**Chapter 39**
**California Crisis (1)**
I arrived in Mexico City late at night.
"It's a bit reckless to go to my father at this hour."
Even if I woke him up, there's no way he could suddenly prepare the army in the middle of the night.
I lay down in my room in the palace, but I couldn't sleep.
I gave up on sleeping and sat at my desk.
Native tribes had raided several settlements and stolen horses.
This can only be seen as a sign of a large-scale attack, no matter how you look at it.
"I have to go."
It's not like the Mexico of the original history, where the country was in shambles. The Mexican Empire, enjoying a golden age, wouldn't leave them unpunished.
"They'll make an example of the natives."
The problem of the northern natives has been a constant issue since the Spanish colonial period. Since the land hasn't been developed, they just claimed ownership and didn't touch it, so there haven't been any major conflicts yet, but that won't be the case in the future.
Considering the Mexican Empire's abundant finances and steadily expanding military strength, they would definitely win if they went all out, but...
"They'll do the same thing America did to the natives. They'll push them out, killing them indiscriminately."
It could be considered justified punishment since they attacked our people, but in fact, they are the invaders from their perspective. As the Crown Prince of the Mexican Empire, I have to punish them, but I'm against wiping them out.
"I'll leave and think about it as I go."
The next morning.
I went to the office to meet Agustín I as he began his work when the sun rose.
Knock, knock-
"Father, it's Heronimo."
"Come in."
Agustín I welcomed me.
"What brings you here so early in the morning?"
"Father, something seems to be happening in California."
"Something? What is it?"
"Recently, native Californians have been simultaneously stealing horses from several settlements."
Agustín I pressed his forehead with his finger, looking troubled.
"···That's not a good sign."
"Yes, I think I should go there."
"You? Aren't you busy building a dam? This doesn't seem like something you need to get involved in."
"I'm going to take this opportunity to start with California and address the native issue in the northern territories."
"Hmm... If that's what you've set your mind to, then it's not bad. Will military support be enough?"
It would be good to take a lot of troops, but we have to travel 3,000 km. It's a huge investment of time and money, so we need to calculate carefully.
The natives in California haven't yet experienced their full ordeal, so there will be many left, but they are just starting to arm themselves. Their combat power itself won't be very high.
"It's better to take elite troops with good mobility than a large number of troops."
"Two cavalry regiments and one infantry regiment should be enough."
The cavalry regiments of the Mexican Empire are composed of 500 each, and the infantry regiments are composed of 1000 each.
"Infantry? You're planning to move quickly, but won't the infantry be a hindrance?"
"Can't we put the infantry regiment on horses?"
"···You're asking for elite regiments."
The roles of infantry and cavalry are clearly distinguished, so not everyone can ride a horse just because they're put on one.
Only elite infantry who have received equestrian training for rapid deployment in case of emergency can ride horses. This equestrian training for elite infantry was for tactical reasons, but also for political reasons.
"Thank you."
Agustín I granted me the elite infantry regiment he had cherished since the colonial period.
I ordered the quartermaster and artillery officers to pack supplies and cannons and follow me, and then I left immediately.
Fortunately, the elite infantry regiment members were good at riding horses.
An army of 2,000, with spare horses, began to run at incredible speed.
***
Los Angeles, the capital of Alta California, is not a small settlement.
It's not as big as San Francisco or Sacramento, but it's one of the places that has grown rapidly due to the indirect benefits of the gold rush, with gold being mined in small quantities around the area.
Over 2,000 people lived in Los Angeles.
Even if they captured the armory, it's not a size that would easily give up resistance.
The battle continued from dawn.
The Chumash force consisted of a total of 2,000 warriors, including 1,800 warriors armed with bows, spears, clubs, and slings, and 200 warriors on horseback.
Following Paku's plan to attack and capture the armory, the Chumash warriors attacked the area and successfully captured the armory.
Thanks to the soldier who risked his life to ring the bell, the Los Angeles side was able to quickly understand the situation.
"The savages are attacking!"
"I knew it, we've been hearing news of attacks from all over lately..."
It was still pitch black outside, but people gathered, lighting lanterns, after hearing the bell.
"They've taken over the armory!"
Bad news was delivered in the midst of it all.
"What? The armory!?"
"Damn it."
It was the worst news, that the armory had been captured.
"We have some weapons at our Rios Express branch."
It was an employee of Rios Express.
Due to the nature of the transportation business, security guards move with them. These were the weapons they used.
They brought 50 old muskets. There were also those who had guns at home. Thus, 100 men with guns and 200 men with swords, makeshift spears, and various farm tools gathered together.
The real fight began.
The 2,000 Chumash warriors initially operated their forces like an army, but their formations soon collapsed due to the tenacious enemies who were hiding in various buildings and firing shots, and street fighting began.
The buildings in Los Angeles were only two or three stories high, but people with makeshift spears and pitchforks were guarding below to prevent them from climbing up, so they couldn't be easily taken over.
Swish-
Bang!
The sling attack of the well-trained sling shooters was fierce, but it was no match for musket bullets.
"We need to get guns too."
"What? You don't even know how to use them."
"We'll learn."
Paku, the leader of the Chumash warriors, finally achieved his goal.
He opened the armory with the key he had taken from the guard.
"Tell me how to use it!"
Paku could speak Spanish. He had learned it diligently at the mission, fueled by hatred, to gather information.
"Just kill me!"
"You won't talk? Bring that woman over there."
The subdued guard refused to teach them how to use the weapons even if he died, but he had no choice when the life of another person in front of him was at stake.
It happened to be his friend's daughter.
"Ugh, mister. I'm sorry."
"···It's okay."
He trembled as he showed them how to use the musket.
Contrary to his hopes, the natives weren't that stupid. Their accuracy was terrible because they hadn't practiced, but they soon started using the muskets.
Bang!
The sound of the gunshot brought a brief silence to the building that had been holding out for hours.
"···Was that those bastards firing?"
"···It seems so."
"Damn it."
"We're screwed."
The fixed windows soon became nothing more than targets.
They had no choice but to abandon their siege.
There were still some shooters inside the building who were sacrificing their lives to fire, but most of them came out and started resisting.
Neigh-
"Damn it! Where did those savage bastards get horses?"
"I heard there was news that horses were stolen from other villages."
"Damn it... They should have taken better care of them."
Bang!
The residents of Los Angeles resisted with the weapons they had, but it wasn't enough.
Swish-
"Ugh!"
"George!"
"Surrender! We won't take your lives!"
As Paku shouted in Spanish, their morale began to falter.
In fact, the battle was over the moment the armory was captured.
"Let's surrender..."
"What kind of surrender is that, to those savages!"
"Look at the situation! Are you going to die together?"
The militia finally surrendered. Their weapons were confiscated, and their supplies were looted.
"Give it to me!"
"Th...that's the seed for next year's harvest..."
"What are you talking about!"
Dozens of militia members who had resisted with weapons were killed.
"Ugh, Father..."
Most of them were heads of households.
"Hide here!"
The Chumash warriors began to take everything they could carry.
"Oh, they're taking all the farm equipment..."
"Just pretend you don't see it. It's good enough that they're not directly attacking us."
Farm equipment and iron products were also gone.
"Hey, what are you mumbling about! Are you complaining? Are you complaining!"
One Chumash warrior started picking a fight with a settler who was glaring at them.
Thwack!
The warrior pushed the settler hard in the chest.
"Ouch!"
It was a feeling he had never experienced before. Can I do whatever I want to these pale-faced bastards? Were the ones who exploited us so weak?
Thwack!
The warrior kicked the settler who had fallen to the ground.
"Henry! Stop it, he's already hurt!"
The fallen settler's friend, a man called Henry, begged him to stop, but they couldn't understand each other.
"What are you saying!"
Thwack!
As a commotion arose, Chumash warriors swarmed in. The settlers of Los Angeles were watching cautiously.
"Nayati. Stop it!"
Paku stopped the excited warrior.
"Why should I stop! Don't you remember what these Spanish bastards did to us?"
Nayati protested to Paku, excited.
"It's a different person. It's just pointless revenge. The real enemy is not these people."
Nayati stood facing Paku, as if in opposition.
"They're all the same."
"No, the ones who are still exploiting our people are out there."
Crunch-
"Ah, you're talking about the missionaries."
"Yes, those hypocrites. We need to gather supplies quickly, we don't have time for this."
"···Alright, I apologize."
Los Angeles, the capital of Alta California, was being turned into a wasteland.
***
Los Angeles was attacked!
The news spread throughout California in an instant. The Chumash warriors had only looted supplies and moved on, so it was the people of Los Angeles who had spread the news.
Fear and anxiety spread like wildfire.
The place most filled with anxiety was "Los Naranjos," the village right next to Los Angeles.
Two years ago, when Jack and Anna first settled there, Los Naranjos was nothing, but it had developed a lot.
The population was over 500, and everyone owned their own homes. There were even shops, and most importantly, crops had started to come out of the farms that had finally been sufficiently developed.
Jack and Anna, confident that they were finally living a decent life, had succeeded in getting pregnant after preparing to have a child.
"Honey, take it easy."
Jack was building a barricade to be set up in the village in the yard.
"Anna, you're going to be tired, why did you come out?"
"···I was just worried because I was alone."
Jack was worried about Anna coming out, as she was heavily pregnant and even walking was difficult, but Anna was increasingly anxious because she was alone at home.
"Don't worry. We won't be defeated so easily."
Those who had escaped from Los Angeles explained why they had lost and warned them to be careful of the armory.
Los Naranjos also distributed 200 muskets they had stored in the small government office to each household.
They also placed fences around the village to prevent native cavalry from entering. These weren't ordinary fences, but wooden spikes with sharp ends, arranged diagonally.
The villagers, who were already half-carpenters from helping with construction, since wood was abundant, made hundreds of them in an instant.
"We're well prepared, and we have reinforcements coming to defend our village."
They were guards from Rios Express.
Fifty guards armed with old muskets were additionally deployed to Los Naranjos.
Jack calmed Anna down and tried to shake off his ominous feelings.
The men in the village stood guard around the village 24 hours a day, keeping an eye on the situation.
A tense atmosphere began to spread throughout the many settlements in California that had been relatively peaceful for the past two years.
Until the Crown Prince arrived in the village with thousands of troops.
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