**Chapter 92**
**The Mexican-French War (7)**
Admiral Armand was dismissed from his position as commander of the expeditionary force. He had managed to salvage at least 118-gun battleships.
If he had lost them all, he wouldn't have just been dismissed from his command, he would have been discharged entirely.
Based on detailed testimonies from him and his officers, France began assembling its fleet, having gained knowledge of the Mexican Empire's military strength.
“No, if you take all the battleships, how are we supposed to manage the colonies?”
Officials who managed colonies in Africa and Southeast Asia protested, but they couldn't stop the will of the king and the Ministry of War.
“How often do you need battleships in the colonies? Frigates are more than enough to subdue them.”
It wasn't a wrong statement. Battleships rarely participated in direct combat. They were mostly used to intimidate the enemy.
Battleships were only needed when fighting other battleships. For all other operations, frigates were sufficient.
“Even so, can't you leave at least one for the African and Asian fleets?”
“I'm sorry, but that won't be possible. It's His Majesty's order to avenge the humiliation by mobilizing all battleships.”
“···I hope you will be victorious.”
“Yes, I will. Please relay the order to gather at Brest harbor as quickly as possible.”
Now France knows Mexico's strength. Five battleships, four armored frigates, four monitor ships, and nine frigates, right?
They had damaged two of the Mexican Empire's battleships and captured four, leaving them with seven battleships. They had also crippled four frigates, leaving them with five.
“This time, we can win for sure, right?”
The Minister of War, Schneider, felt humiliated by the king's question about whether they could defeat Mexico, but they had already lost once. The king's question was natural.
“We have a grand fleet of 85 warships in total, including 22 battleships, numerous frigates and brigs, and even steam-powered ships. This is an overwhelming force that they can't possibly overturn, even if they built more ships in between.”
They quickly built and launched two battleships that were in the final stages of construction, adding to the existing French forces.
Although they had lost many ships in the battle with Mexico, they could confidently claim to have the second-largest naval power in the world with this force alone.
The port of Brest in northern France was filled with journalists and citizens.
During the first expedition, no one thought they would lose, so there wasn't much interest except from local residents. But after losing once, they were receiving attention from the entire nation.
They didn't stop the soldiers from watching from afar, it was a display of the power of France, showing that they still had this many warships.
“With that many, we can win, right?”
“Of course. There are over 20 battleships?”
“Wow... there were still that many ships left?”
Many citizens were amazed by the fleet and prayed for victory, but there were also many who were dissatisfied.
“They are determined to fight again. We should make peace now.”
Louis Blanc was furious at the sight of the fleet. The number of people opposing the war was increasing, but the majority still favored war. The government's public opinion manipulation had succeeded again. Encouraged by public opinion, the government was preparing for the second battle.
“Well, didn't we already know this would happen? We just need to prepare for what comes next.”
It had been three months since the news of defeat was delivered. During that time, the government had been manipulating public opinion and assembling the fleet. It took a long time to gather the fleets scattered around the world.
Louis Blanc and his comrades had anticipated this turn of events.
“We expected it, but it makes me angry to think about how many people will die because of the king's greed.”
“Ugh···.”
His comrade and patron, Lucien, silently lit a cigar, took a puff, and then held something out.
“This, what is this?”
It was a pistol.
It was a French product, judging from the metal barrel, wooden handle, and French inscription.
“Now that we've come this far, I hope France will win the war. But if, by any chance, we lose···. The king, who orchestrated all this, should bear the responsibility. Don't you think so?”
“···Yes.”
“Then keep it. Hide it well.”
“Okay.”
Lucien handed him plenty of bullets and said.
“I will try to get more soon, so give them only to those you can trust. We will need them for our revolution.”
Louis Blanc and Lucien Dupon united in their preparation for the upcoming revolution.
***
January 1840.
“Passed without opposition?”
“Yes, the atmosphere was such that they couldn't oppose it even if they wanted to.”
Robert, the congressman, reported on the conscription bill to me.
“Well, at this point, if they oppose it, they can't avoid being accused of treason or cowardice.”
I had manipulated public opinion through the media.
It was a truly massive conscription bill. The scale of conscription was determined based on the scale and risk of the war, divided into five stages. In the final stage, the fifth stage, it stated that even women and the elderly could be conscripted.
‘In the fifth stage, everyone except children would be subject to conscription.’
If it’s actually at the point where we have to send women and the elderly to the front lines, it means we’ve already lost and should surrender. But it was important to state that, regardless of class, region, or race, everyone could be subject to conscription, even if it would never actually be implemented.
The United States in my previous life was a nation that was undoubtedly the strongest, but it was a country with many flaws. But it also had many advantages. One of them was the respect for soldiers.
‘They need to realize that they can live safely because there are soldiers who are willing to risk their lives to protect the country. And we need to create a culture of respect and gratitude for them.’
Such awareness and culture don't develop overnight. We need to build it from now. This bill was also a preparation for when actual conscription was needed, but it also had the intention of promoting national unity and improving the perception of soldiers.
In peacetime, such a strict conscription law would have been strongly opposed by the Republicans and landowners. It was passed easily because of the special situation of war.
“Anyway, it’s good that it passed smoothly. You’ve worked hard.”
“Yes, I will do my best to achieve good results in the upcoming election.”
“Okay. I trust you.”
I saw Robert, the congressman, off.
“Well, now that the bill has been passed, let's get back to work.”
Industrialization and national development shouldn't stop even during the war.
America won't stop, so we can't stop either.
As I sat down at my desk in my office, Diego reported on various situations.
“The Royal University, which will open next month, has completed its construction. In addition to the existing Engineering Department, the Science Department (natural science), the Business Department, and the Humanities Department will open next year, and this year, the Law Department, the Medical Department, and the Arts Department will also open, for a total of seven departments.”
“I see. Then we should start planning for the second comprehensive university. Contact the Republicans about it.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
We have gained experience in building universities, so I would like to build several universities at once, but there are manpower issues, and even if we produce that many graduates, there are still limited job opportunities, so we could end up producing unemployed people. We have no choice but to gradually increase the number.
In addition to universities, I reviewed the progress of various company projects, as well as large-scale construction projects such as railroads, dams, irrigation facilities, and urban worker housing complexes.
For most of them, it was enough to receive reports by letter, read them, and reply, but there were some that I had to visit in person.
They said the preparations for our secret weapon, which we had been preparing for a long time, were complete.
***
It has been three months since it was revealed that France was preparing for a second attack.
The tension, which had eased slightly after winning the first naval battle, was tightening again. The two ironclad ships that were launched three months ago and the two ironclad ships that were just launched last month have officially joined the fleet and are ready to carry out operations.
This was possible because they were training more soldiers in anticipation of the launch of two more ironclad ships two months after the two launched in October. All four ironclad ships were built according to the same design, so they could adapt quickly to the new ships.
“I knew you would come, Father.”
“Of course. Isn’t this something you’ve been preparing for a long time? It looks pretty impressive.”
“It cost a lot, but its performance is guaranteed.”
Each ship cost 650,000 pesos. Considering that even battleships, which cost 300,000 pesos each, aren't easily built by most countries, this is a ship that's literally covered in money.
Monitor ships and armored frigates were just intermediate steps in the creation of this ironclad ship.
It was a wooden-framed ship about the size of a 90-gun battleship, covered in iron armor.
This massive warship was only armed with 12 guns.
Two twin gun turrets were placed at the bow and stern, one each. The caliber of the main guns was 300 mm (11.8 inches), slightly smaller than that of the monitor ships. After building the monitor ships, I realized that the 350 mm caliber main guns I had ambitiously increased were a mistake.
They were too large for the current steelmaking technology, so they broke down easily and took too long to reload.
‘It takes over 10 minutes to fire one shot. What the···.’
The 300 mm caliber was just right. The reloading speed was good, and it could inflict significant damage on battleships.
The remaining eight secondary guns were 230 mm (9 inches) cannons, four on each side of the ship, fixed in gun ports on the deck. They could aim 150 degrees left and right, but they could only move up and down by a limited 30 degrees.
The port of Veracruz was a spectacular sight, with captured battleships and newly built ships gathered together.
On the eve of the second battle with France, my father encouraged the soldiers once again. Meanwhile, I talked to the captains of the ironclad ships.
“This is truly an amazing vessel. I can't wait to show the enemy the power of this ship, Your Highness.”
“Hahaha, the French will be the first to experience it. Is the actual speed as expected?”
“Yes, the steam engine alone can reach a speed similar to a battleship, and if we also use the sails, it is definitely faster than a battleship. Considering that it can maneuver regardless of the wind, it’s quite advantageous.”
“I see.”
This ship was quite lacking to be called a pre-dreadnought class ship in the original history, because technology hadn't advanced enough yet.
The ship, the size of a battleship, was covered in iron armor and equipped with large-caliber gun turrets, making it extremely heavy. The steam engine was not powerful enough to make it fast.
The speed when operating only on the steam engine was similar to that of a sailing ship, but it needs to be a little faster for tactical advantages. That's why they couldn't remove the sails and masts in this design.
The ship's frame was entirely made of wood, and the armor was wrought iron. Steel was still too expensive. The only place on this ship where steel was used was the large-caliber cannons, because they had to use steel even though it was expensive. This cost a tremendous amount of money.
“I got my hands on French newspapers, and they wrote that they lost the first naval battle because they were careless, but they could crush Mexico if they wanted to. I hope you will crush their arrogance.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
It wasn't just France.
The United States, England, and other European countries were also surprised by the outcome of the battle, but they believed it was due to France's carelessness.
Now, I will shatter their beliefs.