I Became The Crown Prince Of The Mexican Empire (Novel) Chapter 68

**Chapter 68**

**Conquering the Comanche (2)**

"Tsk, they lost to those Mexicans, those clumsy fools."

"Not everyone can be like us."

Puhwiwhasuu, a warrior known as Iron Jacket by the Americans, and the chief of one of the many tribes that belonged to the Comanche, was well-informed about the situation in North America.

That's because he traded with the Americans and Mexicans, and learned information from those he kidnapped.

He heard that the Chumash tribe in the west and Stephen Austin in the east had fought against the Mexican government and lost.

"But they're going around telling other tribes to submit to Mexico? ...What a fool."

It was a story about Mishofshuno, the former chief of the Chumash tribe. His old friend answered.

"Yes, we'll need to show them clearly who owns this plain soon."

The horse, an animal brought to the Americas by Spain, brought about a revolutionary change in the Comanche society, economically, culturally, and militarily, transforming them into a powerful nomadic tribe in the Great Plains region.

They followed buffalo herds, and now they have become skilled hunters and cavalrymen.

They traded with neighboring tribes and European settlers, exchanging horses and buffalo hides, but their relationship with their neighbors wasn't just about peaceful trade.

"They say that Texas has become even more fortified after Stephen Austin's downfall."

"There's plenty to loot, so it doesn't matter. They'll relax again in a few months."

The Comanche tribe didn't hide their powerful strength, often clashing with neighboring tribes like the Apache, and raiding settlements in the United States, Mexico, and Texas, growing stronger.

Puhwiwhasuu shouted to his warriors.

"Prepare yourselves! We're going south this time!"

"Ha!"

"Ha!"

The Comanche tribe's raids and looting were surprisingly carried out with meticulous planning.

Comanche scouts, known for their stealth, were sent to several villages in Chihuahua, located in northern Mexico, and observed them for days.

Chief Puhwiwhasuu, based on the information brought by the scouts, discussed with his warriors which village to attack.

"Chief, what about Ojinaga? It seems like security is lax."

"Ascensión isn't bad either. Those Mexicans, they've been so relaxed since we haven't raided them for months."

Usually, he would have listened to his subordinates' opinions, but Puhwiwhasuu was feeling uneasy about the recent actions of the Mexican Empire.

"We need to become stronger."

That's what he thought.

"No, we're going to Janos. We might as well go big if we're going to eat."

Puhwiwhasuu made a bold decision.

He wasn't targeting a village with simply lax security, but one that could be looted big time.

Puhwiwhasuu looked at the campfire and briefly planned his strategy in his head.

His warriors and scouts gathered around him, and only the crackling sound of the campfire echoed through the darkness.

Puhwiwhasuu, after finishing his thoughts, said.

"As always, we'll attack at dawn. Quickly and quietly."

Tense breathing could be heard among the warriors.

"The first attack will be with bows and spears. When the enemy defenders start coming in full force, use your guns. But avoid direct confrontation, move without being seen by the enemy."

The Comanche tribe had quite a few pistols and muskets, but their primary weapon was still the bow.

Muskets were inconvenient to fire from horseback, and pistols were better, but they were single-shot and took a long time to reload, so you had to carry multiple pistols prepared in advance to use them properly.

"Chief, where's the entry point?"

"We'll start from the forest west of the village. The forest will help us hide our entry."

The warriors nodded at each other.

"What about the prisoners?"

Prisoners are one of the Comanche tribe's main trade goods.

"Capture prisoners if possible. But it's not essential, prioritize your lives."

After saying that, Puhwiwhasuu looked around the campfire, making eye contact with each warrior.

"The spirits of our ancestors will be with us. For the Comanche!"

"For the Comanche!"

Two thousand cavalry led by Puhwiwhasuu quietly approached Janos, Mexico, on horseback at dawn for a surprise attack.

The first attack was with bows, relatively quiet weapons.

Ping! Thwack!

The best archer in the tribe shot an arrow, hitting a guard.

The sentry on the watchtower fell helplessly to the ground from the arrow that flew through the darkness, but someone heard the sound.

"Attack!"

"Damn it! Open fire!"

Bang!

Bang! Tatatatatabang!

The attack was discovered faster than expected, so Puhwiwhasuu immediately gave the order to fire. The Comanche warriors entered the village, firing bows and pistols.

"Attack!"

The town of Janos, bordering the Comanche territory, had experienced this kind of thing more than once. It had a large population and was a frequent target of raids, so a garrison of 1,000 was stationed there.

"Garrison! Assemble!"

The town's garrison and the village militia, composed of heads of households, grabbed their weapons and assembled as soon as they heard the sound, even if they were sleeping.

"They're going for the armory!"

"Secure the armory first!"

They could hear the townspeople shouting from outside the windows.

Soon, gunshots began to be heard from the center of town.

Tatatatatabang!

The armory was heavily fortified with double and triple fences and cover to prevent the cavalry from approaching. On top of that, one company of the garrison had their barracks right next to the armory.

"Break through! You, proud Comanche warriors!"

"Ha!"

Puhwiwhasuu, wearing an iron jacket he had acquired from the Spaniards, stood at the forefront and attempted to break through.

Tatatatatabang!

"Damn it, the pistol ratio is increasing again."

"I don't know where those savage bastards are getting all those pistols."

They were clearly a cavalry without a single gun when they first met. But they must be getting guns from somewhere, the ratio of cavalrymen with guns is increasing.

Bang!

Ugh-

Comanche warriors, using their ghost-like horsemanship, approached, dodging and jumping over cover.

If it were before, they would have eventually allowed them to approach and suffered heavy losses from the Comanche warriors, who were skilled in close combat, but today, there was a secret weapon.

The garrison company, who were defending the armory, had the new weapons recently supplied from the center. The company commander shouted as the Comanche vanguard approached within close range.

"Permission to use revolver pistols from the first rank!"

"Yes!"

"Finally!"

Close combat began in earnest.

The revolvers, which could fire six shots, were powerful in close combat.

Tatatatabang!

"Grrr!"

"They're firing their pistols in succession!"

"Keep pushing!"

The Comanche warriors, skilled in close combat, were gradually breaking through the armory defense company, even though they were at a disadvantage.

Crackle-

Meanwhile, Comanche warriors who weren't directly confronting the armory defense company began setting fires throughout the town.

The town began to fill with the smell of burning wood and smoke, and finally, the garrison and the militia arrived.

"The garrison has arrived!"

"Prepare to fire!"

With the armory defense company in front and the main garrison blocking them from behind, Puhwiwhasuu gave the order to scatter the moment he saw the garrison.

"Scatter!"

The Comanche warriors, as if they had never been targeting the armory, began to scatter left and right.

Tatatatatabang!

Bullets flew from behind them, but the warriors scattered through the alleys of the town in an instant.

Bullets hitting the walls.

"Target the livestock! Loot everything you can!"

It was hard to see because of the smoke, but the Comanche were ghost-like, moving around the town, looting.

Dozens of cows and horses began to be dragged away.

The Comanche tribe began to capture people indiscriminately, as well as livestock and grain from the warehouses.

"Aaah!"

"Sophia!"

The Comanche warrior who was trying to kidnap a woman saw a man running towards him with a wooden spear.

"That's a bit dangerous."

"Tsk."

He pushed the woman away, giving up on her.

The man with the spear quickly turned his spear and caught the woman who was staggering.

Just as the Comanche warrior was aiming his bow at them,

"Hey, you're late. Give up."

Looking around, he saw Comanche warriors already escaping in all directions.

"Damn."

He immediately gave up and began to leave the town.

The garrison, who had gathered at the armory, immediately scattered throughout the town, trying to stop the looting, but the entire town was engulfed in smoke, and they couldn't see properly.

They couldn't see anything. Only smoke, shouts, the smell of gunpowder, the smell of burning wood, and the dust kicked up by the horses filled the air.

The ground was full of horseshoe prints, but the Comanche warriors were gone by the time they followed them.

There was no need to order them to retreat.

Each warrior took what they could carry and left.

"Hahaha! This one was a big hit too!"

"Quiet down. Do you have no sense?"

This raid was a little less successful than usual, but they had taken dozens of horses and cows, grain and various goods, and even prisoners, so it wasn't a failure.

After the Mexicans, who were weak and had their armory looted and the entire town turned into a wasteland, began to strengthen their defenses over time, it became almost impossible to completely wipe out the garrison.

Their recent strategy was to pretend to attack the armory, lure the garrison out, and then use their speed to scatter and loot. It went as planned, but the atmosphere was a little different from usual.

"What's wrong? Today's harvest was a little small, but it's not bad."

"Take a look around."

The warrior, who had been boasting, slowly looked around and lowered his voice.

"No, over 100 deaths? In such a short time?"

"Yes. They're using new weapons. So, shut up."

The warrior in the rear didn't know because not all 2,000 soldiers had attacked the armory.

He had set fire and started looting while the warriors in front were attacking the armory.

Puhwiwhasuu looked at them and fell into thought.

***

June 1835.

The war preparations are complete.

The troops and various supplies are ready.

The production of revolvers, which I ordered to be increased first as the owner of the defense company, was enough to equip all the cavalry of the central army and was also sent to the settlements bordering Comancheria, the Comanche tribe's territory, as a defense force.

The force consisted of 5,000 infantry, 5,000 cavalry, and 1,500 artillery, a total of 11,500, and the supply force was also huge.

I wanted to take 10,000 cavalry, but there weren't that many.

The central army had been steadily growing in size over the past few years, but due to the nature of the troop type, they couldn't increase the cavalry, which had to be a standing army, without limit.

"But at least our armament is overwhelming."

The infantry were all armed with the 1833 Eduardo Rifle, also known as the AR-33, a breech-loading rifle, and the cavalry were all armed with six-shot revolvers.

Cecilia, whose belly was quite swollen, came to the send-off ceremony despite my pleas.

I was worried about going to war, leaving my pregnant wife behind, but it was something I couldn't postpone.

It was highly likely that I wouldn't be able to be there for the birth. That's because it's not the kind of war that can be decided quickly.

"Be careful."

"···Yes, I'll be back."

I resolutely set out, suppressing the feeling of slight anxiety.

The battlefield awaited me. 

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