Chapter 526 Epilogue
Benedek saw that the attack in front was going smoothly, and immediately sent out all his remaining troops.
Then the Austrian army chased the American army counterclockwise and killed the latter. At the same time, the main force of Archduke Karl Ferdinand finally arrived at the battlefield.
Robert Stockton immediately felt the pressure. This army was much better than the Austrian army he had encountered in Escondido Village in terms of firepower and personnel quality.
At this time, Robert Stockton had to admit that he had been fooled, but there was no regret medicine now.
He now only hoped that the attack on Escondido Village would go smoothly so that he could get more bargaining chips in the negotiations.
Archduke Karl Ferdinand and Robert Stockton had similar tactical levels, and the two sides were engaged in a post-Napoleonic encounter that was so ordinary that it could not be more ordinary.
However, due to the huge gap in personnel quality and weapons and equipment between the two sides, the battle was completely one-sided.
It took only two hours for Robert Stockton to take the initiative to announce his surrender, which was less than 48 hours after he announced that California had officially become a US territory.
The equipment of the Californian Army is actually slightly inferior to that of the Austrian army, but the equipment of Archduke Karl Ferdinand's personal guard and "direct line" is better than that of the ordinary army in Austria.
After all, his father is the richest among the Austrian nobles, and he is in power in the fertile land of California, so it is reasonable for him to get some good equipment.
Almost all of them were the latest equipment of the Austrian Empire, some of which had not even been widely deployed, such as sniper rifles, M1843 United Forces steel eight-pound field guns, GG1 (latest rockets), and M1842 Lorenz rifles.
GG=das Gebrüll von dem Gott (German, translated as the wrath of God).
The only thing the US military can boast about is their bronze cannons, which are worthy of being called "gold coin cannons". The money was not wasted.
(In fact, in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, the bronze cannons of the Austrian side beat the Krupp steel cannons of Prussia to pieces.
But that needed to be based on the fact that the technology of the two sides was not much different. At that time, the American cannon-making technology was far inferior to that of the Austrian side.)
After discovering that the front battlefield was losing ground, Robert Stockton chose to surrender without much hesitation.
Because he knew that the battle in Escondido would not end quickly, but his troops might not be able to hold out for much longer. If there was a total rout, the Austrian cavalry would come and it would be too late to surrender.
Robert Stockton's choice was actually proved to be wise, because before his troops had finished disarming, the news of the rout of Escondido arrived.
"Sir, your troops really surprised me. They are brave, tenacious, and disciplined. I am surprised by their proficiency in the operation of weapons and their ability to execute tactics.
Excuse me, is this the Austrian ace unit - the Royal Guards?"
Robert Stockton was very graceful, but obviously his cultural level was not very good. He obviously confused Austria with Russia.
However, Archduke Karl Ferdinand was not angry when he took over the command knife symbolizing surrender. He did not point out the other party's mistakes in person. Perhaps it was because he had seen too many so-called "civilized" people in North America during his years.
"No, most of them are retired soldiers, and some recruits from immigrants and laborers. Of course, please allow me to introduce you to my family's guard."
Archduke Karl Ferdinand deliberately found a group of honor guards for Robert Stockton to see, and the latter was even more surprised. It is said that laymen watch the excitement, while experts watch the doorway.
But in fact, this naval commander is indeed a layman in the army. He only saw that the other side's military appearance was neat, and each of them was tall and strong, and he thought they were good at fighting.
So he praised it highly, and this behavior greatly satisfied the former's vanity. The two sides talked happily, but Archduke Karl Ferdinand was still a more responsible person.
"Mr. Robert Stockton, if it weren't for the war, I really want to sit down and have a drink with you. You can live in my manor first, and tell my butler if you have any needs.
Vagra, help me take care of the general."
"Yes, Your Excellency the Archduke." Vagra is a colonel, a nobleman, and one of the butlers of Archduke Karl's family.
After Archduke Karl Ferdinand rode away, Colonel Vagra said respectfully.
"Mr. Stockton, please get in the carriage."
Although he didn't want to show a good face to the defeated general in front of him, he still had to obey the order of the Archduke.
Mr. Robert Stockton looked at several senior officers under his command. Colonel Vagra naturally knew what he meant, so he said.
"Mr. Stockton, since the Archduke has accepted your surrender, he will no longer threaten the lives and safety of you and your subordinates. But they must cooperate with us to do some necessary work to make up for our losses as much as possible."
Robert Stockton nodded. The other party's words were very clear, and he had given him a lot of face. If he didn't cherish it, something bad might happen. After all, his freedom and safety had been handed over to the other party.
The officers and colonels of the US Army were all placed under house arrest in Austrian hotels or manors, but the surrendered soldiers were not treated so well.
After losing their weapons, they became a group of laborers who were driven at will. Professional supervisors broke up their organization and worked with the laborers.
The first thing was to clean up the battlefield and bury the bodies. The bodies of the Austrian soldiers would be dragged to the river for a simple cleaning, then put into coffins and transported to the designated area, and then a funeral would be held, or they would be cremated and canned and transported back to the country.
The bodies of the US Army were not so lucky. The captured US soldiers were required to dig a big pit to bury the bodies of the dead.
This caused dissatisfaction among the US soldiers, and they began to protest against the Austrians' behavior, but the protest was ineffective.
However, John Sina, the highest executive officer of California, said that as long as the Americans could pay enough money, not to mention the coffins, Protestant pastors and orchestras could be invited.
"As long as the money is in place, everything is easy to talk about."
However, these US prisoners of war had no money, so they could only choose to shut up.
This is John Sina's new proposal. He looked heartbroken and gave a touching speech, expressing his sympathy for the tragic experience of these Americans.
"There will be coffins! There will be priests! But you must also pay, because I can't use Austrian money to hold a funeral for Americans."
At this time, John Sina changed the subject.
"But you can consider taking out a loan and then repay the money with work."
This proposal is outrageous, but some American soldiers still agreed to bury their comrades, and they signed their names on the loan agreement.
These people will be taken to work in designated mining areas, and the remaining scum will see what real hell is.
Regarding the naming of rockets, some people say that German is too weird, it is better to get used to English.
In English, it is TG1
TG=Wrath of God.
Or if you have any good names, please collect them.