The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1852 Meeting an opponent in chess

This was a huge gamble for the Earl of Derby, but not enough for Codrington and William Roden.

For the two key players who were in North America at the time, maintaining the front line was already a miracle.

In the past, when the British-occupied territories were stable, they could reliably provide them with troops and supplies, and even help them patrol the border so that the entire front could be maintained.

Despite the fact that the American army was not very good at the time, the quality of the militia alone was probably no less than that of a country like Prussia with a deep-rooted militaristic tradition.

In the United States, almost every household owns a gun, and almost every adult male is proficient in handling their own firearms. Accuracy aside, at the very least, they can fire bullets at enemy targets.

Thanks to America's militia tradition, the US government was able to organize a large army at this time. Also thanks to this militia tradition, American guerrillas were highly militaristic.

The United States has a vast territory, crisscrossed by rivers, densely forested, and natural guerrilla zones such as lakes and mountains.

It was almost impossible for the British to avoid being shot in the back, and the so-called New England auxiliary troops were no longer as obedient or enthusiastic.

Without them, the British would have completely lost their claws.

The freezing rain, unique to the Americas, has been falling for a week, unlike the fine coal rain in London.

If London's acid rain is the ultimate magical attack, then North America's freezing rain is the ultimate physical attack.

Freezing rain in North America is not ordinary rainwater, but supercooled water. Getting wet from this will cause rapid hypothermia, and if not handled properly, it can easily cause frostbite, chilblains, and even freeze people to death.

However, in modern times, the main focus is on the destruction of roads and infrastructure, since heating seems to be a minor issue in modern times, but in the nineteenth century, it was the opposite.

Captain Rooney peeked through a corner of the curtain at the endless rain outside. He dared not open the curtain completely, unsure if there were gunmen watching the area; those Americans were known for their hit-and-run tactics.

Who stayed out today?

Captain Rooney's words immediately made the atmosphere in the room heavy, and it took a long time before someone spoke.

"It's Tommy."

Captain Rooney remembered that it was a Welsh lad from Pembrokeshire who had just celebrated his birthday a few days ago. He recalled that on his birthday, they had even gone so far as to kick down a widow's door.

We were having so much fun together just a moment ago, how could he suddenly be gone?
Actually, those country bumpkins started to become fierce three months ago. Originally, there were 124 British soldiers stationed in the town, but now there are only 70 left.

Besides soldiers, expatriates were also frequently killed. Cases occurred almost daily, with the most serious incident involving an entire patrol of six men who were killed on a farm.

Without reinforcements, supplies, or replies, he didn't know how long he would have to endure this.

Captain Rooney also tried to make an example of someone, hanging countless people in the town square, but the flames of resistance only grew stronger.

Those Yang Ji soldiers were not as good as the British army in direct combat, but they would not choose to fight head-on. Instead, they would specialize in sniping at the British army.

Two of Captain Rooney's lieutenants were attacked and killed while eating by the window, which is why he keeps the curtains drawn all the time.

Besides sniping, another reason for the heavy casualties among the British troops was that their training and the weapons they used were unsuitable for the current battle.

Captain Rooney recalled an operation in which a dozen or so Americans in ripped leather jackets and cowboy hats pulled out two guns and started firing wildly at his team.

His elite infantrymen hurriedly raised their guns to return fire, then stood there dumbfounded, reloading their weapons.

Such behavior is tantamount to suicide, but that's what those soldiers are trained for. Those who don't do it are even subjected to physical punishment and whipping.

That ingrained discipline ironically led to greater casualties, but his team still emerged victorious in the end.

Because the Americans ran out of ammunition right away, and their reload time was longer, the British troops with bayonets regained the advantage.

As for the farmers who tried to escape, they became easy targets, and the farmers showed no mercy to their prey with its back turned.

Captain Rooney downed his drink in one gulp and then slammed his fist on the table.

"Let's go! We'll go ask those damned parasites if they even delivered our letter! Am I still a soldier of the British Empire?!"

Immediately, someone echoed this sentiment.

"Yes! I don't want to stay in this godforsaken place for another day!"

"Let's go! Let's ask when we can go home!"

The soldiers immediately became restless, after all, no one wanted to live in constant fear in this godforsaken place.

A group of people walked out of the barracks amidst a noisy commotion, when a gunshot rang out from the distant dense forest, the bullet grazing Captain Rooney's scalp.

Everyone lay on the ground and held their breath, but no second gunshot rang out for a long time.

"Jim, Green, you two go check it out up ahead!"

Two soldiers reluctantly and slowly made their way into the woods when a scream suddenly rang out. Two gunshots followed, but when the main force arrived, they found no one else there.

It turned out that a soldier named Green accidentally stepped on a bear trap while searching the woods, and that the trap was set by the British themselves.

However, during the search, due to excessive tension, the soldier named Green forgot the location of the bear trap. The moment he was caught in the trap, the soldier instinctively pulled the trigger.

Another soldier, under intense pressure, also instinctively pulled the trigger, which led to the scene just now.

It turned out to be a false alarm, and Captain Rooney breathed a sigh of relief.

That night, Captain Rooney wrote in his diary:
“There are no civilians here.”

An elderly man who has just tipped his hat to you may suddenly pull a gun out of his car and point it at your back.

Americans are all despicable beasts, no different from the Irish or Indians; they need to be civilized.

Such scenes played out every day in the British-occupied territories of North America, and William Rhoden's hair was beginning to turn gray.

This war propelled him to a height he never thought he would reach, and this rapid rise brought immense pressure.

Worse still, William Rhoden is now suffering the backlash of his success. The more praise he received in the past, the harsher the criticism he faces now.

William Rodden clenched his fist as he looked at the latest instructions in his hand.

"What are those politicians thinking? Waiting for reinforcements from the mainland? It will take at least a month for them to bring the reinforcements over, and several weeks for them to adapt to the environment. By then, the Americans might have already connected the trenches!"

The adjutant standing beside him was more senior than William Roden, and he understood that it was already quite an achievement for the British government to have done so much.

“General, the Prime Minister has done his best. Those members of parliament are not easy to deal with. And sending more reinforcements from the mainland is a good intention, all to increase the success rate of the operation.” William Rodden was somewhat frantic.

"What we need is speed and secrecy! Once he finishes his discussion with those congressmen, the whole world will know! How will we be able to take action then?"

"Are you going to walk right into a trap?"

This is somewhat frustrating; that's just how the British system works. Some politicians with little military knowledge always like to interfere, thinking they're helping, but actually doing more harm than good.

The adjutant could only say that.

"We can draft a fake battle plan and send it to London, and then secretly draft a plan that actually meets the needs of the battle."

William Rodden could only nod helplessly, as he did not trust the British government's secrecy efforts.

In fact, William Rodden had come up with more than one plan to attack Washington; after all, this was not the first time he had come up with such an idea.

The reason why he had not taken action for so long was due to his superior, General Cordrington.

In fact, Codrington was not having an easy time either. As a logistics expert, he felt the urgency of the battlefield even more than William Roden.

As security in the rear deteriorates and supplies dwindle, complaints from frontline soldiers are increasing.

According to Codrington's initial plan, he wanted to build a defensive line and then negotiate with the United States. In Codrington's view, holding onto the territory already occupied was the best way to make the Americans abandon their illusions.

So from the very first day he took office, Codrington began building fortresses and digging trenches, preparing to create a comprehensive and foolproof defense line.

At the same time, Codrington also paid close attention to his relationship with the "New Englanders" in the British-occupied areas. He actually had his own political ambitions and wanted to become the governor of New England.

However, this dream is now likely to be shattered, as the New England population is rapidly declining and being replaced by countless mobs.

Codrington tried many methods, but he couldn't reverse the situation.

"We've given them access to the same goods and currency as England, so why are they opposing us?"

Codrington couldn't understand it, and his staff and confidants couldn't understand it even more.

"As expected, the barbarians' nature is unchangeable! We should send a portion of our troops to teach them a lesson!"

Codrington had heard this advice countless times, and in fact, he had secretly done it himself.

However, the effect was very poor. Some Americans, in a fit of rage, burned down their farms and drove their livestock into the mountains, refusing to surrender.

The British army could certainly go into the mountains to encircle and annihilate them, but that would be a losing proposition. Even if it were just to make an example of them, the cost would be too high.

Most importantly, the British army did not have the environment to do so. If a large number of British troops were to go into the mountains to search, let alone whether they could find anyone.

Such a large-scale mobilization will inevitably leave some areas vulnerable to attack, and if someone seizes the opportunity, it will cause even greater losses.

In fact, it was precisely because of the bloody lessons learned that the British army dared not launch a large-scale search and capture operation in the mountains.

Codrington's plan may have failed, but the order from London still angered him and made him feel insulted.

It's one thing for the Earl of Derby to adopt William Rodden's plan, but he also wants Codrington to cooperate with him.

"Why should I cooperate with that brat? Does he even deserve it?"

Codrington said angrily, while his men were speechless.

"General, you and General Rodden are commanding independently, so it can't be considered cooperation."

Unfortunately, this seemingly comforting words not only failed to have any effect, but also further fueled Codrington's anger.

"Look carefully! William Rhoden will lead the main force to attack Washington, while we can only provide support from the sidelines!"
In what ways am I inferior to that kid?

Nobody wanted to make a fool of themselves, so they all chose to keep quiet.

"What do you think is wrong with my strategy? If we just hold this line of defense and let the domestic reinforcements take care of the stability in the rear, wouldn't that force the Americans to surrender?"

This is a difficult question to answer because there has been no large-scale conflict between Britain and the United States since Codrington took office, so this so-called defensive line has not been tested.

It was neither breached nor successfully halted the American offensive. Calling it invincible, or calling it ineffective, seems plausible.

"Why don't you try writing a letter? Doesn't General Roden write to London all the time?"

An aide suggested.

Codrington suddenly realized that this statement made a lot of sense, and all his previous resentment and melancholy vanished at that moment.

"Yes! I want to write to London too!"

While Codrington and William Rodden were busy bickering, the U.S. military was also busy.

In fact, the U.S. military is planning a large-scale offensive with the goal of capturing the industrial city of Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh is not only an industrial stronghold and a treasure trove of coal and iron resources, but also a vital transportation hub where the Allegheny and Mononga Hilla rivers meet.

At the same time, if Pittsburgh falls, the entire Codrington defense line will lose its support, which can directly cut off the main British forces from the Great Lakes region.

This order was opposed by almost all U.S. military generals, the reason being that the U.S. military had not yet achieved victory in a siege battle.

Moreover, almost all U.S. military generals knew that Pittsburgh was a core area held by the British. It wasn't just politicians in Washington who knew the importance of Pittsburgh; the British were even more aware of this, otherwise they wouldn't have prioritized attacking it.

Attacking now would be like walking into the line of fire of the British army. Instead of attacking cities heavily defended by the British, it would be better to recapture the vast rural areas and encircle the cities from the countryside.

Although the resistance from American guerrillas and militias in the British-occupied zone was fierce at this time, the traditional officer, who had returned from studying in Europe, paid little attention to such things and even looked down on them.

Why did Franklin Pierce launch the attack despite the opposition of all the officers?
The logic of politicians and soldiers is different. What politicians need are achievements that can provide them with votes and public opinion support.

The overseas-trained commanders on the front lines are now locked in a war of attrition with the British. Initially, their ability to halt the decline on the main battlefield was hailed as heroic, but as time goes by, such achievements have been gradually forgotten.

Moreover, a protracted war is a torment for both sides, and people are increasingly eager for victory and for an end to the war.

As president, Franklin Pierce had to do something, otherwise people would only remember his high taxes, high deficits, and multiple large-scale troop buildups.

So Franklin Pierce gathered a group of professors from West Point, and the old professors came up with this strategy of achieving a breakthrough in one area and then spreading it across the board.

(End of this chapter)