**Chapter 22**
**The Return of Spain (3)**
"It's a success. The cavalry must have succeeded."
I can see the Spanish army in the distance.
The Spanish army is entering the forest northwest of Tampico.
"···They really came. Your Majesty, how did you come up with this plan?"
General Jorge, who had been pacing nervously for the past few hours while in hiding, finally seemed relieved.
"It's not that I did well, but our loyal officers who carried out the deception operation well and the cavalry who captured the scouts from the south did a good job. The credit goes to them."
"Still, I couldn't even imagine such a plan. You're truly amazing, Your Majesty."
"The battle hasn't even started yet. Don't be complacent as if it's over."
"Yes."
I said it calmly, but inside, I was so nervous I thought I would die.
After learning that the enemy force was about 10,000 strong, almost the same size as ours, I had long abandoned the idea of a head-on confrontation.
"The art of surprise is always effective, my son."
I followed what Agustin I had emphasized.
"It also helped that they knew that the Spanish loyalists would join them."
I selected loyal men, disguised them as Spanish loyalists, and sent them to the enemy camp. But that wouldn't be enough to fool them.
If the enemy commander was a normal person, he would verify the information, and to make him sure that we were in the south, we had to capture all the scouts who came south.
"I was wondering if it was worth it to deploy the entire 2,000-strong cavalry, but in the end, it paid off."
They captured all the scouts, waited for a sufficient amount of time, and agreed to join us if there was no suspicious activity, so they must be coming now.
"They're coming."
"Let's move slowly."
The enemy commander, being cautious, continued to deploy scouts even while moving.
We were waiting in the rear, a little behind the location where we would launch our surprise attack.
"They brought a lot of cannons too, more than I expected."
"Yes, it looks like there are about 50."
"We'll take out the artillery first."
"Yes."
Our army began to approach slowly and quietly.
"Prepare for counter-battery fire quietly."
"Yes."
The artillery officer began preparing the artillery.
The distance between the two armies began to fall within range, and the moment the enemy scouts spotted us and sent a signal.
"Fire!"
Boom! Bang! Boom! Bang! Boom!
About 20 cannons, half of the field guns I brought, fired simultaneously.
The earth shook, and the battlefield began to be shrouded in smoke. I ordered the line infantry to fire as well.
"Infantry, fire."
Normally, we would have to approach much closer before firing, but the Eduardo rifle and bullets allowed us to fire from this distance.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!
Boom! Bang! Boom! Bang! Boom!
Immediately after the first volley, the remaining 20 cannons fired simultaneously.
It was a perfect surprise attack.
***
Whizz!
"Oops, General! It's a signal from the scout!"
It had only been about two seconds since the signal came that the scout had spotted the enemy.
Boom! Bang! Boom! Bang! Boom!
Suddenly, the earth shook, and a tremendous bombardment rained down.
"Aaargh!"
"My arm!"
Infantrymen were swept away by the incoming shells.
Those who were walking together just moments ago were now reduced to mangled pieces of meat, causing panic among the ranks.
Rat-a-tat-tat!
At the same time, a group of men started to flee.
They were the Mexicans who had joined the army as Spanish loyalists.
"We've been tricked."
General Barradas was also momentarily panicked, but when he saw the men fleeing, he regained his composure in an instant.
"So, it was a deception after all. Damn it, I had a bad feeling about this."
General Barradas shouted.
"Everyone, snap out of it! Form ranks!"
At his thunderous voice, the Spanish army, being veterans, began to reorganize their ranks.
General Barradas surveyed the battlefield and immediately gave his next order.
"The 3rd Infantry Division, protect the artillery! Advance rapidly!"
The enemy line infantry was advancing towards our artillery, supported by flanking fire.
They were trying to take out our artillery first.
General Barradas' quick response caused the Spanish line infantry to quickly advance to protect the artillery in the rear.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!
The enemy bullets started raining down, even though our infantry hadn't even reached effective range yet.
"They're shooting already?"
It's supposed to be almost impossible to hit at this distance, but our line infantry was falling like leaves in the wind.
"Keep advancing!"
Even amidst the rain of bullets, the Spanish veteran line infantry marched on silently.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!
"Why is the range so long? What kind of accuracy is that at that distance?"
Before we reached our effective range, 20% of our troops had disappeared.
After a great sacrifice, we managed to form a line in front of the artillery.
The artillery, as if not to disappoint our expectations, was ready for counter-battery fire.
"Ready for counter-battery fire!"
"Fire immediately!"
The 50 cannons fired simultaneously.
Boom! Bang! Boom! Bang! Boom!
Aaargh-
Each cannon shell, properly aimed under the artillery officer's orders, hit the enemy effectively.
"Keep firing as you're ready!"
We couldn't afford to take our time with sequential counter-battery fire because we had been ambushed.
The battlefield situation was like being surrounded on all sides.
"Not good."
"General! Please send us into battle! The situation is unfavorable."
"That's right! It's a disgrace to just watch our comrades die. Please let us defend our honor, General!"
"These youngsters..."
"The enemy is also saving their cavalry. If we send you in first, we'll be caught in the rear. Just hold on a little longer!"
The Spanish line infantry had also reached effective range and were maintaining a general front, but the situation was quite unfavorable.
The only advantage we had was a slightly larger number of cannons.
It was a desperate situation on the battlefield.
***
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!
Agustin I's elite regiments were definitely different.
Two elite regiments, both composed of soldiers who had served for over 15 years, were using Eduardo rifles to mow down the enemy.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!
The elite regiments, spread out in just two lines like the British Redcoats, were continuously firing in succession.
"Your Majesty, the battlefield situation is tilting heavily in our favor. If we keep this up, it's a sure victory."
"···Stay focused until the end."
It wasn't a lie, but it was far from the battlefield situation I had envisioned.
The enemy, throwing their lives away, managed to protect their artillery.
Those cannons were inflicting heavy casualties on us.
"When is the cavalry arriving? It's about time... It's fortunate, if fortunate, that they're also saving their cavalry."
Thud-thud-thud-thud-
As I surveyed the battlefield with a dissatisfied expression, the ground rumbled as if to answer my call, and the cavalry arrived.
"Your Majesty! The 1st and 2nd Cavalry Regiments have arrived."
"Cavalry Commander! Charge immediately! Your target is the enemy artillery. Attack from the flank!"
They must have worked hard to get here, but this is a battlefield where bullets and shells are flying. There was no time for leisure.
"Yes! Cavalry! Charge!"
Thud-thud-thud-thud-
As the Mexican Empire cavalry began to flank and target the Spanish artillery, the Spanish army also deployed their own cavalry, which they had been saving.
Boom!
The two cavalry forces collided with a deafening roar.
Dozens of men were thrown from their horses in the initial collision, and close combat began in earnest.
Clang! Clank! Clang!
Slash-
"Aaargh!"
The two cavalry forces, equal in number, seemed to be fighting evenly, but as casualties began to accumulate, the situation changed.
Slash-
"Ugh... Aaargh!"
"This isn't right!"
It started with the young noblemen who had been drafted into the army without any real combat experience.
Those who had arrogantly requested to charge into battle, claiming honor, were now panicking as they saw countless lives being lost in vain before their eyes.
"I... I'm going to die like this? Like those commoners?"
They had considered the death of their own infantrymen from cannon fire as insignificant, like a pawn being knocked off a chessboard.
When they started to see their fellow noblemen, whom they knew, dying, they finally began to realize the brutality of the battlefield.
"Stop!"
"Don't retreat! Protect your comrades!"
The cavalry commanders shouted, but they couldn't hear.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-
When one man left the battlefield, 400 cavalrymen began to flee in an instant.
"Hold the line! Defend it with your lives!"
As the cavalry that had been protecting their backs began to crumble, the artillery also started to waver.
Even General Barradas himself stepped in.
"Anyone who deserts will be summarily executed, regardless of rank! Stop there! You filthy bastard!"
Bang!
"Cough!"
He started shooting those who were fleeing, but the epidemic of fear, once it spread, was not easily contained.
It was difficult to catch the deserters.
Boom! Bang! Boom! Bang! Boom!
Even as the Spanish army floundered in the swamp of chaos, the enemy bombardment continued unabated.
"Is it over?"
Many soldiers were still alive, but retreat was impossible.
We had approached the enemy for battle, and their weapons had a range several times greater than ours. And what would we use to stop the pursuing cavalry?
It was tantamount to sacrificing the soldiers' lives.
General Barradas closed his eyes and said to his aide.
"···Raise the white flag. There's no point in fighting anymore."
"···Yes. Ugh..."
***
The battle was decided in a short decisive engagement.
A fierce battle involving a total of 22,000 soldiers.
"You made the right decision."
"Humph. If you're mocking me, stop it. I'm so angry about your dishonorable deception."
"I'm sincere. You saved countless lives with your quick judgment."
"···"
"I will take measures to ensure that the prisoners are treated with care."
The enemy commander, Barradas, quickly surrendered without putting up a fight, minimizing casualties.
The performance of the guns possessed by both sides was vastly different, but cannons are cannons, even if they're outdated.
The enemy's 50 cannons inflicted hundreds of casualties with just a few volleys.
"If we had continued to fight like that, we would have lost 3,000 to 4,000 men."
It would have been a victory that would have been embarrassing to call a victory.
As a result of this battle, we suffered 900 deaths and 1,500 injuries. The Spanish army suffered 1,900 deaths and 2,800 injuries.
It's a lot of casualties for a short decisive engagement of just a few hours.
"Your Majesty! It's a great victory! We won with minimal casualties thanks to Your Majesty's ingenious strategy!"
"···General Jorge, you've worked hard too. I'll tell my father. Let's start with the overall cleanup first."
"Yes! Your Majesty! Thank you!!"
General Jorge, as if these casualties were insignificant, proclaimed a great victory, but he wasn't entirely happy.
While cleaning up the battlefield and treating and managing the prisoners, I learned new information.
"What? Those who ran away were all nobles?"
"Yes... They talked about honor before the battle, but they ran away as soon as it started. Those bastards."
One of the prisoners being treated revealed this with a tone of indignation.
"Aha. So that's how it was. No wonder the enemy cavalry suddenly collapsed."
"Cavalry Commander, it's going to be hard work, but please charge immediately and capture every single one of the enemy cavalrymen who deserted."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Don't worry. Those frivolous men couldn't have gotten far. I'll be back soon, like taking a walk."
The Cavalry Commander confidently assured me that he would catch them quickly and left the barracks.
"If those who ran away are really the sons of noble families, they're very useful as prisoners. They're nothing but trash as soldiers."
I've acquired a very delicious bargaining chip.
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