North of the Port of New Orleans.
Elcano watched his soldiers and the Indians "put on a show" through his telescope, then turned to the staff officer. "We still need to send people to carefully confirm that there are no American Militia in the buffer zone."
He had received a report yesterday afternoon that Wayne's forces had already disbanded.
With that, the crisis in New Orleans was basically resolved.
Yet Elcano's brow remained furrowed.
He knew that the Louisiana Colony had not truly become safe.
As long as the United States government continued to pursue its Westward Expansion Plan, he would sooner or later face pressure from the American Militia again.
He could not help sighing.
There were simply too many Americans. By next year, the number of Americans east of the Mississippi River would likely exceed 300,000.
That allowed them to recruit vast numbers of soldiers with ease.
Yet Madrid's investment in Louisiana was exceedingly stingy.
At the current rate, in no more than three years, the Americans who had infiltrated Louisiana would outnumber the Spaniards several times over. The empire was destined to lose this Colony.
Elcano instructed the staff officer to keep watch over the situation, then returned to his tent, heavy with worry. He took out pen and paper and began writing to His Majesty the King. The heart of the letter described Louisiana's situation and requested that immigrants be sent here as soon as possible.
In truth, Joseph had prevented Spain from dispatching an Expeditionary Force to North America this time partly because he did not want to divert troops from the Portuguese front, and partly because it was part of his North American strategy.
He knew full well that Spain could never hold Louisiana.
Even if Carlos IV began desperately sending immigrants here from