Chapter 694: Dividends and Silverware
As British forces steadily lost men to disease, the black governments of Jamaica, the Bahamas, and the Lesser Antilles began dispatching troops to reinforce Santo Domingo.
They were all members of the Caribbean Military Committee, and indeed, if Santo Domingo, the strongest independent black nation, were to fall, the other governments would face the fate of being picked off one by one by the British.
Moreover, these islands had all previously received aid from Santo Domingo, so naturally, they spared no effort in returning the favor with reinforcements.
Thus, every day, black volunteers from various islands boarded American merchant ships, steadily converging on Santo Domingo.
American merchant ships also brought ample supplies of food, clothing, medicine, and even military horses, supporting the more than ten thousand black soldiers in Mount Duarte as they launched unrelenting harassment against the British forces.
......
London.
10 Downing Street.
"The situation appears quite grim," Lord Grenville declared, placing Marquis Cunningham's report on the table and looking at Pitt.
Of the expeditionary force's 7,500 soldiers, only just over 4,000 currently remained combat-capable, the rest plagued by various diseases.
In recent months, only around 300 British soldiers had died in combat, while disease had claimed as many as 530 lives.
These figures were from two months ago; the number of ailing soldiers would only have increased by now.
Meanwhile, although Marquis Cunningham had occupied major towns on the island such as Port-au-Prince, Marien, and Magua, he had consistently failed to locate the main rebel force.
He attempted to pursue the "black devils" into the mountains but was hampered by the humid, muddy terrain, and voluntarily withdrew after half a month.
At the end of the report, Marquis Cunningham stated that unless London dispatched another 4,000 expeditionary troops to the Caribbean, he would be unable to hold Port-au-Prince for more than another six months.
"Worse than even my worst imaginings," Pitt sighed deeply. "By the way, you must have heard that Spain is also preparing to recognize the 'black devils'' government. That means three major powers will have acknowledged Santo Domingo's independence."
Indeed, following the Netherlands, the Americans, driven by the immense profits from sugarcane, had also recognized the Republic of Santo Domingo.
"Four, actually," Grenville corrected. "France will soon follow suit."
Pitt nodded. "Yes. Frankly, the French have played a masterful move this time."
After such a long period of maneuvering, if the British still couldn't see that France was manipulating the situation in the Caribbean, they truly wouldn't deserve to sit on the throne of world hegemony.
"General Jervis and Marquis Wyndham are both strongly advocating for further troop deployment," he remarked, glancing at the Foreign Secretary. "What are your thoughts?"
Jervis was the First Lord of the Admiralty. Wyndham was Britain's former Secretary of War.
"Trying to grasp everything will ultimately lead to gaining nothing," Grenville stated. "Santo Domingo is clearly a bottomless pit. We've already poured nearly 500,000 Pound Sterling into it, and apart from soldier casualties, we've gained nothing. It's time to abandon that place."
Pitt pressed down hard on the armrest of his chair, took a deep breath, and replied, "But we need sugar."
"The solution lies with France," Grenville asserted without hesitation. "If we can force France to yield, we can demand they sell us sugar beet at subsidized prices.
"Furthermore, once the black populations of the Caribbean lose their support, we can find a way to regain control there."
Pitt chuckled. "There's someone who shares your exact opinion. Do you know who it is?"
"You?"
"No, Marquis Wellesley."
Grenville nodded. "I've heard his military reforms are progressing well."
"They'd be even more fruitful without those old fogeys hindering him."
"So, the process of initiating war must be accelerated?"
"The current issue is that our allies haven't yet devoured their 'dessert.'"
Pitt was, of course, referring to the partition of Poland by Prussia and Austria.
Grenville immediately responded, "Then let's buy them a new set of silverware. You know, it's a necessary expense."
Pitt smiled. "I'll have someone propose a 500,000 Pound Sterling 'silverware' budget in Parliament the day after tomorrow. I trust you'll support it."
"That's simply part of my duty."
Subsequently, the two further refined the terms of aid to Prussia and Austria, after which Grenville prepared to take his leave.
He had only taken a few steps when he suddenly remembered something, turning back to say, "By the way, Mr. Pitt, perhaps we can also retrieve some 'dividends' from the Caribbean region."
"What do you mean?"
"Hand the Caribbean over to the Americans," Grenville replied. "We certainly can't allow the French to control it."
Pitt pondered and nodded. "It seems you should make a trip to Philadelphia."
"With pleasure."
......
Western Poland.
Poznan Province.
General Horne looked back at the fortress behind him, feeling little sense of accomplishment.
The Poles were almost completely unprepared; fewer than 600 soldiers garrisoned the most crucial fortress in Western Poland.
Just one day after Potsdam declared war on Poland, he had easily captured it with his large army.
His Majesty the King must now be regretting that he hadn't acted sooner.
Horne glanced westward. "Thanks to His Majesty King George III."
He spoke from the heart.
This time, had it not been for the British offering a low-interest loan of 250,000 Pound Sterling, demanding William II to dispatch troops immediately, the latter had intended to wait until Russia had annihilated Poland's main forces before declaring war.
It was rumored that this loan was disbursed monthly. If Prussia failed to achieve the mutually agreed-upon military objectives, the loan would be suspended.
Horne then looked northward and murmured to himself, "At this rate, it shouldn't take two months; perhaps even one month will suffice."
William II's orders to him were to occupy the entire Greater Poland region and, most importantly, the port of Gdańsk, within two months.
Over the next three days, Horne led his 35,000-strong army through Gniezno as if on a leisurely tour, occupying it without a single battle.
The Poles, naively trusting the Polish-Prussian alliance treaty, had, despite repeated demands from the French Crown Prince, removed Prussian officers from their military command system, yet still utterly refused to believe Prussia would attack them.
So much so that just ten days prior, Polish Foreign Minister Count Potocki had traveled to Potsdam to an audience with William II, requesting the latter dispatch troops from East Prussia to help Poland resist Russian aggression.
William II, citing the "Polish Constitution" having been passed without Prussian permission, quite bluntly refused him.
And so, Horne's army delivered a cruel stab to Poland's back.
During the operational meeting that night, Horne looked at the map of Poland before him and instructed one of his generals, "General Hoepner, you will lead the Stendal Legion, the Berlin Legion, and the Royal Seventh Artillery Battalion to continue the advance towards Kalisz."
He then surveyed the other officers. "The rest of you will immediately advance north with me, to capture Gdańsk with the utmost speed."
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