The Battle of the New Alamo (Part 1)

Due to Franz's preemptive strike, international public opinion has tilted overwhelmingly in favor of Mexico.

Meanwhile, Britain and France, acting on their own interests, decided to support Mexico, characterizing the uprising in Texas as a rebellion that undermines national order.

President Andrew Jackson of the United States desperately wanted to send troops to Texas; after all, war was his true calling, and the constant struggle against capitalists and politicians was exhausting.

However, Congress opposed it. Firstly, the pressure of international public opinion was too great, and secondly, this conflict was a Mexican civil war in which the United States had no right to intervene.

Consequently, Andrew Jackson was forced to adopt a policy of "neutrality," announcing that the United States would not send troops to aid Texas.

Nevertheless, he turned a blind eye as local officials openly supported Texas, and the checkpoints along the U.S.-Mexico border became mere formalities, allowing volunteers from all over the United States to pour in.

He also permitted Texans to exchange cotton for food, weapons, uniforms, and other necessities. At the same time, officers and soldiers were allowed to retire early to join the volunteer army aiding Texas as private citizens.

The Second Bank of the United States secretly approved a loan of two million dollars.

In contrast, Vice President Rouvel of Mexico was already overwhelmed. Although he had received a shipment of weapons from the Austrian Empire, Santa Anna required more soldiers and more supplies, further straining Mexico's already deficit-ridden finances.

Although the bill for an additional special tax had passed, Rouvel knew in his heart that if not for the full support of the Church, Mexico would likely have already fallen apart.

After Mexico gained independence, it inherited the mess left behind by Spain. Federalists had severely weakened the Mexican government's rule, and excessive local power left the central government largely impotent.

Following the instructions in that letter, Rouvel sought loans from European banks, but only the French responded.

The French had deep pockets, but their demands for returns were staggering.

If Mexico could not pay off its debts quickly, the country would likely face bankruptcy.

Unable to make a firm decision, Rouvel could only scrape together what funds he could, which would only last three months even without recruiting new soldiers.

Goliad, Old John's Tavern.

David Crockett brought bad news: the Comanche had reached an agreement with Santa Anna. Having received weapons, the Comanche would now fight for Santa Anna.

In reality, the Comanche were not raiding caravans for Santa Anna's sake; they were simply seeking revenge against American immigrants and trying to improve their own lot.

However, after analyzing the situation, Travis and Bowie agreed that they lacked sufficient manpower and should abandon Goliad to retreat and defend the Alamo.

Thus, the Alamo, an unremarkable mission station, became the center of the storm.

While the defenders of the Alamo were busy reinforcing their fortifications, Santa Anna was still in his lap of luxury.

Santa Anna was a man who knew how to enjoy himself, even bringing his mistress along on military campaigns.

His mistress, Jenny, was a white creole, only sixteen years old, possessing a natural, wild beauty.

The two military observers sent by the Austrian Empire this time were not the typical government-funded tour group.

They were two genuine generals carefully selected by Count Latour. Of course, they were young and certainly looked like military academy graduates.

Yet, these two were soon worshipped by the Mexican generals. In a Mexico lagging in military science, these two observers acted as direct instructors to the Mexican officers.

Every small-scale skirmish became a military drill.

The Mexican generals' current understanding of Austrian military tactics was simple: bombard with cannons, then bombard again, wait for the enemy to flee, and finally, charge with the cavalry.

In a previous battle, dozens of American settlers had refused to surrender while hiding in their homes.

The two military observers ordered the artillery to fire for half an hour. In the end, the settlers were forced to flee the ruins of their homes, only to be beheaded by the cavalry that had been waiting for them.

The Mexican generals were quite pleased with this method of winning without losing a single man.

After all, desertion had always been a major problem for the Mexican army.

Nearly 30% of the troops would desert during every campaign, especially after the military pay was distributed.

Fortunately, Santa Anna was leading the troops himself this time, and along the way, he had seized the property of many American immigrants who refused to submit to Mexico; otherwise, there would likely have been fewer than 6,000 men left by the time they reached here from Mexico City.

Historically, Santa Anna left Mexico City with 8,000 men, and by the time he reached the Alamo, fewer than 6,000 remained.

Facts proved that for an army without faith, the best way to boost cohesion was through material rewards.

February 28, 1836.

Santa Anna's army had besieged the Alamo for five days, but he was in no hurry to attack.

Santa Anna had not expected the war to go so smoothly, and he had grown fond of speechmaking. He gathered the citizens of San Antonio to continue his orations.

Although Santa Anna's subordinates were tired of hearing the same words, the liberated black slaves and Indian laborers were quite excited, which caused a rift within the American immigrant community.

Next came the main event: these American immigrants could choose to join Mexico or leave with their property.

Joining Mexico required paying back taxes, freeing slaves, and hiring Mexicans, but those who chose to leave were not allowed to take their weapons. They would be attacked by Indians or bandits on the road, and their property would ultimately fall into Santa Anna's hands.

March 5, 1836.

Santa Anna finally remembered the 200 armed American immigrants inside the Alamo. He decided to show the two Austrian military observers his art of command.

Of course, Santa Anna himself was quite in agreement with the Austrian artillery tactics.

He found a hillside outside the range of the Alamo's cannons and invited the two Austrian army observers to have afternoon tea.

In the wars of that era, it was standard practice for soldiers to fight to the death while commanders drank tea.

Santa Anna even introduced his mistress, Jenny, to the two army observers.

On one side was black tea and tacos; on the other, the roar of artillery.

Yet, after an afternoon of shelling, the result was absolutely shocking.

The Mexico army possessed over thirty cannons, while the Alamo defenders had three. The two sides exchanged fire for an entire afternoon, launching hundreds of shells, yet the result was twenty-five dead on the Mexico side, while the Alamo defenders suffered only a dozen minor injuries and not a single death.

Santa Anna was furious upon receiving the news.

"Are your cannonballs made of mud? Why haven't you even collapsed the city walls? Tell me why!"

In truth, the Alamo defenders had long since reinforced the walls and hung wooden boards upon them to dampen the impact of the shells.

However, the primary issue remained that the Mexico artillery lacked sufficient power and suffered from abysmal accuracy.

Most of the Mexico artillerymen had never undergone professional training, and they were using antiques left over from the era of Spain colonization.

This resulted in a severe lack of range, and these men dared not move in for close-range bombardment as they had done against civilian homes.

Consequently, less than a third of those hundreds of shells actually struck the walls, and the three-pound cannons lacked the necessary force to do real damage, which was why the Alamo walls remained standing.

Santa Anna did possess a sixteen-pound siege cannon, but its sheer weight meant it could not keep pace with the main force in a short amount of time.

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