Chapter 522 Prelude to the Storm

On the outskirts of Veracruz, Tasan Anna's private estate.

Lieutenant General Winfield Scott was very satisfied with this temporary headquarters, and the news that Jose Apted had just rebelled and was preparing to massacre St. Louis did not surprise the general.

He just asked his adjutant to be prepared to deal with Jose Apted, the new ruler, and continued to have dinner with the young heroes he invited.

"Cheers for America!"

"Cheers!"

The young officers saw that the commander was not panicking, so they naturally felt that they had nothing to fear and continued to drink and have fun.

At this time, some clever young people began to praise the "God of War" who had captured the port of Veracruz.

"General Winfield is really a calm person. He can handle such a difficult emergency while having dinner with me. This requires absolute calmness and judgment to find the best solution to the problem."

"Yes! This calmness is really worth learning. You are my life mentor!"

Some even cried bitterly.

"It is a great honor to have dinner with you. Your words are the most precious treasure."

At this time, a discordant voice appeared. Grant, with his mouth full, said carelessly.

"But Mexico City has not been conquered yet, and who will believe our promise after doing this? Isn't the purpose of our coming here to expand the territory for the great United States?

Now I am living a life of drunkenness and dreaming in this manor all day long, and my people are going to rust."

His ridicule was immediately besieged by the words of the crowd. General Winfield did not express dissatisfaction with this, but instead advised everyone to listen to different voices.

Immediately, everyone applauded and praised the general's noble character.

Grant said again with disdain.

"Can good character win the war?"

Then the next day, Grant and his infantry company were assigned the most difficult task.

However, as the eldest son of the mayor of Georgetown, this future northern star was still given special care.

He got a horse as a means of transportation, but the price was to patrol the border with his men every day, which was a bit too much for an infantry company.

But Grant did not ride a horse, but bought a car and took turns resting with the soldiers.

Washington, White House

John Tyler tore the report in front of him to pieces and then cursed.

"There are 100,000 Austrian troops in California! Why would they stay in the ravine?! I'm afraid they have already fought to Washington along the Mississippi River!"

The senior staff in the presidential office were frightened by this scene, because their boss was a decent man and rarely used uncivilized words, but today was really abnormal.

The United States has mobilized 280,000 people so far in the war, but the cost of war mobilization is much more than he expected. For some reason, all the suppliers of the US military suddenly began to raise prices.

And once the war started, personnel, weapons, ammunition, medicines, and logistical materials were consumed rapidly. Fortunately, Soros's bank acted in time, so he could ensure the smooth operation of the economy.

The British, Austrians, and Russians who appeared out of nowhere all protested the war and condemned Washington's aggression.

Even if John Tyler was eloquent, he could not say so many experienced diplomats. What's more terrible is that Britain and Austria proposed to sanction the United States in the form of a trade embargo.

Although the Austrians' naval power is not good, they are the second largest buyer after Britain. Without Britain and Austria, American cotton would probably rot in the fields.

In addition, Zachary Taylor's behavior of leading hundreds of thousands of troops to face the Mexicans across the river also made John Tyler very angry.

(In fact, yellow fever was prevalent in the Grande River.)

What made him even more angry was that Winfield actually started to vacation in Mexico! His army set up camp in Veracruz and even built simple fortifications nearby.

In fact, General Winfield wanted to occupy Veracruz forever, but this did not conform to John Tyler's strategy. The latter believed that Mexico was too big and the United States' appetite was not enough to swallow it all at once.

And the main target of this war was California's gold.

Only by obtaining the gold there and opening the road to the Pacific Ocean, can America truly spread its wings and take off, thus realizing its "manifest destiny" to unify North America.

Robert Stockton, who was responsible for attacking California from the sea, was even more "out of touch", but it was not his fault.

Because the current means of maritime communication are indeed relatively primitive, not to mention that the Panama Canal has not yet been opened, and the people who deliver messages have to bypass South America to report to Washington.

Punta Arenas is the southernmost port of the South American continent at this time, and it is a must-go place for traveling between the east and west sides of South America.

A shooting occurred in the only tavern in the area, and the deceased was an American businessman. The cause is said to be because he provoked a sexy waitress in the tavern, and then had a dispute with others and was shot and killed.

This was originally a trivial matter that was too ordinary to be ordinary, but it was just an appearance. The businessman actually worked for the US government, and his mission was to send back the latest intelligence of the expedition fleet.

The people who killed him were an undercover team specially arranged by Franz, including the waitress who was also a specially trained agent.

If you want to defeat your enemy, it is best to make him deaf and blind. Franz from later generations knew the importance of intelligence to war, and it was too easy to do it with his own intentions.

Although John Tyler was very angry with these incompetent generals under his command, he himself could not fight and could only rely on this group of "soldiers".

So the politician signed a new presidential order, announcing that another 50,000 people would be sent to support General Kearney, while continuing to recruit new soldiers and raise supplies.

John Fremont stayed in San Diego for several days, but did not see even a shadow of an Austrian.

The reply given by the spies sent out was that the Austrians were collecting supplies everywhere, and seemed to intend to defend San Francisco to the death.

This made the adventurer very depressed. He originally wanted to have a clash between men, but he did not expect the other party to be so cowardly, but this also confirmed that the United States ruled the North American continent by "God's will".

What Fremont didn't know was that the main force of the Austrian army, about 10,000 people, led by Archduke Karl Ferdinand himself, had bypassed San Diego and hid in a valley not far away. This was originally one of the Austrian military camps, so it did not arouse Fremont's vigilance.

The reason why the Austrian side did not go all out was that they were not sure about the specific landing time of the US military.

If their intentions were known by the enemy in advance, the US fleet would most likely attack San Francisco directly.

After all, "Gold Mountain" was the main target of the Americans. At that time, the US military, with the support of naval firepower, could attack or defend. The Austrian side wanted to lure the enemy deep into the country and then annihilate them in one fell swoop, which was like fishing for the moon in the sea.

Of course, another key point was to make the other side paralyzed and careless. After all, if their side showed too much strength, the US military, who might be aware of it, would simply choose to defend on the spot. In the end, it would still be a tug-of-war, not the annihilation war that Archduke Ferdinand wanted.