September 22, 1828.
Havana, the largest port in Cuba.
The Spanish fleet had arrived.
“Ships of the line.”
Massive hulls of thick oak towered over the harbor, with rows upon rows of cannon ports lining their sides.
There was no mistaking them.
“Yes.
Two ships of the line, three frigates, three gunboats, and thirty transports.”
“Ricardo, I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“Understood.
Be careful.”
“You too.”
No more words were necessary.
The two men shook hands and separated.
Captain Ricardo Vargas and Captain Esteban Aguilar were intelligence agents sent by the Mexican Empire.
Esteban’s mission was simple: the moment he confirmed the Spanish fleet’s arrival and approximate size, he was to return to Mexico with the information.
He hurried toward the vessel prepared for him.
It was a small sloop built for speed.
He immediately ordered the sailors he had hired in Havana to prepare for departure.
Leaving before the Spaniards noticed anything suspicious was essential.
Fortunately, sloops were common throughout the Caribbean and widely used in both Cuba and Mexico.
There was nothing inherently suspicious about one leaving the harbor.
Besides, the Spanish fleet had not even finished docking.
“Good.
The first stage went smoothly.
“Now I just need to do my part.”
Esteban’s job ended with reporting the fleet’s arrival and size.
Ricardo’s assignment was much more difficult.
He had to determine the number of soldiers, their equipment, and—most importantly—the fleet’s intended destination.
Disguised as a dockworker, Ricardo joined the laborers unloading supplies for the Spanish fleet.
“MOVE!
FASTER!”
Spanish officers shouted at the workers.
Ricardo casually lifted a supply crate and carried it toward one of the ships.
‘Something doesn’t add up.
‘This is too much supply for only thirty transports.’
They seemed to be preparing far more provisions than the estimated number of troops required.
“HEY, YOU!
WHY DID YOU STOP?
MOVE!”
“Ah!”
Ricardo’s eyes met those of a Spanish officer.
He immediately resumed walking, pretending to be completely focused on his work.
“Hmph.”
Fortunately, the officer ignored him and continued on.
After roughly eight hours of carrying cargo and listening carefully, Ricardo had formed a rough estimate of the Spanish troop strength and armament.
But he still couldn’t explain the excessive quantity of supplies.
Then he saw another fleet entering the harbor.
“Damn it… So that’s why.”
A second Spanish fleet had arrived.
***
Captain Esteban, meanwhile, reached Mexico after ten days at sea.
Without allowing himself time to rest, he mounted a horse and rode straight for Mexico City.
“Well done, Captain Esteban.”
“It was nothing, Your Majesty.
I merely performed my duty.”
“You’re a fine soldier.
“So those Spanish bastards have arrived in Cuba?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.
“I personally confirmed two ships of the line, three frigates, three gunboats, and thirty transports entering Havana Harbor.”
“Thirty transports… Hmm.”
Agustín I rapidly estimated the possible landing force.
“That should mean somewhere between six and seven thousand troops.”
Crown Prince Jerónimo, listening beside him, silently considered the numbers.
‘Historically, the force that attacked Mexico numbered around 3,500 men and used roughly fifteen transports.
‘So thirty transports supporting around seven thousand troops is a reasonable estimate.
‘Considering how furious Spain must be about the confiscations, doubling the historical invasion force makes sense.
‘What’s stranger is that they historically attempted the invasion with so few men in the first place.’
“We’ll prepare for twelve thousand, just to be safe,” Agustín I said.
“I don’t want to mobilize an unnecessarily large army because of the expense.
“Truthfully, I’d love to take the field myself, but I think it’s time you gained real military experience too, Jerónimo.”
Agustín I wanted his son to follow in his footsteps.
Few things strengthened a ruler’s authority as effectively as military achievement.
It was also a father’s desire to ensure that his heir possessed a firm base of support.
Jerónimo had expected something like this ever since entering the military academy.
He answered without hesitation.
‘Military achievements aren’t everything, but having a few victories attached to my name certainly won’t hurt.
‘And we have enough troops.
‘I can command the campaign.’
“I’ll assign Brigadier General Santa Anna to you.
“Listen carefully to his advice.”
‘Santa Anna… That’s a problem.’
To Jerónimo, Santa Anna was an extremely troublesome figure.
He recognized the man’s military ability.
But Santa Anna’s overwhelming ambition and opportunism made him dangerous.
And he wasn’t someone Jerónimo could simply eliminate.
Santa Anna was a master of political survival, to the point that he still maintained personal correspondence with Agustín I.
‘Historically, Santa Anna betrayed Father much earlier.
‘In this timeline, he’s still close to him.
‘Is Father trying to promote him further by placing him beside me?
‘Historically, Santa Anna became a national hero after winning the Battle of Tampico.
‘If I let his prestige and ambition grow even more, he could become far more dangerous.’
“Father, as I understand it, General Santa Anna is currently responsible for defending Veracruz.
“Rather than pulling him away, I believe it would be better to let him continue protecting that region.
“You could assign a capable officer from the central army to reinforce me instead.
“Besides, there’s a strong possibility that Veracruz itself will be attacked.”
‘I know the historical landing was near Tampico, but everyone else considers Veracruz the most likely target.’
Agustín I considered the argument.
It wasn’t unreasonable.
After thinking through the available officers, he answered.
“Then I’ll assign General Jorge Sánchez to you.”
“Thank you, Father.”
***
Captain Ricardo Vargas cursed internally when he saw the second Spanish fleet entering Havana.
‘Damn it!’
Despite his alarm, he remained calm and counted the vessels.
‘Two more frigates and fifteen additional transports.
‘That explains the excessive supplies.’
The ratio was unusual.
There were far more transports than warships.
But given that the Mexican Empire had virtually no meaningful navy, the imbalance made sense.
After confirming the fleet’s total capacity, Ricardo became confident that no further reinforcements were expected.
The supplies being prepared now matched the size of the forces present.
‘Now I have to decide.
‘Do I leave immediately and report the new information?
‘Or do I follow the fleet, determine its destination, and report afterward?’
If he departed immediately, Mexico would receive an accurate estimate of the invasion force—but he would lose the chance to discover where the fleet intended to land.
If he waited and followed them, he might discover the destination.
But the information about the increased troop strength would reach Mexico much too late.
Ricardo felt a headache coming on.
‘Damn it.
We should have sent another agent.
‘One to report the first sighting, one for any developments in the middle, and one to follow the fleet until the end.’
The newly established Mexican Empire had little experience with intelligence operations.
That inexperience had created an obvious vulnerability.
Ricardo made a mental note to recommend improvements if he returned alive.
After spending hours disguised as a dockworker and carrying supplies for the enemy, he finally made his decision.
‘I’m leaving now.
‘It’s already evening, so the Spaniards will almost certainly remain here overnight and sail tomorrow.
‘I’ll depart immediately.
‘Sailing at night is dangerous, but I don’t have another choice.’
“HEY!
WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING?
THOSE CRATES AREN’T LOADED YET!”
“I need to take care of something.
I’ll be right back.”
Ricardo smoothly talked his way past the Spanish officer and hurried toward the sloop he had prepared.
“We leave immediately.”
“Captain, it’s almost night.
“You do know sailing after dark is dangerous, right?”
“We’ve sailed at night before.
“Leaving port isn’t any different.
“Besides, didn’t you tell me everyone in this crew was experienced?”
“Hmm… That’s true.
“But that doesn’t mean we enjoy taking unnecessary risks.
“You never said we’d be leaving at night.”
“…I’ll pay twenty percent more than we agreed.
“How does that sound?”
“Hahaha!
Excellent, Captain.
The sailors were arrogant and expensive, but they were veterans.
Even as darkness fell, they kept their composure and successfully guided the sloop out of Havana.
‘Finally.
‘Forty-five transports.
‘They must be carrying close to ten thousand men.
‘I’d heard Spain’s internal situation was still difficult, yet they’re launching an expedition on this scale.
‘This is completely unexpected.
‘I need to report it as quickly as possible.’
Ricardo was too anxious to sleep.
Only near morning did he finally drift into a light sleep.
BANG!
“Huh?
What was that?”
Ricardo jolted awake.
“CAPTAIN!
IT’S A STORM!”
The sea that had been calm only hours earlier now raged like a wild animal.
Enormous waves slammed into the sloop, throwing the vessel violently from side to side.
BOOM!
Lightning ripped across the sky.
Thunder shook the air.
Hurricane-force winds howled over the deck.
It was a nightmare.
‘Ah… This is bad.’
“Maybe we should have waited before leaving.”
***
While General Jorge Sánchez, whom Father had assigned to accompany me, prepared the troops, I went to the Vega Defense factory.
‘Better to be prepared for anything.’
We had mobilized almost twice the force we expected to need.
Even so, war was unpredictable.
During the confiscation operation years ago, the two artillery pieces Agustín I had insisted on bringing “just in case” had ultimately proved crucial.
“…Eduardo, is this really everything left in the warehouse?”
“Yes.
We’ve already delivered all the rifles.
“The only weapons still here are these twenty cannons we produced while preparing for mass production.”
“I see.
“They’re all in good condition?”
“Of course.
We’ve test-fired them dozens of times.”
They were twelve-pounder guns based on the French Gribeauval system.
Although the design dated back to the Napoleonic era, guns of this type were still widely used.
Vega Defense was developing an improved cannon, but that project was not yet complete.
For the moment, I had ordered the company to begin producing these proven weapons as quickly as possible.
We needed artillery urgently.
Firearms mattered enormously in warfare during this era.
Artillery mattered even more.
‘Napoleon supposedly said that God fights on the side with the best artillery.’
Not bad advice to follow.
“I’ll take everything you have for now.
“Don’t worry about payment.
The government will compensate the company.
“I just need your help.”
“Of course.
I’ll have them delivered immediately.”
“And prepare plenty of ammunition.”
“Understood.”
Eduardo quickly mobilized dozens of workers to transport the cannons and ammunition from the warehouse outside Mexico City to the army’s staging area.
“Your Highness, twenty additional cannons.
“That’s an encouraging reinforcement.”
“Better to do things properly and prepare for every possibility.”
“Hahaha!
You truly leave nothing to chance.
“Thank you for your support.”
General Sánchez was remarkably cooperative.
‘We knew Spain would attack eventually, so the invasion itself isn’t the problem.
‘But the timing could have been better.’
Historically, two ships from the Spanish fleet that departed Havana had been driven off course by a storm and accidentally ended up in New Orleans.
‘In this world, they’re attacking ten months earlier.
‘Summer has already ended, so it’s difficult to expect the exact same stroke of luck.’
With every preparation complete, the army departed for its mission.
@.
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