The Fox of France

General Franco glanced across at the enemy's position from a distance. As the commanding heights were under their control, he couldn't get a clear view of the rebels' stronghold. However, what he managed to glimpse was already disheartening.

"Whether it's a gilded shield or a brass one, we'll only know for sure once we've had a go at it," General Franco pondered. But it wasn't the time for an attack just yet. After all, everyone had marched a long way, and they all deserved a rest, didn't they?

So, Franco ordered the army to set up camp for some rest while he, accompanied by a cavalry unit, ventured out again to observe the enemy's defensive works. He only retreated when the rebels sent out their own cavalry.

Back at the camp, Franco summoned a few officers for a thorough discussion. They deliberated and finalized the plan for the next day's operation.

At the crack of dawn, the Spanish expeditionary force cautiously probed the rebel's defensive positions.

First came the artillery barrage. The expeditionary force boasted thirty rifled cannons and over twenty six-pound bronze cannons brought from Veracruz. It was a lively exchange of gunfire.

After intermittent artillery fire for two hours, the Spanish infantry began to advance in loose formation.

Their first encounter was with a minefield. Before the Spanish expedition set off, the French had pitched rocket mine-clearing devices to them. But after studying these, the Spaniards concluded that these were only effective in siege warfare, particularly against "Josephine Defense."

The Spaniards knew the rebels surely had mines; after all, in Louisiana's weapon shops, mines were a common commodity. It was so prevalent that in any weaponry store, one could easily find plenty of boar dispersers labeled "for pigs." Yet, the Spaniards believed the rebels used mines the Irish way, not the "Josephine Defense" style. How could these rebels dare to confront the Kingdom of Spain's regular army directly? Even though the Spanish army was widely admired across Europe, they couldn't defeat the French. Did they really think they could best these mudslingers?

Moreover, the French prices were too steep for what was essentially a rocket with a hose filled with explosives attached! It cost a fortune! Calculating it, a set like that could equal the worth of twenty mobilized soldiers. So, it seemed wiser to resolve the issue using a more cost-effective method, perhaps employing human resources.

Thus, the Spaniards declined the French offer. However, it turned out, when the French sell you a weapon, even if you think you won't need it, circumstances will arise that make it a necessity.

Since they lacked rocket mine-clearing devices, they resorted to manual demining. If it were the British, they'd charge forward with mercenaries, quietly removing markers from minefields beforehand or claiming they were already cleared. If it were the Prussians, they'd have mobilized infantry charging straight ahead. As for the Spaniards, departing from Veracruz, they'd taken a batch of slaves used for transporting supplies...

After losing a group of slaves, General Franco promptly made a basic assessment based on the density of mines in the field: even if it wasn't a gilded shield, it was definitely a plated one.

"Damn French, profiteering on both ends!" At this point, the Spaniards had learned about the Louisiana Development Bank lending money to the "Mexican Republic government." Though they were unaware of the intricacies, it was clear the rebels had acquired money from the French and then purchased French weaponry to counter the royal army. Considering that their soldiers were also equipped with French arms, the Spaniards felt the French were becoming increasingly corrupt and shameless.

"I never heard the Bonaparte family had Jewish blood. How did they become more Jewish than the Jews themselves?" General Franco couldn't help but complain.

Since it was certain the enemy's position wasn't just a superficial "brass shield," the initial plan for a rapid assault was naturally vetoed. Although the Spanish soldiers were not highly valued, losing them wasn't inconsequential. In Europe, their deaths were just deaths, but here, their transportation costs were considerable. With these costs factored in, these Spanish soldiers became more valuable, and sacrificing them wasn't as easy. There's a saying from a distant eastern land, "Items are precious away from home; people are cheap away from home." But if one could price individuals as something calculable, they became valuable away from home.

With the first rapid charge deemed unfeasible, they had no choice but to resort to the second plan: slow erosion.

"Foolish rebels, do you think 'Josephine Defense' is that foolproof? You might not realize why it's called 'gilded shield' in Europe. It's because employing this strategy in warfare is just throwing money at people!" General Franco thought. "Of course, there are only two ways to attack 'Josephine Defense': either spend money or spend lives. Regardless, whether it's spending money or lives, can't Spain outspend the rebels?"

The most common way to diminish the lethality of "Josephine Defense" was through tunneling. By digging trenches close to the enemy's trenches and resorting to close combat, they aimed to solve the battle.

This was time-consuming, and when both sides' trenches got closer, "Bonaparte's little melons" would cause substantial casualties. However, General Franco believed they could gain the upper hand in this "melon skirmish" because they reverse-engineered a "melon launcher." Among those who bought "Bonaparte's little melons" for civilian purposes, few were willing to purchase something that significantly increased the melon's range but severely compromised its accuracy.

For the next stretch of time, the battlefield momentarily calmed down. The Spaniards dug, the Mexicans prepared. Since they suffered significant losses among the black population, the soldiers had to do the digging themselves. However, Mexico City sat on a plateau, with an altitude of over two thousand meters. Normally, this altitude wouldn't have much effect, but engaging in heavy physical labor made those from lower altitudes immediately feel extreme fatigue. Consequently, the efficiency of digging decreased sharply. Until nightfall, the Spaniards had only managed to dig trenches that were still quite a distance from the Mexican positions.

When night arrived, the Spaniards dared not light torches to continue digging. With poor visibility at night, the rebels could sneak in and launch "little melons" where there was light. Hence, they withdrew to their camp and planned to resume digging the following morning.

The next day, as the Spaniards carried their shovels and picks along the trenches they had dug the previous day, preparing to continue the dig, explosions suddenly erupted in the trenches — the Mexicans had sneakily planted landmines overnight.

Thus, half a day was wasted on mine clearance. So, as darkness approached, the distance between the two sides still hadn't closed enough for them to exchange "little melons" as a token of greeting.

This time, the Spaniards learned their lesson. Before returning to camp, they planted numerous landmines in their trenches. Later that night, they heard a series of explosions coming from the trenches...

After two days of turmoil, by midday on the third day, the two sides were finally within range to greet each other with "little melons." The Mexicans were the first to

launch an attack using these, indicating that it wasn't just the Spanish who possessed melon launchers.

After a chaotic exchange of "little melons" and amidst the smoke of explosions, the Spanish soldiers leaped out of their trenches, charging towards the Mexican positions that were within arm's reach. The Mexicans immediately detonated their "for pigs" contraption set up in front of their trench, knocking down a row of Spanish soldiers, but more Spaniards managed to charge in.

"Steady!" General Franco, observing the battle through a telescope, muttered to himself, "They're charging in!"

To General Franco, these rebels were ragtag, how could they resist the royal army in close-quarters combat, which required courage and organization? If they managed to hold out, I'll eat my telescope!

However, in a blink, he saw the Spanish royal troops scrambling out of the rebel's trenches, desperately running back, while the rebels pursued, relentlessly shooting at the retreating Spanish soldiers with short guns. Nearly every time they fired, a soldier fell.

"Damn Frenchmen, trench guns! They, they sold trench guns to those rebels!" General Franco's face turned pale.

Like the rocket mine-clearing devices, the French had also pitched their "trench guns" to the Spaniards. But similarly, the Spaniards found these too expensive and believed they wouldn't have much use without trench warfare here. Now it seemed that anything the French recommended, whether necessary or not, had to be bought!

Upon witnessing this, the Spaniards realized they needed to buy whatever the French sold, even if they thought they didn't need it!

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