Chapter 2779 Operation Against the Trend
The urban area of Port-Prince was attacked again, and most of the buildings that survived the previous air raid were also burned.
The battle situation has deteriorated to this point, and even if General Gates has the heart to resist, the residents of the city can't bear it anymore.
In the evening, the residents of Prince Port flocked to Gates' headquarters to march and petition, asking him to open the city and surrender, thus calming Earl Winthrop's anger.
So far, what is there to say?
The will of the people cannot be violated.
Looking at the turbulent crowd outside the window, and the cries calling for a truce echoed in his ears, General Gates had to take off his military cap, and hung his proud head full of unwillingness and bitterness.
On May 12, 1628, General Gates was forced to hoist the white flag on the headquarters building and surrender unconditionally.
The 20,000 troops laid down their weapons, and more than 300 cannons and more than 10,000 rifles fell into the hands of the Fizhen army.
In the Battle of Prince Port, the Continental Army suffered the worst defeat since the outbreak of the War of Independence. The losses were huge, far exceeding the sum of the losses of Midgard and Freeport.
Charles Gates suffered a crushing defeat, which not only discredited himself, but also almost ruined the entire strength of the Continental Army in the South, causing a near-destructive blow to the morale of the southern soldiers and civilians who resisted the war.
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As soon as the news of the annihilation of the Southern Corps of the Continental Army in the Battle of Port-Prince broke out, it immediately caused a great shock in the political circles of the various countries in Vares.
In terms of Feizhen, the approval rate of the cabinet bottomed out, and Prime Minister North took a "reassurance" and personally sent a letter to Earl Winthrop in recognition of his outstanding contributions.
The governments of the Far East and Canaan just formed an alliance with the revolutionary regime in the New World not long ago. Now that they have received this bad news, it is like a slap in the face. The government and the opposition are in an uproar. The argument was rampant for a while.
In the political circles of the Far East and Canaan, there have always been voices against the alliance with the Continental Congress. The disastrous defeat of the Continental Army in Port-Prince was like a "megaphone", which further amplified the volume of these conservative politicians, either publicly or privately. Come and urge the authorities to revoke the covenant signed with the Continental Congress, and even declared that "the revolutionaries in the New World are a bunch of waste that cannot be supported by mud" and "supporting them is a waste of money"!
On the Canaan side, even Joshua VIII was a little shaken, and ordered his aides to remove the "Continental Congress" envoy to Bethlehem - Countess Josephine Antoinette de Poissons - from the court VIP list for the banquet.
On the contrary, Crown Prince Colofa showed a commendable and firm stance. In an interview with the newspaper, he said that he "would not give up his support for the just cause because of temporary setbacks." The revolutionaries of the New World sent heartwarming encouragement.
In the Far East, His Majesty Roland did not disclose his position like his good friend Prince Colofa did. Instead, he started with the financial market and took a risky move against the market.
The fiasco of the Battle of Prince Port was like pouring a bucket of cold water on the heads of investors all over the world. The "independent bonds" that were widely sought after not long ago suddenly became a "hot potato" that everyone rushed to sell. Just like diving from a high platform, it fell to less than 70% of the face price in just one week.
Taking advantage of the sharp drop in the circulating price of "Independent Bonds", His Majesty the Emperor of the Far East bought in unlimited amounts through the "Korras Family Fund" under his name. Needless to say a word, he showed his continued support for the New World allies through open market operations. The firm support position has prompted the market of "independent bonds" to stabilize after experiencing short-term fluctuations of ups and downs.
Under the influence of His Majesty the Emperor, Joan also purchased an independent bond with a face value of 1 million quintals again, in order to support the compatriots in his hometown to fight against the invaders in Fizhen. As for whether the money has a chance to be exchanged for rifles and cannons , It will come in handy in the battle against the invaders, but in fact he also has no idea.
The actions of the Crown Prince of Canaan and the Emperor of the Far East have caused mixed reactions in the international public opinion circle.
Criticism of Prince Colophon appears in two extremes.
Conservatives accused him of not being prudent enough, speaking in public to support the Continental Army, which put the Canaanite authorities in a passive position and lost their room for maneuver in diplomacy.
To put it bluntly, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince spoke too harshly and insisted that he would never give up his allies in the New World. But if the situation deteriorated to the point where he had to sell his teammates in the future, wouldn't he just slap himself in the face?
There are no eternal allies between countries. A mature diplomatic worker will always keep a backup plan in his briefcase on how to sell his allies for a good price. Have you narrowed the road by yourself?
The radicals on the other side criticized Prince Kolofa more severely, saying that he only talked nicely, but he had not provided substantial assistance such as money, food, weapons, and troops to the allies in distress, so they criticized him for " Hypocrisy", "paying lip service to reality".
As for the criticism of Roland I, the emperor of the Far East, he was mainly accused of his "gambler mentality" and believed that his operations in the bond market were purely speculative.
Indeed, Roland's bailout operation will help boost the market of "independent bonds" and improve the financial pressure of the Continental Congress. However, money is not everything. After the fiasco in Port-Prince, what the independence faction in the New World lacks most is not money, but It's people, it's the army!
At first glance, such views make sense.
Since the establishment of the Continental Army, its strength has been fluctuating between 30,000 and 40,000, and half of them were destroyed in Port Prince. The rest of the troops are barely able to hold the base camp of Forging Valley. What else can they use to fight Feizhen's army?
However, in the eyes of Joan, a native of the New World, those who hold such views are all "half a bottle of vinegar" talkers, and their understanding of the New World is very superficial.
It is true that the strength of the Continental Army is only 40,000, but these 40,000 are not fixed professional soldiers on the roster, but present a dynamic equilibrium state of frequent changes.
Compared with the 40,000 officers and soldiers you saw in Forge Valley today, compared with the Continental Army in Freeport half a year ago, except for a few familiar faces serving as officers, the bottom-level soldiers have basically changed all over. Compared with the times, they are not the same people.
Most of the soldiers in the Continental Army signed short-term service contracts of half a year. After the expiration, the number of re-signers was far less than that of those who retired and went home. The total number of the army has been maintained at about 40,000. In fact, the personnel have been replaced several times.
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·Historical materials: Greek uprising bonds, business opportunities of steamed buns made of human blood ("A Brief History of Humanity: From Animals to God" [Israel] Yuval Harari)
In fact, even war itself can become a commodity like opium.
When the Greeks rebelled against the Ottoman Empire in 1821, people in the liberal and romantic circles of Britain felt great sympathy, and even the poet Lord Byron went to Greece himself to fight alongside these rebels.
But at the same time, London financiers saw a great business opportunity. They proposed to the leaders of the rebels to issue bonds on the London Stock Exchange to raise funds for the Greek resistance. If Greece finally becomes independent, they will have to repay the principal with interest.
As a result, some private investors bought such bonds one after another out of profit, out of sympathy, or both. As for the price of this Greek uprising bond on the London Stock Exchange, it fluctuates with the local war situation in Greece.
Turkey is slowly gaining the upper hand, and the rebels are about to lose the battle, and the bondholders are about to lose their pants. But at this time, just because the interests of bondholders are the interests of the country, Britain organized an international fleet and defeated the main fleet of the Ottoman Empire in one fell swoop in the Battle of Navarino in 1827. From then on, after centuries of conquest and rule, Greece was finally free.
However, the price of freedom is a huge debt, which the newly formed country simply cannot repay. For the next few decades, the Greek economy was overwhelmed by debts owed to Britain.