Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 515 Smoke of War (Part 3)

"Do you think it's possible for us to capture the Zacatecas silver mine, strike at the heart of the Spanish, and end this war as quickly as possible?"

Banderas Valley has become a logistics base for the New South Wales Army, and the town's church has become the garrison's command post. The empty hall is filled with a peculiar smell of old wood, candle wax, leather, and gun oil.

The statue of the Virgin Mary was carefully moved to a corner and covered with a thick cloth, as if it could not bear to witness the transformation of this sacred place.

Instead, there was a huge map of Mexico spread out on the oak altar, its edges roughened from repeated folding, and pencil annotations from previous staff officers remaining next to the black markings.

Mo Tianhai, Minister of the Army of Xinzhou and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Force, leaned forward with a magnifying glass and studied the map for a long time.

Finally, his thick fingers jabbed heavily onto a point in the central Mexican plateau, a point whose name seemed to leap off the map—Zacatecas.

He raised his head and looked intently at his deputy, Major General Zhou Weifeng, the Chief of the General Staff of the Army.

"What, you want to change the overall operational plan at the last minute?" Zhou Weifeng frowned.

“Of course not.” Mo Tianhai smiled. “I’m just assessing a possibility, a possibility that might allow us to achieve the greatest results with the least cost. Zacatecas is currently Spain’s largest silver mine. With the Potosí silver mine gradually depleting, its annual output accounts for almost half of the total silver production in Spanish America. For the Kingdom of Spain, it can be considered its lifeline.”

"If we were to seize this silver mine in one fell swoop, it would be like strangling the Madrid court, enough to trigger a financial earthquake in its global colonial system. It might even greatly accelerate the war and force the Spanish to quickly sit down at the negotiating table and accept our terms."

“The problem is, capturing the Zacatecas silver mine is more difficult than we can imagine!” Zhou Weifeng warned solemnly, his finger quickly tracing a long and arduous path along the map from the coastline inland. “This silver mine is deep inland, more than 360 kilometers from the coast, and we have to cross the rugged West Matre Mountains, pass through countless canyons and passes. The difficulty of fighting our way through is beyond imagination.”

He looked directly at Mo Tianhai, his tone grim: "Our supply lines will be stretched to an extremely dangerous length. Once our marching route is exposed, the Spanish won't even need to engage us in a direct confrontation. They can simply send cavalry to harass and cut off our supplies, and then use militia familiar with the terrain to ambush us at the passes, which will greatly delay and wear us down."

"If we are not careful, the main force of the expeditionary force may be trapped deep inland, cut off from supplies, and then be surrounded by the Spanish garrison and local militia. That would mean the annihilation of the entire army!"

Zhou Weifeng paused, then emphasized, "Unless we have an overwhelming numerical advantage, capable of forming a powerful offensive spearhead while also securing the long rear and supply depots along the route. But we... don't have that."

"What if we launch a second round of military mobilization, expanding our forces to 10,000, and push straight through?" Mo Tianhai asked.

“If we had 10,000 troops, why would we bother attacking the Zacatecas silver mine?” Zhou Weifeng said with a smile. “Why don’t we just gather all our forces and push our way through to Mexico City? Wouldn’t that be more intimidating to the Spanish?”

"Haha..." Mo Tianhai burst into laughter, his loud voice echoing under the empty dome of the church. "Old Zhou, you're really making a very arrogant statement. Do you think that with 10,000 troops, we can easily sweep across the entire Spanish America?"

"Otherwise what?" Zhou Weifeng said with a hint of disdain. "With the military foundation of Spanish America, how could they be a match for our army! It's no exaggeration to say that with the three thousand troops we have now, if we don't consider the limitations of logistics, we can not only break through the entire Americas, but even if we face a Spanish colonial army that is several times larger than us, we are confident of victory."

His confidence was not unfounded.

After years of meticulous commercial infiltration and intelligence gathering, the military had long since gained a clear understanding of the true state of military affairs in Spanish America.

During this period, the military force in Spanish America was not a large, unified standing army system, but a complex structure with a small number of regular Spanish troops at its core, a larger number of local militias with varying combat capabilities, and a heavy reliance on fortified defense systems.

Because the core mission of the Spanish colonial army was to maintain colonial rule and suppress indigenous rebellions domestically, and to defend against pirates, privateers, and other coastal attacks that might be launched by European countries. It was not prepared for large-scale inland field battles against a modern army of equal size.

Throughout the vast Viceroyalty of New Spain (Mexico and Central America and Caribbean islands), the number of the main royal legions directly dispatched and permanently stationed by Spain was very small, with a total strength believed to be only 1,200 to 1,500 men.

Then, with the addition of locally recruited colonial troops, the force numbered approximately three to three thousand five hundred men.

These valuable troops were deployed like pepper at the most strategically important nodes: major trading ports and fortresses such as Veracruz, Havana, and Cartagena.

These places were the assembly points and essential routes for the treasure ship fleet, and also the key points of defense.

In addition, some of the main forces were deployed to border fortresses, especially in northern Mexico where they bordered unruly indigenous tribes.

In the region, the Spanish built a series of fortresses and stationed a small number of regular cavalry and musketeers to suppress and intimidate the local Indians.

With only four or five thousand regular troops, the vast viceroyalty was far from sufficient to handle numerous military conflicts, so Spain established a much larger militia system.

The colonial militia was a conscripted force composed of all able-bodied male citizens—primarily Hispanic whites (Peninsula and Creoles), but also including Mestizos, Muratos, and even some trusted Blacks.

These militias could theoretically number in the tens of thousands, but they were scattered across various towns and ports, with vastly different levels of training, equipment, and morale.

Like the New South Wales militia, they usually farm, do business or engage in handicrafts, and are only urgently conscripted when a threat is imminent. Their fighting spirit and ability to fight for a long time are far from those of professional armies, and they are better at defending their hometowns than in mobile warfare in the field.

As for the weaponry of the Spanish army, it was usually far behind that of the European mainland. Most soldiers were still using old-fashioned matchlock guns, flintlock guns were not widely used, and cold weapons such as spears and swords still held an important position.

Field artillery was even scarcer, almost non-existent. After all, fighting against Native American tribes with less advanced weaponry and no strong fortifications, there was no need for such a powerful weapon as artillery.

The only thing to be wary of is that the Spanish colonial army has a considerable number of cavalry, especially in the open areas of inland Mexico.

These cavalrymen posed a certain threat to the infantry of armies lacking horses in terms of reconnaissance, mobility, and battlefield assault.

Therefore, the military power of the Mexican colonies was a bloated "fortress behemoth," powerful enough to rule a vast continent, but its muscles (mobile field armies) were relatively weak, relying on a sturdy shell (fortresses or fortresses) and a large size (numerous militia forces).

In the early stages of the war, the army aimed to exploit the Spanish weakness of insufficient preparedness and dispersed forces, launch a surprise attack, capture several highly symbolic major cities and strongholds, and annihilate the Spanish colonial army's manpower, thus establishing an initial advantage for later battles.

Despite the Spanish Americas' military being weak and lacking in combat effectiveness, and the army being confident of defeating it in the event of war, the central government's decision to declare war on the Kingdom of Spain was the result of intense debate and negotiation.

The "moderate faction," led by officials in finance, civil affairs, immigration, and health education, held strong reservations or even opposed to launching a war against the Spanish American colonies. Their argument was pragmatic and incisive: the nation was newly established, with a total population of only 300,000. Developing and building the rich lands surrounding New Bay (the bay containing Vancouver Island, Seattle, and the city of Vancouver) was already difficult enough; where would they find the resources to annex and manage even more expansive new territories?
In their view, war, especially an expeditionary war to seize more land, is a high-stakes gamble with enormous costs and uncertain returns.

"What's the point?" a member of the decision-making committee questioned at a joint military-political meeting. "Even if we defeat the colonial authorities in the Americas—and we believe the military has that capability—then what? What will we gain? Will we be able to immediately relocate hundreds of thousands of our people to fill the high-altitude deserts of Mexico, or will we be able to immediately extract enough silver from the Zacatecas silver mines to cover our military expenditures? Probably neither!"

He went on to explain his concerns: “Our core interests lie in Xinhua Bay, in the Ziwu River (now the Columbia River), and in accelerating the industrialization and population growth of our homeland. To invest our precious and limited human and material resources in a distant war to acquire territory that appears vast but is actually difficult to digest is a classic example of strategic dispersion. This will only slow down our own development!”

"As for California, it would be enough to symbolically establish a few colonies and military outposts to declare our nation's existence and secure a foothold for future development. Do we really want Spain to cede northern Mexican territory? Even if they were willing, what would we have to offer in terms of governance? What immediate and substantial benefits would we gain?"

This pragmatic viewpoint has gained considerable acceptance.

In their view, focusing on internal development and leveraging the agglomeration effect of population and industry is far more urgent and effective than expanding territory on a map.

War, especially offensive war initiated by the government, is inconsistent with the current need for stable development.

Instead of wasting this extra "energy," it would be much more practical to build more special ships for immigrants, train more ocean-going sailors, and bring back thousands or tens of thousands more immigrants for the country!

However, another faction, represented by the military, a strong diplomatic force, and the industrial production sector, advocated for a war, and a large-scale one at that, to demonstrate their power and secure decades of peace and development.

Among the military representatives, figures like Mo Tianhai and Zhou Weifeng were vaguely mentioned. Their reasons were direct and forceful: the Spanish colonial authorities' long-standing disregard for New Zealand, their repeated obstruction of (smuggling) trade and diplomatic relations, and their restrictions and "oppression" of New Zealand merchants had crossed New Zealand's bottom line.

Therefore, we must respond forcefully with the only language they understand—force.

"The purpose of this war is not to conquer Spanish territories in the Americas, but to 'subdue' them!" a military commander declared passionately. "Through resolute and powerful military strikes, we must destroy Spain's military presence in the Americas to the greatest extent possible, crush their arrogance, and instill in them a deep-seated 'fear' of the new nation, from the court in Madrid to the Viceroyal Palace in Mexico City. Only in this way can we eliminate the threat to our flank once and for all, and establish our new nation's military superiority in the Pacific and on the western coast of the Americas. This war is for peace for the next few decades!"

As representatives of industrial production, they provided strong support from an economic perspective: "The goods produced by our ever-expanding factories and workshops need a stable market! Spanish America, which is not small in scale but lacks a complete industrial system, is the perfect 'backyard' and a well-designed market for us."

"We can no longer be satisfied with the petty, nerve-wracking smuggling trade of the past. What we need is legal, unimpeded trade privileges guaranteed by our military! A victorious war will completely open up this market for us, something that no treaty or negotiation can reliably provide. This is opening a lifeline for the future of the new nation's industry!"

Although a major reshuffle occurred in the top leadership of the new country two years ago due to the dispute over the "Southward Expansion" strategy, which gave the radical "Southward Expansion" faction the upper hand, no overwhelming consensus has been reached on launching a large-scale war against Spanish America, and the two sides are still debating with some "moderate" factions.

While the radicals were in high spirits, the moderates did have concerns: could the scale and duration of the war be controlled?
What if we get bogged down in a protracted war with the Spanish?

It's easy to start a war, but it's very difficult to end one. Don't let things get out of control!
The most pressing concern, however, lay far away on the western shore of the Pacific Ocean, at the crumbling Ming Dynasty.

Almost all the high-ranking officials had a sword hanging over their heads: the evolution of the situation in the Ming Dynasty.

If the war with Spain is raging and a major upheaval suddenly occurs within the Ming Dynasty, such as the Qing army breaking through the Guan-Ning defense line and entering the Central Plains, or the rebel armies of Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and others overthrowing the regime, how will the new country cope?

At that time, will there be sufficient resources and manpower to deal with a possible unprecedented influx of refugees, or to intervene in the situation on the mainland?
If China misses a once-in-a-millennium historical opportunity due to the war in the Americas, or is unable to cope with the crisis, it would be an unforgivable strategic mistake.

It was this deep concern about "fighting on two fronts" that delayed the decision to wage war against the West.

However, the turning point occurred in early March.

The latest intelligence from the Ming Dynasty arrived by fast ship, and its contents were exciting: due to the intervention of the new country and some "micromanagement," the outcome of the nearly two-year-long Battle of Songjin was finally rewritten.

The Ming army commander-in-chief Hong Chengchou did not surrender when faced with a desperate situation. Although the main force of the Ming army suffered losses, it avoided annihilation and maintained the strategic defense system in the Ningjin direction outside the pass.

Everyone was greatly encouraged upon seeing the news.

The changes brought about by the Battle of Songjin were of paramount importance.

This means that the collapse of the Ming Dynasty's Liaodong defense line was greatly delayed.

The strategic stalemate between the Ming and Qing dynasties will continue for a longer period of time.

Although the rebel army in the Central Plains was powerful, its progress was inevitably affected by the fact that the Ming Dynasty had not yet completely lost its vitality.

The fate of the Ming Dynasty may last for several more years than many people predict based on historical trends.

The emergence of this "window of opportunity" instantly alleviated the biggest anxiety of the Singaporean leadership.

The urgency of the situation in the Ming Dynasty has decreased, so has our new country gained valuable strategic maneuvering space?
The Spanish problem has transformed from a thorny issue that could have led to a dilemma into a single objective that can be addressed by focusing resources on a priority.

As a result, the scales of decision-making tipped.

When the Mexican colonial authorities once again arrogantly rejected New Zealand's proposal to negotiate on recent conflicts and trade expansion, New Zealand's central government no longer hesitated.

The plenary meeting quickly reached a resolution: in order to permanently eliminate the threat from Spain, to seize a broad market for the industrial products of the new nation, to establish the absolute dominance of the new nation in the Americas, and to take advantage of the strategic opportunity provided by the stability of the situation in the Ming Dynasty, we declare war on the Kingdom of Spain!

However, the war had limited objectives: to weaken Spain's military power in the Americas as much as possible, seize important ports and strategic points (such as Acapulco, Panama, and Callao) when the opportunity presented itself, and take advantage of the situation to capture some important inland cities, thereby forcing Spain to sign a humiliating treaty, open the Spanish American market, and recognize the special interests of the new nation.

The expeditionary force's capture of Banderas Valley, a town that the New Nations had visited twice before, marked the beginning of this war.

"Judging by the time, the special task force should have reached Guadalajara by now." Mo Tianhai turned his gaze back to the map, looking at the place specially marked with charcoal, and muttered to himself, "Hopefully, our new National Army can achieve a resounding victory in its first battle!"
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(End of this chapter)