Chapter 1292: Principality of Iroquois
Large-scale movements of the American army were impossible to keep secret.
A week later, news reached Virginia, with some newspapers even publishing government conscription notices.
To Napoleon, it was like playing poker with an opponent who had revealed their hand.
"Commander, the food requisitioned from Orange, Waynesboro, and other places is enough for two and a half months," Blasset said to Napoleon, looking at the statistics in his hand. "There are plenty of mules and horses too. However, although we emptied the Charlottesville arsenal, we didn't get much gunpowder replenished.
"After the next large-scale operation, we might face an ammunition shortage."
"It'll be enough," Napoleon assented indifferently, then waved the "James News" in his hand. "Send people to spread rumors that we intend to burn down Norfolk Port in retaliation for Wayne's aggression in Louisiana."
Norfolk was Virginia's most crucial port, situated on the natural deep-water harbor of Chesapeake Bay, serving as a distribution hub for tobacco, wheat, cotton, and other goods in the southeastern United States.
If anything happened there, America's overseas trade would be cut by a third.
Over the next ten days or so, Napoleon marched his army aggressively south, though in reality, they only advanced three to five kilometers each day.
After a week of forced marches, Macard's cavalry finally returned with a report: the main American force had been sighted south of Woodbridge.
General Morgan, the American commander, had last received news that the French were shelling Richmond. He frantically urged his soldiers to speed up, hoping to arrive before the French captured it.
But that afternoon, his right flank was suddenly subjected to a fierce artillery bombardment, and the long, snaking column of marching troops immediately began to scatter.
Napoleon's artillery positions were chosen with extreme cunning, able to cover the American column, which stretched for over two kilometers, while utilizing the flanking woods to defend against enemy cavalry attacks.
In fact, the Americans instantly plunged into chaos, failing to send anyone to interfere with the French artillery from start to finish.
Immediately afterward, the main French forces launched a simultaneous assault from both the northeast and southwest.
At two o'clock that afternoon, fewer than 5,000 French troops had encircled Morgan's main force of over 7,000 men.
The American Militia Act had only been in effect for six years, and the standing army of the US Army numbered a mere 4,000 soldiers, with over a thousand of them already taken by Wayne. Thus, more than half of the troops reinforcing Virginia were hastily assembled state militia.
These forces each had their own command structures, and when suddenly ambushed, they surrendered one after another with remarkable swiftness.
At 4 PM, Morgan, facing the French troops closing in from three sides, reluctantly ordered his men to raise the white flag.
...
Western France, the Port of Brest.
In high spirits, Major Thiébault, head of the French General Staff's Intelligence Department, enthusiastically opened the carriage door for Baron Léotard and Major Macard. "Paris has been eagerly awaiting your good news! This victory in North America will completely extinguish the Austrians' desire to continue their stubborn resistance."
Once the three had settled into the carriage, Major Thiébault eagerly asked, "I assume Lieutenant Colonel Bonaparte then capitalized on the momentum and launched an attack on Philadelphia?"
Since disembarking, Léotard had been recounting the North American campaign to him. In his view, marching north from Woodbridge, they could reach Philadelphia in a little over ten days—a prime opportunity to teach the Americans a harsh lesson.
Major Macard's hoarse voice cut in. "No, our supply lines would have been stretched too thin then. We caught the Americans off guard initially, but once they reacted, local militias could very well sever our logistical support. So, the Commander ordered the army to immediately return west, to Ohio."
Thiébault nodded. "That was indeed the safest option."
"Safest?" Léotard gave a peculiar smile and shook his head. "Lieutenant Colonel Bonaparte is hardly one for tranquility."
Major Macard continued, "We encountered Wayne's army in Winchester and routed them once again."
Thiébault gasped, "Yes, Wayne, to secure his own supply lines, would surely have gone to drive out the Indians harassing the Ohio region—"
Léotard quietly corrected him, "That would be 'Native Americans,' Major."
Macard went on, "Poor General Wayne was struck by a Twelve-Pounder Cannon, and then his army surrendered. Over 3,000 men in total."
Léotard remarked, "The enraged Native American soldiers of the Northwestern tribes wanted to execute the prisoners. Fortunately, the Governor had me rush there with the Crown Prince's orders, which saved their lives."
Thiébault paused, startled, then hastily crossed himself. "Praise be to the merciful Son of Divine Favor."
Léotard smiled faintly. "His Highness demanded that these Americans swear allegiance to the Principality of Iroquois and convert to Catholicism.
"Of course, a few stubborn fellows refused these demands and were subsequently burned to death by enraged Native American priests in the name of the Holy See."
It took Thiébault several seconds to process this information. He then asked, bewildered, "Did you just mention the Principality of Iroquois?"
"Yes," Baron Léotard confirmed with a nod. "These are the truce terms the Crown Prince instructed the Governor to propose. A principality will be established in Ohio and northern Kentucky, and His Majesty the King will then enfeoff a Duke there.
"Oh, the negotiations were still underway when we departed New Orleans, but I'm confident the Americans will agree. After all, it was originally Native American land; it's time for the Treaty of Greenville to be abolished."
Five years prior, Wayne's army had driven the Shawnee, Miami, Delaware, Ottawa, and other Indian tribes out of Ohio. Joseph intended to reclaim these disputed territories and establish an Indian nation there.
As for why it wouldn't be directly incorporated into Louisiana, firstly, the cost of governance would be too high with little revenue, making effective rule difficult. Secondly, it could embed a buffer zone between the United States and the Louisiana colony. Furthermore, Ohio bordered the Great Lakes region, potentially allowing for future leverage against Canada.
In practice, given the productive and administrative capabilities of the Iroquois Confederacy's Native Americans, they would inevitably become dependent on the Louisiana Governor's Office in the future.
Major Thiébault hesitated slightly. "But wouldn't this cause Louisiana's Indi—ah, Native Americans to choose to move to Ohio, leading to a population shortage in the colony?"
"You needn't worry about that," Baron Léotard reassured him. "It's like how few Parisians would want to live in Gascony. The west bank of the Mississippi River is currently the most fertile region there."
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