Chapter 1620 - 1526

Chapter 1620: Chapter 1526

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Before coming to North America, Jourdan had done enough homework to know that the Indian soldiers in Louisiana had relatively average combat capabilities.

However, he was entrusted with an important task by the Regent, and he needed a capable army.

In fact, the more than 40 guards he brought here were all selected mid to lower-ranking officers.

Napoleon felt a bit of pain, as he had only 1,100 French soldiers, all absolute elites.

But in order to quickly get Jourdan on his way, he reluctantly agreed.

Once the war meeting was over, Jourdan immediately went to the barracks to inspect his troops.

On the way, he asked the colonial staff officer assisting him, "Have we reached the Fredrickton Shap Signal Tower yet?"

"Not yet, General," the latter replied, "You know, Louisiana’s financial situation is not very good, and there’s no signal tower even in the northern part of Arkansas. However, there are ones between New Orleans and Mobile, built at the expense of the former West Florida Governor, to facilitate berth and warehouse applications at the port."

Jourdan sighed, as Mobile was located slightly westward in central Florida, still nearly 600 kilometers away from the easternmost Fredrickton.

"It’s better than nothing." He turned to his staff officer and whispered, "Immediately write a letter in my name to Governor Morales, asking him to withdraw the troops from Saint Augustine to Tallahassee in batches. But outwardly, announce that these troops are going to reinforce New Granada."

The staff officer hesitated for a moment, then asked, "General, what if the Americans take the opportunity to attack Saint Augustine?"

Wilkinson has been training troops in Georgia.

Jourdan replied in a deep voice, "This is an order from the Regent King."

"Yes, General, I will go now."

The day after Jourdan’s letter was sent out, news came from South America that the British and Portuguese forces were ambushed in Caracas, suffering thousands of casualties, and retreated in disarray back to Guyana.

...

Meanwhile, at the New Orleans port, forty to fifty fully armed soldiers gathered, expelling all irrelevant personnel from a large area near the berths.

Governor Morales gazed at the distant sea and asked Lafayette beside him, "Your Excellency Marquis, what you said about these things will indeed promote the prosperity of Louisiana, but we simply don’t have that much money...

"For example, the steam threshing machine you mentioned, even if ten Indian villages pooled together, they wouldn’t be able to afford one."

Lafayette smiled and said, "The Regent King has already considered these issues.

"I’ve brought 1.2 million francs this time as your initial investment.

"In fact, whether it’s the steam threshing machine, the seed drill, the cultivator, the cast iron plow, or the ’flying car,’ they can all bring more tax revenue to the colony.

"These can be initially distributed to farmers for use, allowing them to purchase in installments over ten or fifteen years.

"Oh, I’ve also brought technicians from an agricultural consulting company who will, with the cooperation of the church, teach farmers composting techniques and how to adjust soil salinity.

"You’ll see, if things go smoothly, the harvest in Louisiana can increase by more than 30% within a year."

Previously, Louisiana really lacked people, and Joseph found it difficult to implement any ideas.

However, in the mid-year, Governor Morales submitted a report to him mentioning that due to the continuous influx of Indians from various parts of North America, the registered population of Louisiana had already exceeded 330,000.

According to estimates by colonial officials, at least another 100,000 people scattered throughout were not accounted for.

This did not include the part of the black population, which should also be a few tens of thousands.

With such a population scale, many measures can now be implemented.

Morales was immediately intrigued upon hearing about a "30%" increase, but then deflated and said, "But there’s still the problem of coal. Steam engines require a large amount of coal, and we currently can only get it from the eastern United States."

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In 1812, the war on the European Continent was in full swing. The French occupied the land while the British controlled the sea, fighting each other to the death.

The struggle between the two great powers would not allow the Americans to remain uninvolved. Although defeated in the Battle of Trafalgar, France remained dominant on the European Continent. British trade was boycotted by the continent, and grain supplies from the Scandinavian Peninsula were cut off. As a result, Britain issued a decree requiring all American ships to unload their goods in Britain, prohibiting trade between America and the European Continent. The aggressive British repeatedly searched American merchant ships on the high seas and conscripted American sailors. In response, Napoleon issued a decree in Milan stating that any American ship that dared to comply with British orders would become a legitimate target for France. In 1807, President Jefferson of the United States was forced to issue an embargo, banning any American ships from carrying goods to foreign ports.

The embargo dealt a heavy blow to American commerce, with exports dropping from $108 million in 1807 to $22 million in 1808. All classes in the United States were infuriated by the embargo, and in 1809, the American government could no longer withstand the pressure and was forced to repeal the infamous embargo. At the same time, Napoleon was the first to extend an olive branch to the United States: the Milan Decree against America was repealed on November 1, 1810.

As a result, the United States fully leaned towards France. In 1811, American fast-sailing ships engaged British coastal defense ships. On June 18, 1812, the United States declared war on Britain. The United States hoped to break the British monopoly on maritime trade through this war and occupy Canada, driving the British completely out of the North American Continent.

In 1812, the then President of the United States, James Madison, said: "This year will see the annexation of the Canadian region, including Quebec, as long as we advance and attack Halifax, ultimately expelling British power completely from the American Continent." The belief that "America must control the entire continent of North America" later came to be known as America’s "Manifest Destiny." However, Britain also had strategic advantages. In the Saint Lawrence River border area, the northern Canadian side had a population density and infrastructure level twice that of the southern American side.

Although there were long-standing diplomatic disputes between the two countries before the war, neither was fully prepared once the hostilities began. Britain was tied down by the Napoleonic Wars, having to deploy most of their elite naval and land forces in Europe. The British highest military commander in North America received instructions to restrain offensive actions to avoid transferring troops from Europe and other British colonies for reinforcements.

In 1812, there were only 5,004 regular British troops in Canada, supplemented by Canadian militiamen. During the war, it was not until the end of the war against Napoleon that Britain deployed a large number of warships to American waters.

Britain possessed the world’s most powerful navy at the time. In 1812, the Royal Navy of England deployed 97 warships in American waters, including 11 battleships and 34 escort ships. In stark contrast,