Chapter 50
Harbour and Shipyard (6)
"The Mexicans rejected the Texas purchase offer again?"
Andrew Jackson.
The first president from the Democratic Party and the 7th president of the United States, who successfully enacted the Indian Removal Act and received the support of many Americans, starting his second term.
"Yeah, Andrew."
The one who answered was Martin Van Buren.
Publicly, he was the vice president, but he was Andrew Jackson's long-time political ally and trusted friend.
Andrew was even considering Martin as his political successor, even making him the next Democratic presidential candidate.
They would treat each other casually when no one else was around.
"Did you properly propose giving that crown prince some money?"
"That's what they say."
"Damn it!"
The United States was steadily expanding from the northeast of North America, south and west.
After buying Louisiana from France, the Americans took possession of vast territories without hesitation, but Mexico blocked their path.
Texas, which borders American territory, was a thorn in their side, as rumors spread that it was a great place to farm, and Americans kept crossing over.
The American immigration to Texas, which was initially just a little annoying, had grown in scale, reaching the point where it was infuriating the upper echelons of the American government.
"Martin, is there really no way to get Texas from Mexico?"
"The only leverage we have over Mexico is that they owe us a large debt, but they're paying the interest and principal well, so it doesn't seem like we can use it as a pretext to take their territory."
Mexico's claim to its territory was solid, so there was no way to take it without resorting to force.
To be precise, it was Spain's claim, but for the United States, a country that was nominally an independent nation from a colony, to not recognize that claim was like abandoning its own claim.
After all, they had won a war against Spain after independence and England had recognized it.
"You're saying there's no legitimate reason… We can't just move the army?"
Andrew Jackson, known for his hot temper, immediately thought about moving the army when he heard that there was no legitimate way.
He had a fiery way of thinking, as befitting someone who had fought 13 duels.
Andrew's wife, Rachel, had been previously married, but she had completed the divorce proceedings before marrying Jackson. However, she was socially criticized for having a relationship with Jackson before the divorce was officially finalized.
Andrew would personally seek out those who gossiped and duel them to death, to protect his honor.
"The army is out of the question. England will intervene immediately. There's also the Oregon issue, so they wouldn't miss that opportunity."
Oregon was also a fatal weakness for the United States, just like Texas.
As long as Mexico had California, the United States couldn't go to the Pacific if they didn't have Oregon.
"Damn it. This won't work, and that won't work either. I'm going crazy. Texas must be American."
Andrew, who casually said that they needed to take another country's territory.
Martin, after pondering for a moment, came up with a plan.
"What if we find a way to take it indirectly, if we can't directly intervene?"
"Indirectly? Tell me more, Martin."
Andrew, who had been fuming, seemed to be interested in Martin's words, urging him on.
"What if we make Texas want to become independent from Mexico, just like we became independent from England?"
Martin said with a sly smile.
"Ah, that's it! As expected, you're a smart one, Martin. We'll just make Texas independent and then have it join our United States."
"Yeah. It would be even better if it were a 'voluntary request for annexation'."
"Great! I need to make a detailed plan right away. Where should we start?"
"First, we need to send our agents into Texas."
"Those agents will recruit influential Texans of American origin?"
"Yeah. We need to support them so they can use their power."
The two, long-time political allies and friends, were in perfect sync.
They began to immerse themselves in the plan, forgetting about time, excited about taking Texas from Mexico.
***
The person I called didn't come, and instead, the person I thought was missing came.
It was Major Ricardo, one of the spies sent to Cuba. He had been a captain at the time, but he had been promoted to major over time.
"I remember that we looked for him in Cuba at the time, but he wasn't there, so we treated him as missing. It's fortunate that he's back."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
It turned out that he had been caught in a storm and had gone through difficult experiences, returning after a few years.
"Is Captain Esteban, who was on a mission with you in Cuba, out on another mission?"
"Yes, Your Highness. He's expected to return next month."
"Okay. It's fortunate that you're here. What happened in the meantime? Can you explain in detail?"
Major Ricardo began to explain in detail about those difficult times.
***
Back to September 1828.
"Damn it. It's almost the end of summer, and it's a hurricane."
Captain Ricardo Vargas, who was working as a Mexican Empire informant in Cuba, encountered a hurricane while sailing to deliver information to the empire.
The sea was churning madly. The huge waves were about to overturn the ship.
Rumble.
Thunder and lightning were constantly striking in the sky, and a strong wind was blowing.
Captain Ricardo was about to give up for a moment at the apocalyptic sight created by the hurricane, but he quickly came to his senses.
He was a naval officer, even though he was a spy, as the Mexican Empire didn't even have a fleet.
He had to persevere and carry out his mission.
The help of the veteran sailors was also great. They were expensive and arrogant, but their skills were real.
They all desperately tried to survive.
Rumble.
They were too busy surviving to know the direction.
Somehow, they escaped the hurricane and arrived in a city with a half-wrecked ship.
It was New Orleans, USA.
"Hmm… It's impossible to return to Cuba with this ship, no matter how you look at it. It's a ship that can't go anywhere, not even Cuba."
The American who stepped forward, saying he could speak Spanish, said that.
Captain Ricardo and the sailors were also seafarers, so they knew. Trying to go anywhere with this ship was suicide.
They had also lost their money, so they had no fare.
"You're Mexican? There's a Mexican city far to the west, but it's a bit difficult to go there now. Winter will come halfway there. Then it will be hard to survive."
They had lost everything except their lives, while surviving the hurricane. They only had their clothes and a few things in their pockets.
Fortunately, the Americans weren't cold to Captain Ricardo and the sailors, who clearly looked like castaways.
"You guys look like castaways. I'll introduce you to people I know who have jobs. Use that money to stay at my inn. I'll give you a discount."
The kind innkeeper of New Orleans introduced them to jobs and gave them a discount on the room. But even then, there wasn't much left after they paid for the room and bought food.
"Thank you."
Captain Ricardo and the sailors survived by working hard even in the cold winter. It was possible because they had a goal to return to their homeland where their families were.
Spring arrived as time passed.
They took out all the money they had saved.
"···This money will be enough for one person's fare."
"···"
Logically, it made sense for Captain Ricardo to go to Mexico alone, get a ship, and come back for them. But Captain Ricardo couldn't do that.
'It's not like it's all money I saved myself. That's my greed.'
The sailors he had hired in Cuba had become like his colleagues and comrades.
"Let's just walk together."
They packed up their belongings, using all the money they had saved, and said goodbye to the innkeeper.
"Thank you for everything, innkeeper."
"You've worked hard in a foreign land. Farewell."
Captain Ricardo and the sailors left New Orleans for Texas.
Their trials weren't over yet.
"Damn it… It's a hell of a long way."
No matter how far they went west, they couldn't see any settlements. The settlement Stephen Austin had built was 511 miles (823 km) away.
"Hold on tight."
"I got it."
Phoo!
Captain Ricardo stabbed the wild boar with his dagger.
Oink!
It didn't die easily because it was a small knife he had bought for a small amount of money.
"Just die quietly!"
Phoo!
The wild boar's violent movements gradually subsided.
"Whew. Please prepare dinner."
"Yes. Hey! Prepare the fire!"
The food they had prepared for the long journey of 511 miles was all gone at the beginning. They had to hunt for food from the middle of the journey.
"We need to arrive before winter, so let's leave quickly."
511 miles (823 km).
It might seem like a distance you could reach quickly if you walked 18 miles (30 km) a day, but that's if you could go straight.
The map the innkeeper in New Orleans had given them only showed the roads very roughly.
And there was nothing at the place where they had marked the location of the settlement, saying it would be around here.
"Captain… Is there no hope?"
Some of the sailors were falling into despair. It wasn't anyone's fault, it had happened because of a natural disaster, so there was no one to blame.
"We can do it, Juan. Trust me."
Captain Ricardo was also struggling, but he encouraged the sailors and kept moving.
They arrived at the Texas pioneer village of the Mexican Empire in the middle of summer, in mid-August.
"We've arrived!"
They had left as soon as spring began, and they arrived at the height of summer.
"It's fortunate that we arrived before autumn… You've all worked hard. I'll reward you properly when I return to Mexico City."
"Well, Captain, we've survived thanks to you, so you can just give us the reward we originally agreed on."
It's the territory of the Mexican Empire.
Captain Ricardo, a naval captain, would be able to get help from the local government.
Captain Ricardo felt a sense of unease. Stephen Austin's pioneer village was huge.
"This isn't a pioneer village, it's a city."
"Haha, the total population of Texas has exceeded 30,000."
When they heard that Captain Ricardo had arrived in San Antonio, a man named Stephen Austin came out and personally guided them.
"But everyone here speaks English or German…"
"Yes. Well, everyone is used to their native language."
"I see. It seems like there are almost no Mexicans, most of them are Americans?"
"Haha. What are you talking about? We are all Mexicans living in the Mexican Empire."
Captain Ricardo's intuition began to send warning signals.
He didn't know the details of the empresario contract that the imperial government had signed with Stephen Austin, but it seemed problematic to allow such a foreign city to be established.
He decided to report this to the Mexican Empire government.
"···There's no ship?"
"Yes, there's a temporary port and a small fishing boat, but there's no ship that can go that far."
Texas didn't yet have a ship to take Captain Ricardo and the sailors back to Mexico. They had to travel by land again.
"They can at least provide horses?"
"Yes, but wouldn't it be better to wait until winter? It seems like they're all in bad shape…"
It was true.
Captain Ricardo and the sailors hadn't eaten, washed, or slept properly for the past five months.
It's suicide to travel by land again in this state.
They'll have to wait until autumn to recover.
"···It's too dangerous to travel during winter, so I'll stay here for the winter."
"Yes, stay as long as you need."
'If this is how it's going to be, I need to investigate further.'
Captain Ricardo stayed in San Antonio and began his investigation. He wanted to find out the nature of this unease.
'Is everything suspicious because I was a spy for a while? No, something is definitely wrong.'
He soon found a lot of strange things.
The population composition was a problem.
'The population is about 30,000. There are barely 3,000 Mexicans. They don't even speak Spanish, and the Mexicans are learning English and German.'
Most of the American immigrants were of British and German origin.
There was another problem.
'The immigrants' land is too large. In California, they said that the maximum was 160 acres for early pioneers, and usually 80-120 acres were given. But this…'
The settlers had an absurdly large amount of land. Captain Ricardo diligently went around, as the suspicions intensified the more he dug.
Stephen Austin suddenly visited him and asked about his well-being.
"I heard you've been going around a lot lately… It's cold in winter, so I'm afraid you might get sick if you keep going around like that."
Captain Ricardo thought.
'He's asking about my well-being, but he brought his bodyguards?'
Captain Ricardo pondered whether to just charge in, but he knew there was no way to beat Stephen Austin in this Texas.
'I'll endure for now.'
"···I'll just rest quietly."
Captain Ricardo decided that he would definitely report his suspicions to the Mexican Empire government.
The imperial family will punish them.
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