I Became The Crown Prince Of The Mexican Empire - Chapter 93



Only Noblemtl

Mexican-French War (8)

Albin Roussin, who had overseen the establishment of the École Navale, the French naval academy in the port of Brest, was due to become French Minister of the Navy, but in a sudden change of circumstances he ended up becoming admiral of the expeditionary fleet.

“We should consider that Mexico’s warship building technology has already surpassed that of France.”

The captain under his command raised an objection to Admiral Rushin’s calm and hasty remarks.

“If you say they surpass us, even France can make something like that ‘rotating turret ship’ if they put their mind to it. Iron armor made of wrought iron costs a lot of money, but it can be simply put on, and I estimate that the steam engine’s capabilities are only slightly superior to ours. The problem is the rotating turret and large-caliber cannon, but our engineers can easily make those with just a few months of trial and error!”

“If you add in the months of trial and error and the time it takes to build the ship, it will take about three years from now. The Mexican Empire has already been through that much. Isn’t that the difference in technology?”

“···That’s right. I’m sorry.”

“No. Then I guess everyone will just acknowledge this part and move on.”

Admiral Lushin was informed in detail of the previous battle. After studying it in detail, the admiral concluded that the enemy’s technological level had already surpassed that of the French, and that even this large fleet of ships could be defeated.

It was he who had made France assemble every single ship of the line, and that was the condition of accepting the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Force, rather than the originally scheduled position of Minister of the Navy.

He vowed not to make the same mistake as his predecessors, such as underestimating the enemy and letting his guard down.

‘Do your best.’

“The rotating turret ships will inflict more damage than we can imagine on our battleships. To prevent this, we must use frigates and brigs well, especially brigs.”

“Is it possible to block a rotating turret ship with a brig?”

The subordinate commander asked with a look of incomprehension.

“In this operation, the number of ships of the line is definitely superior, but what is even more superior is the overwhelming number of small and medium-sized warships. I heard that the Mexican turret ships have extremely low freeboard, which means that if a brig gets close to them, they cannot be ignored and must be attacked first. If they get close enough and collide, they can capsize.”

Admiral Russin believed that the cause of the defeat in the first battle was more the turret ships than the armored frigates. The turret ships had a fatal weakness: their low freeboard, which meant that they could only be used in coastal waters.

One of his subordinates, who had been thinking for a moment, objected to Admiral Rushin’s plan.

“That’s true, but the turret ships are steamships. They won’t be able to keep up with a normal brig. They’ll retreat and rotate their turrets to hunt our ships.”

It was a reference to the speed advantage of the rotating turret ship. Admiral Rushin responded immediately.

“Tell them to hunt.”

“That is…. Are you saying that we should use it as a way to discard the brigs?”

“Yes. The turret ships have another fatal weakness. It takes a very long time to reload their ridiculously large cannons. The enemy’s turret ships are four, and even if they have increased in the meantime, it will not be difficult to neutralize them if we spread out the 60+ frigates and brigs that we will mobilize in all directions. Then we can destroy the enemy’s battleships in the meantime.”

Although it was a brutal operation that forced enormous sacrifices on the small and medium-sized friendly ships, the response from the expeditionary force captains was not bad.

Because it actually seemed like it would work.

“The opponent said that there are very few small and medium-sized warships… so I think it will be enough.”

“Once we leave, there won’t be time to gather everyone together and have a meeting, so if you have any questions, tell me now.”

There was no objection.

**

March 1840.

“It’s a French scout ship! It looks like a steamer. Should we follow it?”

Admiral Martinez, who had already identified enemy reconnaissance ships, answered the adjutant’s words. Having won the first naval battle against the French, he retained his position as commander-in-chief of the fleet.

“They’re faster than us. I guess they’ve learned something.”

The French scout ships were not armored, so they were faster than the ironclad fleets of this side.

“Yes, before, we were caught behind and we were able to reach them faster than the enemy reconnaissance ships.”

“That’s right. It won’t work out that way this time. But I guess I’ll have to go with you. I came all this way to meet you.”

“Yes, the sooner we meet, the better.”

The order was soon given to advance at full speed.

It was obvious that the enemy would return to Cuba, because there was no better target. If they went straight to Veracruz, there was a high possibility of being surrounded, and the defense facilities were burdensome.

This time, the enemy fleet was waiting not off the coast of Cuba, but farther out at the entrance to the Caribbean, and the enemy was approaching Cuba as expected, honestly.

Soon the French fleet came into view.

“There are only 22 battleships!”

“There are more than 25 frigates and 40 brigs!”

The guards kept reporting.

“You really brought them all.”

“Yes. Even if it’s France, they must have brought everything they had. I guess they learned the lesson that carelessness is a sure defeat, but I’ll teach them clearly that that’s not enough. Prepare the main gun for fire!”

“Yes! Prepare main gun for fire!”

“Prepare main gun fire!”

This fleet consisted of only ten ships, six armored frigates and four ironclads. But size was not the point.

This armored ship not only has better defenses, but also has superior speed and range.

The four 300mm main guns placed on the bow and stern began to reload quickly. The main guns, which had a slightly lower caliber but a dramatically increased rate of fire, could fire one round every four minutes.

“Ready to go.”

“Shoot!”

Boom!···Boom!

From a distance where the cannons of the ships of the line would not have dared attack, the Mexican Empire’s warships began to bombard them.

Ssaeaeang-

Ssaeaeang-

Crunch!

thud!

The main guns, firing two shots each, struck the sides and decks of the French ships of the line.

“The enemy is approaching at full speed!”

“Turn around! Keep your distance from the enemy fleet!”

“yes!”

The French Navy must have felt the pinch and mobilized a number of steam-powered ships, but they were still small and medium-sized.

Not only the armored frigates, but even the massive ironclad ships are faster than the enemy’s main force, the ships of the line. This means that if they move in the same direction, they will never be able to catch them.

Boom!···Boom!

The main guns of the ironclads fired ceaselessly as the armored frigates escorted them.

***

“Another new ship?”

Admiral Russin felt the plan he had worked so hard to build crumble in an instant.

“It doesn’t seem like you have any intention of engaging in close combat.”

“That’s probably true. I’m the same way. There’s no way to catch up….”

The enemy’s new ship was an ironclad the size of a battleship armed with four main guns. Its freeboard was as high as that of a battleship, and its main gun caliber was slightly reduced, allowing for a much faster rate of fire.

It could be said that it was a warship that eliminated all the shortcomings of a rotating turret ship. The only drawback was that it was slow for a ship equipped with a steam engine, but even that was faster than a battleship.

Even with the wind helping us, there was no point in making a speed of around 12 knots, because the other side was also spreading its wings.

Boom!

Wedge-

thud!

“Should we continue chasing?”

The situation was so bad that the anxious adjutant asked the question first. Fortunately, there were only four enemy new ships, so the fleet had not suffered serious damage yet. However, the fact that they were being beaten one-sidedly and had no way to close the gap brought despair to Admiral Rushin.

It’s still five more days until we reach Cuba. How much of a beating will we get during that time?

‘I promised myself not to let my guard down, but was it arrogance to think that the enemy would fight like they did in the previous battles? It’s only been a few months…’

It was unfair. Admiral Rushin felt that way, but the reality was cold.

The new ships of the Mexican Empire were unilaterally attacking us, and it would take five more days to force a fight.

Admiral Lucin felt like he was breaking out in a cold sweat.

Actually, it wasn’t just a feeling.

Admiral Rusin, as the commander of the expedition fleet, kept a blank expression to hide his agitation, but he could not hide his complexion.

The adjutant pretended not to know, but Admiral Lucin’s pale face seemed to reflect the current situation.

Boom!

Wedge-

thud!

The sound of the Mexican fleet’s cannonade seemed to hasten Admiral Lucin’s decision.

‘If we continue on this path and advance to the port of Havana, Cuba, we will be beaten for five days before arriving and fighting the entire enemy fleet.’

There is no way Mexico will think this is enough, so they will keep their distance and attack until the end. Then, they will have to attack a port that they cannot escape from in order to put up a proper fight. In this case, they will also have to take down the port defense facilities, so they will be surrounded from the front and back.

‘That’s suicide.’

If things go very well, they might just barely win, but it’s obvious that the French fleet will also suffer catastrophic damage.

‘So we should retreat? Is that even a viable option? Should our great French fleet just turn its back on the enemy without even putting up a proper fight?’

Even if he retreats safely, he will be considered a coward who has brought shame upon the French army. Moreover, the king and the government will blame Admiral Roussin for the defeat.

A dishonorable discharge would be a good thing, but you might end up in jail. And if that’s not the end…

Boom!

Wedge-

Boom!

The cannon aimed at the ship of the line missed, hitting the brig right next to it. The brig was pierced by one shot.

“Kwaaak!”

Luckily or unluckily, a shell landed nearby, but the surviving soldier was screaming.

Admiral Lucin made his decision only after hearing the desperate screams.

“Retreat! Retreat now!”

The shame of having only considered my own safety when making such an important decision was what motivated me.

The reason he decided to use the brig as a means of abandoning it was because he thought that this was the only way France could win the war. However, not retreating like this and going all the way was a decision that sacrificed soldiers for his own honor, not for France’s.

“Admiral! You’re retreating without even fighting!”

“How can we fight if they don’t fight for us? We still have five days to go until we reach Cuba, and if we fight while being bombarded for five days, it’s obvious what will happen to our fleet!”

As the admiral had feared, several officers were dissatisfied, but fortunately they understood why such an order had been given.

As the French fleet began to turn, the Mexican fleet also began to turn.

“As expected, they’re chasing.”

Even though I went from being the pursuer to being the pursued, there was one thing that didn’t change. I was in a position where I was being unilaterally attacked.

The good wind became bad, and the fleet’s speed was noticeably slowed.

The hellish times have begun.

Boom!

Wedge-

Boom!

The French Grand Fleet had to endure a constant barrage of shells.

“Hold on! The enemy’s fuel and shells will eventually run out!”

The officers encouraged them and tried their best to escape, but the reality was not easy.

Kwakwakwakwang!

They began to attack even the small and medium-sized ships by mobilizing faster armored frigates. Since the small and medium-sized ships were widely spread out around the battleships, they were hunted by cutting through their outer shells.

Mexico’s new ships and armored frigates fired their shells without pause, as if they were determined to exhaust their ammunition.

“A healthy ship will swap places with a ship that has been hit by a shell! It will take the hit instead!”

“Abandon any ship that looks like it’s going to be destroyed! If the ship next to you is in bad shape, immediately join it and rescue the soldiers!”

Admiral Rusin continued to command without sleep in order to minimize the damage.

The Mexican Empire did not let them go until they were halfway across the Atlantic.

They really used up every single shell.