Chapter 51: Chapter 49: The Ambition of the French

The American immigrant separatist forces in Texas, abbreviated as the Separatist Army, was a new definition given to the Texas rebellion by the newspapers, and it was quickly accepted by media outlets worldwide.

Guizot and Thiers, two heavyweights of French politics, both believed that this was a golden opportunity for France to return to North America.

After all, the Mexicans were too poor and would likely be unable to repay their interest. By exploiting the debt issue, they could seize Texas from Mexico. With the Gulf of Mexico as a base, rebuilding a second France was not a mere dream.

They did not consider this wishful thinking; they knew clearly that Mexico's national strength was utterly insufficient to support Tassan Anna's military operations.

In the vast expanse of Mexico, the annual fiscal revenue was only 18 million pesos, less than one-tenth of France's.

According to French estimates, Mexico's funds would run dry in three months at most, even assuming Mexico did not increase its military expenditures.

Furthermore, intelligence indicated that the Texas Separatist Army had already received American support.

The Mexicans' level of training and weaponry was extremely backward; as long as a small, organized group of American troops entered Texas, they could crush the Mexicans into oblivion.

Regarding anti-American sentiment, although the British argued the loudest, it was impossible for them to send troops directly to Texas. Therefore, the two sides of the war would inevitably become the United States and Mexico.

Since American national strength was far greater than Mexico's, the failure of the Mexicans was only a matter of time.

If the Mexicans did not want to accept their fate of defeat, they could only borrow from France, and France was more than willing to help these poor souls.

After all, they were all Catholic brothers; the reputation of France as the "devout son of Catholicism" was not earned for nothing.

As for the aftermath of the war, they would use the pretext of the debt issue to demand Texas from Mexico.

In this way, Mexico would clear its debt while gaining French protection—a stroke of genius that achieved two goals at once.

After all, as long as France held Texas, the United States would be unable to continue its westward expansion, allowing the Mexicans to live in peace and security.

While Thiers and Guizot were still daydreaming about France's bright future in North America, a clerk on duty in the cabinet woke them.

"Mr. Rothschild and his party have arrived."

To complete their act of benevolence, France needed the most professional bankers.

***

On a plain north of San Antonio, a massacre was taking place.

The combatants were Tassan Anna's 1,500 Mexican cavalrymen and Colonel Manning's 270 remnants of the Separatist Army.

The outcome had been decided from the moment the battle began.

Because Manning and his soldiers had initially failed to realize their opponents were Mexicans, thinking instead they were reinforcements from Houston, they allowed the cavalry to charge to a distance of less than a hundred meters. By then, it was too late to organize the soldiers into hollow squares or to attempt a retreat.

At that moment, Manning abandoned all thought, allowing the cavalry to crush his ranks with irresistible force.

Scattered deserters could not escape the pursuit of the cavalry, and the battle soon ended.

The scene of the cavalry hunting down the broken troops was something Tassan Anna thoroughly enjoyed. He loved the sensation of blood splashing everywhere and shouted excitedly

"Kill them all! Good boys! God is with us!"

Gabrunz and Stadion, however, had no interest in such a one-sided slaughter. Tassan Anna's adjutant reminded him

"The two military observers are still here; we should observe the etiquette of gentlemen."

Only then did Tassan Anna realize that if he continued such indiscriminate killing, he would surely be branded a barbarian. He hurriedly ordered

"Do not harm those who surrender! Quick! Stop them! No more killing!"

Several officers galloped forward. Because the soldiers were already blinded by bloodlust, anyone would feel an intense rush of excitement when chasing fleeing men like rabbits.

By the time the officers restrained the frenzied cavalry, only a dozen members of the Separatist Army remained, including Colonel Manning, who had long since abandoned all thought.

Manning stood dazed in his officer's uniform; he was ignored by the cavalry, who were instead more provoked by the fleeing soldiers and volunteers.

A Mexican general ran quickly to Tassan Anna's horse and removed his hat in a salute.

"General, it is your victory, a magnificent victory. We have captured 17 people, including a colonel who should be their commander, and three hundred guns."

Colonel Manning was the highest-ranking officer captured by the Mexican army since the start of the war.

Tassan Anna was extremely proud. He had intended to humiliate this Separatist officer, but he was greatly disappointed; the man before him seemed to have lost his mind.

The fighting in the direction of the town had also ended. Tassan Anna ordered his subordinates to fight the fires and gather the displaced refugees, then dumped all the blame for the arson onto the Separatists.

As hundreds of town residents watched their homes turn to ruins, many wept uncontrollably; no one cared about Tassan Anna's scapegoating speech.

"Your Excellency, you should demonstrate your mercy." In truth, Gabrunz already wanted to curse him. How on earth did this man become the ruler of Mexico? Did he possess no political talent at all?

In fact, Tassan Anna was the foremost practitioner of "cannon-blasting the presidential palace" in the Americas, and he had even pioneered a style known as the "Demolition Style." As the name implied, every coup he led involved blowing up the presidential palace, forcing presidents to repeatedly build new homes for themselves. This style was widely propagated, with followers throughout Latin America.

Dictators who rose to power through military coups often possessed very limited political means.

However, because the Austrian military observers were nearby, he was forced to restrain himself.

To maintain the image of the Mexican army, Tassan Anna ordered his soldiers to build temporary tents for the townspeople and distributed some of the military rations he had requisitioned to the civilians and soldiers of the town.

Tassan Anna's actions won him a wave of public support, but it infuriated the quartermaster. Because supplies from the rear had been delayed, the reason the Mexican army could currently eat and drink well was entirely due to the looting of the assets of those "rebels" who had betrayed Mexico.

Now, for the sake of his image, Tassan Anna refused to allow his troops to pillage. With the siege of the Alamo dragging on and Goliad possessing food and supplies but no money, the situation was becoming difficult.

On March 9, 1836, the sixteen-pound heavy siege cannons that Tassan Anna had been waiting for finally arrived.

Tassan Anna shouted in ecstasy, "I am going to kill all those Americans!"

This made Gabrunz and Stadion feel he was beyond saving, because killing all those Americans was utterly meaningless; instead, it would only turn them into heroes.

Franz, of course, understood this. He had long instructed Archbishop Lauscher to find every possible way to induce the defenders of the Alamo to surrender.

Before coming to Mexico, Gabrunz and Stadion had both been told they must ensure as many Texans as possible surrendered, especially the defenders of San Antonio (the current defenders of the Alamo).

Stadion spoke up first: "Your Excellency, you should first send those prisoners to persuade the defenders of the Alamo to surrender. If they surrender, unnecessary bloodshed can be avoided, and your prestige will be further enhanced."

Tassan Anna immediately realized he had lost his composure. He was the Napoleon of North America; how could he not employ both mercy and awe?

"Send those prisoners to tell the defenders of the Alamo to surrender."