The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 874 Clearing the Bedside
Mexico City is situated in a relatively small plateau basin at an altitude of over 2,000 meters, surrounded by volcanoes. Its main transportation routes are two narrow valleys, also nestled among mountains.

These are the Queretaro Pass in the northwest, which leads to the central plains of Mexico.

The Cuernavaca Corridor in the southwest leads to the Pacific coast on the southwestern side of Mexico.

The rebel army led by José Maria Morenos converged in the Cuernavaca Corridor in the southwest.

The rebels did not have a unified uniform, and their composition was very complex. Apart from opposing the high-ranking officials of the new Spanish colonial government, they actually had very few common ground.

Even the rebel commanders couldn't exert much control over them, because many of these people had come to fight voluntarily.

Without military pay or compensation, there is naturally no way to enforce management.

So there they were, a large number of native-born and mixed-race white people dressed in coarse cloth clothes and wearing wide-brimmed felt hats, large hats that resembled cowboy hats, chatting leisurely.

The topics of conversation were mostly related to land, and it didn't seem like a battle was about to begin.

If you look closely, you'll see that the rebel army is clearly divided into several factions, which almost perfectly corresponds to the caste system in New Spain.

That is, white nobles from Europe

Native-born white people whose ancestors were nobles
Ordinary white people from Europe

Native-born ordinary white

Mixed-race children whose father is white and who live with their father

A very small number of mixed-race children whose mothers are white but who live with their mother's family.

A mixed-race child whose paternal white parents were kicked out of their home, but whose appearance was more similar to that of a white person.

The differences in levels are very obvious.

As for those with white ancestry who grew up in Native American tribes, they are not considered mixed-race at all; they are the same Dalits as the Native Americans, belonging to the lowest social class.

Of course, the caste system in New Spain is actually a hidden caste system, not as openly displayed as in India, and without strict restrictions. To put it more leniently, it is a form of racial discrimination.

This system of discrimination and distinction has been rooted in New Spain for over two hundred years, deeply ingrained in everyone's blood, and has become the operating principle of New Spanish society.

Therefore, even among the rebels, they fought under the banner of overthrowing the corrupt colonial aristocracy and bringing liberty, equality, and fraternity to the new Spain.

However, the internal divisions remained clear, and the native-born whites of the insurgents would never consider a homeless mixed-race person without a family to be one of them.

Therefore, most of the officers in the rebel army were native-born whites, and the elite troops were also native-born whites.

There are only a few coaches like José Maria Morenos, who are of mixed race and have risen to high positions.

"They're here! They're here! The colonists are here!" While the insurgents were still chatting, a scout in the distance spotted the arrival of the colonial army. This scout, holding a red, white and blue tricolor flag, shouted loudly.

Although the red, white and blue tricolor flag is the national flag of France, it is also a symbol of the French Revolution.

Many Europeans influenced by the French Revolution would fly the tricolor flag during battles, using red, white, and blue to represent liberty, equality, and fraternity.

Upon hearing the shouts, the 20,000 to 30,000 rebels immediately sprang into action, bustling about like ants, without waiting for orders.

They quickly formed a square formation based on blood ties, birth, and hometown, though it wasn't perfectly orderly, but it was sufficient.

Many of the people in the formation were relatives or fellow villagers, while the officers were respected figures in the area. Therefore, although the situation appeared chaotic, the command structure still existed.

The only group that wasn't in such a panic were the three or four thousand men surrounding head coach Morenos.

They wore blue shirts and white trousers, top hats similar to those of the French army, and a small artillery unit.

These well-organized, elite troops, without any straying, are Morenos's reliance.

In the distance, the colonial army also spotted the rebels. They appeared much more elite, uniformly dressed in blue uniforms and wearing black caps, and approached step by step in relatively orderly ranks.

The battlefield is located in Cuernavaca, an important city in the Cuernavaca Corridor, north of the city.

The area was relatively open, and the colonial army marched out from the city of Cuernavaca, while the rebels set up their positions on the hillside, with the two sides facing each other across a stream.

The combined forces of the two sides were approximately 27,000 to 28,000 rebels and about 13,000 colonial troops who came to suppress them.

The rebels had superior numbers, but the colonial army had a significant advantage in training and artillery.

However, after the colonial army reached the designated position, they did not attack directly. Instead, they sent a handsome Spanish noble captain with blond hair to persuade the colony to surrender.

The noble captain arrogantly told the rebels that if they laid down their weapons, Governor José would not only not hold them accountable, but would also listen to their demands and promote a more free and equal New Spain.

General Morenos, the leader of the rebel army, responded with a cold laugh on behalf of all the rebels.

"Ten years ago, we would have believed it, and if we hadn't experienced so much injustice, we would have believed it too."

"But now!" Morenos raised his hands and looked at his warriors.

"Now, the oppressed warriors have decided to use their weapons to earn a better future for themselves, rather than relying on the charity of corrupt nobles!"

As soon as the words were spoken, tens of thousands of people cheered like thunder, and the battle began immediately.

Morenos ordered four regiments, totaling more than 4,000 men, to flank the main force of the colonial army from both sides, while more than 15 regiments, totaling nearly 20,000 men, launched a direct attack on the main colonial army.

In addition, a light cavalry regiment of 1,400 to 1,500 men was sent straight to the colonial army's artillery positions, while he himself left 3,000 to 4,000 men as reserves.

Ding Ruoyong, who came from Seoul, was serving as an observer in Morenos's army. He saw this commander, who came from humble beginnings, directly send his entire army forward and hesitated, wondering if he should give him a warning.

Because no battle starts with a one-shot deal; you have to probe first, constantly maneuver the enemy, find their weaknesses in small-scale battles, and then strike hard.

But while he was still considering it, the insurgent soldiers, who were already filled with rage against the colonial government officials and European whites, launched an attack.

The initial battle went very smoothly. The insurgents, flanking from both sides, quickly drove back the scattered troops on both flanks of the colonial army and continuously pushed the colonial army towards the center.

The rebels attacking the central route outnumbered the colonial army by almost twice. Fueled by rage, they launched their attack despite heavy artillery fire and quickly repelled the colonial army's advance in the central route.

Meanwhile, the colonial army's artillery positions were attacked by the insurgent cavalry, forcing them to retreat under the cover of their own cavalry, thus preventing them from inflicting large-scale casualties on the main attacking force of the insurgent army.

Ding Ruoyong found it hard to believe, because only half an hour had passed since the start of the fighting. The first wave of the uprising should have been a probing attack, yet it had already forced the colonial army to retreat step by step.

How utterly pathetic are you, a regular army, to be so easily defeated by a bunch of ragtag militia?

But Ding Ruoyong soon discovered that this was not the work of the colonial army, but rather that they were constantly and deliberately retreating.

After a long, drawn-out battle, neither side suffered significant casualties; the infantry barely hit anyone, while the artillery inflicted the most damage.

"Could it be a trap?" the deputy envoy asked in a low voice.

Before Ding Ruoyong could speak, Wang Xipeng, a major military officer who graduated from the Beijing Shuntian Prefecture Xuanwu Infantry and Cavalry Military Academy and was a martial arts tanhua (third-ranked scholar) in the 30th year of Guangzhong (1805), shook his head.

"The place is too small; there's nowhere to use a trick, and it can't be used at this time."

Ding Ruoyong smiled and turned to look at this rising star in the army who had become a major at the age of twenty-two and was now the deputy commander of the Great General's Office of Jiaoyang Fort in the Northern Hezhou Protectorate.

"In Major Wang's opinion, is this all the fighting force the New Spanish government troops have?"

"Not necessarily." Wang Xipeng shook his head. "It doesn't seem like they lack combat strength, because if they hadn't been training properly, their formation wouldn't have been so neat just now."

In my opinion, it seems more like the native-born white and mixed-race white soldiers in the colonial army were unwilling to contribute.

Ding Ruoyong nodded in agreement; he thought so too.

"Observer, at this point we should advise General Morenos to surround the enemy without attacking, so as to avoid forcing those in the colonial army who are unwilling to exert themselves into a situation where they have no choice but to resist."

At the same time, three thousand elite troops can be drawn from the attacking central army to capture the city of Cuernavaca.

"Then use the 24-pound cannons on the city walls to intimidate the colonial army and order them to surrender. That way, we'll win this battle." Wang Xipeng cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and then suggested to Ding Ruoyong.

"Qiao Yong truly deserves to be among His Majesty's Martial Arts Third-Rank Scholars!" Ding Ruoyong called Wang Xipeng by his courtesy name affectionately and gave him a thumbs-up in praise.

This move is truly brilliant; if used correctly, it could immediately force the surrender of over ten thousand elite troops.

With the help of these 10,000 surrendered soldiers, the rebel army was immediately upgraded with new weapons and could use them as a vanguard to march directly to Mexico City, and perhaps even achieve victory in one battle.

Ding Ruoyong quickly spurred his horse and arrived at General Morenos' side, who had already gone ahead to give orders.

Compared to the hilltop where the Da Yu observation group was located, the visibility here was much worse, and the sounds of gunfire, explosions, and soldiers' shouts were much louder, making it unsuitable for a commander to stay. These unfavorable factors would seriously interfere with the commander's assessment of the battlefield situation.

Sure enough, Ding Ruoyong had just suggested to General Morenos that they besiege the city without attacking, and before he could even suggest dividing his forces to capture Cuernavaca, the suggestion was rejected by General Morenos.

“Envoy, you do not understand us Spaniards. The Kingdom of Blood and Gold is already corrupt. No one will die for this corrupt kingdom. If I intensify my attack, they will collapse immediately.”

Ding Ruoyong immediately sensed something was wrong, and could only point to the distant, smoke-filled area and warn him:

"An hour into the battle, there were still few reports of casualties, which indicates that the colonial governor's army was not fighting seriously. It would be very unwise to continue to pressure them."

Hearing Ding Ruoyong say this, General Morenos was quite displeased. In his view, the fierce fighting at the front was the result of his soldiers risking their lives.

Now that victory is within reach, how can we stop the attack?

“Messenger, this is our own battle as New Spaniards. The current advantage was won with the blood of our warriors.”

"Please return to your observation post, sir. We will achieve victory, a heroic victory."

Ding Ruoyong wisely kept quiet. He turned and walked away, only shouting curses when he returned to his original observation post.

"Damn it, how can such an incompetent general win a battle? They really don't deserve to enjoy this vast and rich territory!"

Subsequently, the battle unfolded much as Wang Xipeng had predicted. The colonial army was indeed forced to retreat by the insurgents because they were unwilling to fight, as many of them sympathized with the insurgents.

However, as the insurgents pressed closer and closer, cornering them, the colonial army had no choice but to fight back in order to survive.

When they launched a counterattack, the rebels were unable to withstand the pressure, because these guys had been winning too well in the early stages.

After a fierce charge, the formation and organization of the colonists were greatly reduced, while the colonial army, having been pushed together, actually had a better formation and organization.

An hour later, the more than 20,000 rebels, having failed to capture the city after a prolonged siege, were defeated. They abandoned four or five hundred corpses and wounded soldiers, and fled back in panic.

The colonial army, enraged by the defeat, roared and gave chase. They had initially felt sympathy for the rebels, but now they wanted nothing more than to wipe them all out.

The situation reversed instantly. The panicked rebels were quickly surrounded on the hillside by the colonial army, which bombarded the hill with more than a dozen cannons and launched a large-scale bayonet charge.

Even General Morenos's command post was attacked by colonial soldiers who sneaked in and dropped several bombs, killing General Morenos's deputy.

In a moment of crisis, this commander, who had risen from the bottom, suddenly displayed his extraordinary courage. He ordered his personal guards to raise his military flag and led thousands of men, who were used as reserves, down the hillside, charging straight at the colonial army.

The rebels were initially in a state of panic after being defeated, but seeing their commander risking his life, their admiration and anger towards the colonial government's high command overcame their fear.

Under the banner of General Morenos, they turned and launched a counterattack.

Now, it was the colonial army's turn to give up. Without the threat of death, these soldiers, who had been deeply hurt by the highest levels of New Spain, no longer wanted to fight.

As a result, they were chased and attacked by the rebels, and soon they had to retreat in panic back to their own positions.

The rebels, however, were enraged again and besieged the colonial army once more. But they were once again met with fierce resistance from the colonial army, who were determined not to die. At the same time, the cannons on the walls of Cuernavaca began to bombard them relentlessly.

An hour later, the rebels were defeated once again and fled back in a panic. They were pursued by the elite troops of the colonial army who had been transferred from mainland Spain.

On the hillside, Ding Ruoyong, Wang Xipeng, and the rest of the observation team stared in disbelief at everything.

Watching the rebel army and the colonial army was like playing a turn-based game; one moment you were beating me so badly that I was running away in a sorry state, and the next moment you were beating me so badly that I was crying out in despair.

"What the hell? So this is the Green Standard Army fighting against the local militia!" Wang Xipeng was dumbfounded. In his mind, only the Green Standard Army during the Qing Dynasty could fight such a battle.

Three hours later, at four o'clock in the afternoon.

Both sides were exhausted and neither could gain the upper hand.

The colonial army seized an opportunity to enter the city of Cuernavaca, while the rebel army, though approaching Cuernavaca, suffered three to four thousand casualties, making it virtually impossible for them to capture the city.

"You could say they're useless, yet they fought for six or seven hours, suffering over 20% casualties without collapsing. But you could also say they're useful, considering how well they fought." Ding Ruoyong was speechless, not even knowing how to begin to complain.

“Observer, let us go. Please tell General Morenos that I will sneak into the city tonight, open the gates, and let them in.”

Wang Xipeng thought for a moment. The observation group had more than twenty members and had also brought a Yan vassal state's central guard of more than a hundred men. They were fully capable of launching a surprise attack.

After considering it for a moment, Ding Ruoyong agreed to Wang Xipeng's battle plan.

In order to give the defectors in the New Spain leadership the opportunity to propose inviting the Da Yu army to help quell the rebellion, the rebels must first threaten Mexico City.

That night, Wang Xipeng led over a hundred of the Yan vassal generals to bypass the colonial army's sentry posts in the early morning and opened the gates of Cuernavaca.

The thousands of remaining soldiers in the city had long lost their morale and, after struggling for a while, chose to surrender.

In January 1809, news of the fall of Cuernavaca reached Mexico City, causing panic in the city. Several nobles who had been bribed by the Grand Duke immediately suggested seeking help from the Duke of Valois.

The reason given was that the Duke of Valois was not entirely Seresian; he had Bourbon blood, making it perfectly acceptable for him to become the King of New Spain.

Historically, there were many royalists in the new Spanish colonies, and even after independence, they repeatedly requested from European powers to appoint a prince as King of Mexico.

But that was based on the idea that the large landowners in Spain wanted to use the military force of European countries to secure their rule.

It's clear that Da Yu is here to seize their property, so there are hardly any royalists in Mexico City.

Senior officials, including Governor José Iturigare, the New Spain Parliament, and bishops of various dioceses disagreed with supporting the Duke of Valois as King of Mexico and refused to ask the Duke of Valois for help.

At this moment, the rebels, as usual, pulled back.

Commander General Morenos was not prepared to take a major city like Mexico City, and his troops, after months of fighting, were eager to return home.

And the one in charge of Mexico City's defense was Field Marshal Pedro Garibe, that old fox.

He deliberately abandoned the defense of the outskirts of Mexico City and its surrounding satellite cities, allowing the insurgents to easily capture these towns, which were very prosperous to them.

Sure enough, the rebels were hit by the sweet-coated bullets, and many officers and soldiers robbed a lot of money. Some even fought each other over the money.

Money can corrupt people's hearts. As more and more things were looted, local high-ranking officers who were also powerful figures joined in the looting. General Morenos soon lost control of his army.

Then, Marshal Pedro Garibe organized more than two thousand soldiers from mainland Spain who were still willing to fight in the city and launched a surprise attack.

The raid was not very successful, but it made the rebel leaders realize that they were unlikely to take Mexico City easily. As a result, the rebels, whose pockets were full of silver coins, started clamoring to retreat.

General Morenos was powerless to stop it and could only write to Miguel Costilla, the spiritual leader of the uprising, before choosing to negotiate with the colonial government.

Seeing this, Ding Ruoyong and Wang Xipeng knew that things were hopeless and their mission was over. These guys still considered themselves Spaniards and would not surrender to Dayu unless absolutely necessary.

However, they did not come away empty-handed. After returning to Yuyang City of Yan, the two reported the situation in detail to King Mo Zhouzhen of Yan.

Mo Zhouzhen had a plan for this: "Things have come to this point. They took my benefits and still want to get off the ship? It's not that easy. Since the New Spanish army is useless, then I won't be polite."

“Ding Jingli, please go to the Yucatan Peninsula again and have the Maya send a letter in blood pleading for help.”

"Marquis Lafayette, please inform Marquis Phoenix Blancaford that my promise remains valid."

But now is the time for him to demonstrate his loyalty. As a supporter of the Duke of Valois, he should immediately issue a request to the Duke of Valois's army to guarantee the safety of the New Spanish nobility.

This Marquis of Phoenix Blancaford is Mo Zhouzhen's inside man.

His family originated from Italy and were prominent nobles in Palermo, in the Two Sicilies region. His grandfather, Miguel, the first Marquis of Blancafort, had also served as the governor of New Spain.

The Marquis of Blancaford's territory in New Spain is close to that of the Yan Kingdom. He had long been bribed by Mo Zhouzhen, or rather, he had no choice. If he did not cooperate with Mo Zhouzhen, the Yan Kingdom would attack him first when it marched south.

"Father-in-law, should we send out the guards of the Beihezhou Protectorate?" After arranging the inside man, Mo Zhouzhen turned his gaze to Wu Wenchu, the Grand Protector of the Beihezhou Protectorate, who was about to return to his homeland.

When Mo Zhouzhen returned to his homeland last year, the Beihezhou Protectorate had already begun a large-scale mobilization of troops. Every prefecture, fortress, and manor was mobilized, and together with the garrison troops of the Protectorate, no less than 50,000 troops were ready.

Wu Wenchun, of course, wanted to support his son-in-law in his final moments of retirement. "Your Highness, the army can assemble in Yuyang City within a month."

"Fifth Brother, the navy can be deployed within half a month." Chen Wang Mo Zhoujin, who was in charge of the Beihezhou navy, was already eager to get started.

"Good, if we take New Spain, our brothers will surely go down in history!" Mo Zhouzhen clenched his fists; he had been eyeing New Spain for a long time.

Although the land was to be given to his nephew, Mo Guangzhi, the Prince of Zhongshan, he could still distribute the population and wealth within it.

With these riches and people, plus the gold mines of San Francisco, his Yan state was poised for great development.

(End of this chapter)