the kingdom to further expand the army.In addition to the more than 1600 soldiers who are undergoing military training in Los Angeles, more than 2400 soldiers will be selected from the follow-up Chinese immigrants, expanding the number of soldiers in the training camp to 4000.

at the same time
2000 laborers, including whites and Mexicans, will be forcibly confiscated and transported to Gallup Town as soon as possible, and according to the fortification standard of Rio Rancho Town, Gallup Town will be fortified to increase military Defense in depth.

Article [-];
Requested British assistance in artillery production factories, technicians and equipment, as well as naval equipment including sailing warships, and successively built Los Angeles Fort Fortress, San Francisco Bay Fortress Fortress, and gradually formed a fortress garrison to deal with possible US Navy fleet attacks.

The fifth;
According to the configuration of one man with two horses, or even one man with three horses, King Richard will personally lead 1400 cavalry to attack Denver, extend the flames of war 740 kilometers to the north, and strike at the gathering places of U.S. troops, material storage areas, and logistics transport carriages. The pace of the US military going south won the necessary precious time for the construction of the rear fortress.

Article [-];
Establish secret material storage to support northern operations.

It is planned to set up two material storage and transportation points. One is the Wagenmund Valley, which is about 240 kilometers northeast of Rio Nancho Town. There are many bare rocky mountains and complex geographical environment, which is very suitable for hiding carriages and materials.

Another material storage and transportation point is located near Pueblo, more than 330 kilometers north of the Wagenmunde Valley, and more than 570 kilometers away from the town of Rio Rancho in the south.

This area is located in a fertile place where mountains and rivers gather in the Colorado Plateau. It is a rare large-scale oasis in this vast plateau desert and Gobi area. Hundreds of rivers, large and small, pass through here, forming dense forests and bushes, and there are a small half The tall, fertile pasture is lush and lush.

It is only more than 170 kilometers away from Denver in the north, and it is the best base for the cavalry. Forage and water are abundant. The cavalry only needs to carry 150 pounds of oats or black bean concentrate on the auxiliary horse, which can provide two horses for half a month.

Therefore, the rear only needs to provide a sufficient amount of concentrate to the front line. Based on the carrying capacity of a carriage of 2000 pounds, starting from Milan Town, at least 1400 pounds of black beans can be delivered to the front line.

When the carriage returned, a sufficient amount of forage was harvested in Pueblo, and it returned with a full load. When passing through the Wagenmund Valley, the forage was stored in the secret logistics base on the spot, and then returned empty.

After all this coming and going, if the funds are properly raised, only a hundred or so carriages are needed to supply the needs of the frontline operations.

Now that a highly targeted response plan has been determined, all aspects of the Datang Kingdom immediately took action, steadily implemented relevant measures, and began preparations for the expedition.

Nov. 1846, 7

When Li Cha was about to lead his army northward, two pieces of good news came;
The first piece of good news was that the telegraph line was repaired to Rio Rancho Town. From then on, news from all parts of the kingdom could reach the front line as soon as possible, which was undoubtedly a great benefit.

According to Li Cha's instructions, the long-distance telegraph line will continue to extend to the northeast. The first target is the Wagenmund Valley, which is more than 1 kilometers away in Rio Rancho Town. It is planned to be completed in half a month.

The second good news is that three light cavalry brigades (two cavalry squads were missing) searched along the way north, and intercepted two US logistics transport wagons in the Gobi Desert and Wagenmund Valley. After small-scale battles, The enemy gave up resistance.

A total of 4 126-wheel heavy carriages, 289 mules and horses, some food, materials and weapons were seized, and more than 330 prisoners were escorted back.

Li Cha was overjoyed when he heard about it, what he really lacked, he immediately ordered the messengers to gallop quickly, and informed the three light cavalry brigades going north to escort the carriage to the Wagenmund Valley to stand by and wait for the main force of the cavalry to arrive.

These food, weapons, and forage materials do not need to be transported back, and they are stored in the secret advance base in the Wagenmund Valley on the spot, which is the first batch of materials.

On the Gobi Desert in summer, the sun is scorching.

after four o'clock in the afternoon
Flags are flying, people are like tigers, horses are like dragons.

Amid the majestic military music, Li Cha led the San Francisco Cuirassier Regiment, a total of 821 cavalrymen, formed a long cavalry formation and left Rio Rancho Town, embarking on a long journey northward.

The number of this cavalry team is not large, but it is equipped with a lot of horses. 320 cuirassiers are equipped with three horses per person, and the horses are tied with bulging supplies.

The 200 light cavalrymen and 300 novice cavalrymen of the Cuirassier Regiment are all one man and two horses. The cavalrymen wear gray and white light cowboy hats to protect against the scorching sun, and gray scarves around their necks. Essential items for covering the nose and mouth.

Blankets, kettles, short knives, ropes, each equipped with a flintlock long gun and a Colt 1846 cavalry revolver, all firmly fixed in the cowhide gun belt in front of the saddle.

Most of the cavalry equipped themselves with a revolver, which was hung directly on the cowhide belt because of its light weight. There were 5 barrels, 6 barrels, and 7 barrels of revolvers. There were many brands and different models.

In order to make up the required horses, Li Cha filled in all the 1476 war horses captured by the US military. More than 800 people equipped more than 2700 horses, some of which were for the three light cavalry brigades. Some spare draft horses.

Accompanying the expedition to the north were 77 heavy-duty carriages with four wheels. Their destination was the Wagenmund Valley, 4 kilometers away. Each vehicle was loaded with pasture and concentrate piled up like a hill, and they planned to arrive in two days.

"Okay, I'll send you off for thousands of miles. There will be a farewell. You can stop here." Li Cha, who was in uniform, stopped, and his eyes fell on the new commander of the Rio Rancho Fortress, Lieutenant Colonel Kahn, the deputy commander. Major Duan Debiao and Major Wu Degao said earnestly on the three of them;
"I can't take care of my home with my troops, so I will leave the lair to your guards. Remember to hurry up and build the town fortress and highland castle quickly. Only they can withstand the bombardment of field heavy artillery. Remember, remember!"

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, we will mobilize half of the officers and soldiers to work in the near future, thicken and heighten the earthen wall, and ensure that the construction task is completed ahead of schedule."

"Well, those conscripted white and Mexican coolies are arriving one after another. Don't be too harsh on the food. Try to let these people eat enough to work, so as not to arouse civil unrest."

"I would like to follow His Majesty's instructions, and the humble ministers dare not disobey."

"That's good. I have explained everything that needs to be explained. You should abide by your duties and don't get confused. If there are important matters, report them quickly, and there must be no mistakes!"

"Sir, please take note."

All the military and government officials bowed their hands in salute. Li Cha nodded and got on his horse. He waved his hand and said, "The army is marching."

The sending-off team immediately sang drums and music, watching the long cavalry line go further and further under the scorching sun of July...

The expedition team will travel at night and stay at dawn to avoid the hot day in the desert of the Colorado plateau. After three light cavalry brigades will be given to the front, the total number of troops will reach 1400.

With so many cavalry, most of Li Cha's family wealth was concentrated, and even 300 recruits were included.The remaining more than a thousand Musketeers will stay in the south to defend the Rio Rancho Fortress and build a strong defense line for the Kingdom of Tang
(End of this chapter)