Under the pressure of the Continental Congress, even if Washington was unwilling, he could only lead his army to immediately attack Ohio.
And Washington also knew that after arriving in Ohio, there must be a tough battle waiting for them. After all, the British colonial government stationed nearly three thousand troops in Ohio, which was the largest number among the various regions under the Governor's District of Pittsburgh.
the most.
Of course, we can’t just look at the harmful side of things, but also look at the good side.
Except for the three thousand British troops in Ohio, the British troops in other areas are relatively small and widely dispersed. This means that the British want to gather another army besides the three thousand troops in Ohio.
This is not something that can be accomplished in a short period of time.
This reason is also the fundamental reason why Washington did not refuse when he received the order from the Continental Congress to attack Ohio. After all, if these three thousand British troops could be annihilated, it would mean that at least from Ohio to Pittsburgh
, there was no force that could withstand the Continental Army along the way.
Even if the Continental Army is fast enough, it can take Pittsburgh before the British army gathers!
Just when Washington was leading his army to leave Polis and prepare to invade Ohio in one go, the British Governorate of Pittsburgh in North America immediately launched urgent discussions.
The current Governor of Pittsburgh is Stewart, who comes from a well-known British family. This Governor is a member of the Tory Party. Because the Whig Party has not been in power for a long time, it has not made adjustments to the governments of overseas colonies. Therefore.
Stewart, who was affiliated with the Tory Party, remained the Governor of the District of Pittsburgh.
In the past, before the Tory government fell, Stewart had strong family capital and the full support of the Tory Party. Stewart could be said to be unstoppable in the Governor's District of Pittsburgh. But when Stewart learned that the Tory government in London had collapsed, he
Stewart's heart immediately cast a shadow.
Although the heads of the colonial governments were not involved in the political struggle in London because they were overseas, the moment Pitt fell, Stewart knew that the Tory winter was coming.
The Tories and the Whigs have always been sworn enemies, and Stewart's governorship can be said to have been snatched from the hands of a Whig. Under such circumstances, Stewart was always worried about the situation in London.
The Whig government planned a counterattack against him.
Every quarter, each colony would send missions to London. In addition to escorting tax revenue, these missions also had the responsibility of reporting colonial conditions to the central government.
It was now the end of another quarter, and just as Stewart was making careful preparations to send people to London to lobby, news that the Continental Congress had actually made a comeback and sent troops to attack Indiana reached Pittsburgh.
This news immediately shocked Stewart.
For Stewart, who wanted to protect his power with all his strength, ensuring the stability of the colony was his first priority. After all, it was his first duty as a governor to allow the colony to develop calmly and in accordance with the requirements of the London government.
But now, the Continental Congress actually made a comeback and invaded Indiana, which cast a deep shadow on Stewart's heart.
Once the Continental Army cannot be wiped out and the Continental Congress is allowed to make a comeback, Stewart cannot believe what kind of ending he will have in the future. Although his family background means that his life is not in danger, it is obvious that if the Continental Congress cannot be contained or even eliminated.
power, then Stewart's political life is obviously over.
"No matter what, the rebels in the Continental Congress must be completely wiped out! Look at the black slave emancipation bill they proposed. This thing is an insult to the glorious kingdom of Great Britain. Those ugly black people can only be slaves at any time. And now.
Those rebellious gangs actually want to grant the status of free people to those slaves. This not only insults the Kingdom of Great Britain, but also brings dishonor to the glory of God!"
Stewart was so furious that all officials in the Pittsburgh Governor's District government were trembling with fear.
Although everyone in the Governor-General's government knows that with the collapse of the Tory government in London, Stewart, who is very important in the Tory party, may not know when he will fall. However, after all, there has not yet been an order from London for Stewart to step down.
Moreover, the power that the Governor has accumulated over the years is no joke.
"Assemble the army immediately, I will hang all these damn rebels!"
Just when Stewart was clamoring to mobilize the army to exterminate the rebellion, an official stood up and said:
"Your Majesty Governor, our troops are scattered in various regions. Except for the three thousand troops in Ohio, we can't send any troops to support Indiana.
And as time goes by, I suspect that the situation in Indiana has deteriorated. In this case, I think our top priority should be to shrink our troops. It is best to order all three thousand troops in Ohio to gather in Columbus, the capital, and then Pittsburgh.
Then mobilize all your troops and head to Columbus as quickly as possible.
In this way, even if the enemy can capture the Ohio area east of Columbus in a short period of time, Columbus will become the burial place of those rebellious gangs!"
After the official finished speaking, he glanced at Stewart secretly, only to see that after he finished speaking, Stewart was stroking the beard on his cheek and thinking quietly.
Stewart was not a fool. Although the intelligence before him was more than half a month ago, and even Pittsburgh had not received news of the fall of Polis, this did not affect Stewart's judgment.
Although the total strength of the Pittsburgh Governor's District is 8,000 people, these 8,000 people are scattered in various areas. It will take at least a month to gather all 8,000 people.
According to intelligence, the rebel group in the Continental Congress led by Washington had about 10,000 troops, and Stewart had also admired Washington's name for a long time.
After all, Washington was considered an excellent commander during the North American War of Independence. It was precisely because of Washington's ability that even the combined efforts of Britain and Prussia were not able to completely annihilate the rebellion in the Continental Congress.
In this case, it was not a question for Stewart whether the thousand British troops in Indiana could withstand the more than ten thousand rebels led by Washington. Because Indiana would most likely not be able to hold it.
For Stewart, although the official's suggestion was reasonable, it did not meet his political requirements.
Want to know what's going on with Stewart now? This is a critical moment for Stewart! Stewart believes that after the news of the Continental Congress's invasion of Indiana reaches Pittsburgh, someone will quickly spread the news to London, without even using the governor's district government.
Ask.
Under such circumstances, if you want to keep your position as governor and prevent the Whigs in London from using this as an excuse to resign, then you must wipe out the rebellious gang in the Continental Congress in the shortest possible time.
Preferably within two months.
Because once the time has passed two months, then the London government's decision must have been made, and it will obviously be too late to change it by then.
"How many armed forces are there on each farm under the Viceroyalty?"
Stewart asked a staff member beside him.
After listening to what the official said just now, Stewart decided to take some unconventional measures. Otherwise, the Continental Congress could afford to delay, but he absolutely could not afford to delay.
In this case, Stewart naturally thought of the armed forces that could help him change the situation, and the guards on the farm naturally came into Stewart's sight.
After hearing about Stewart's culture, the staff member immediately thought about it and then quickly said to Stewart:
"Mr. Governor, according to the latest statistics, the number of guards on government farms should be around 6,000. However, most of these guard forces are located in coastal areas. As for Ohio and Pennsylvania, where Pittsburgh is located, there are approximately less than 6,000 guards.
One thousand people. Of course, this is on the premise of ensuring the safety of the farm."
Stewart frowned when he heard his staff's words.
Although a thousand people can play a big role in the war situation, they cannot fundamentally change the situation.
"So how many soldiers can we mobilize in the colonies?"
Stewart asked again, and another staff member stood up and said:
"Your Majesty the Governor, if it takes one month to mobilize, then we can mobilize two thousand people in the entire North America. If it takes three months, then we can mobilize seven thousand people! But these mobilized private soldiers want to gather
If we get to Pittsburgh, it will take another half a month!"
The North American colonies were simply too big. In the past, this was Stuart's source of pride. After all, the territory he ruled was equivalent to several British mainland territories. But now it has become the root cause of Stuart's headache.
"If, I say if, it is possible to recruit guards from those farmers, is it feasible and how many people can be recruited?"
Stewart's words caused everyone in the room to whisper privately. The meaning of Stewart's words was obvious, that is, to recruit soldiers to the farmers who had armed guards.
But this is completely different from Stewart's recruitment of guards for government-owned farms. After all, one is owned by the government and the other is privately owned.
As the Governor of the Governor's District of Pittsburgh, Stewart is the highest spokesman for the government in this land, so he can recruit guards for government farms, but for those private farmers, those armed forces are private forces. In other words
It can also be regarded as private property.
Although the rights of the monarch in the UK are not reduced to symbols as they were in later generations, after several bourgeois revolutions, the inviolability of private property is a principled law in the UK.
Under such circumstances, even if Stewart wanted to recruit guards from those private farms, he would need the consent of those farmers, otherwise he would not be able to get any of them.
After a while, an official stood up and said to Stewart:
"Your Majesty the Governor, if we want to recruit those private farms, then I think we have to pay some price, but in the current situation, is this price worth paying by the government, and the appetite of those private farmers?
How big it is? I really can’t say for sure!”
"It doesn't matter. I believe that the British people have a spirit of patriotism and dedication. Besides, the rebels in the Continental Congress are resurgent. If they gain the upper hand, then obviously no one will be able to end up well. Besides,
, if I were Governor-General, and the Holy Kingdom of Great Britain had given me a right, if those private farmers were unwilling to contribute their armed forces, then I would exercise the right given to me by His Majesty the King and the Government. To raise taxes this year!
"
As soon as Stewart's words fell, the whole room burst into uproar again, and the uproar was even louder than before.
That's right. As a colonial governor, taking into account the issues of communication and local needs, the British gave the governor of each important area a right, that is, if the colonial governor-general government deems it very necessary, the governor can use the British King and the
In the name of the government, taxes are raised. Of course, the proportion of this increase must not exceed 50%.
But don’t underestimate this 50%, even a 50% ratio is quite high.
Stewart has this right, which is why he just decided to recruit armed forces from those private farmers.
"But Your Majesty the Governor, what if those people are not willing to surrender?"
An official boldly asked Stewart, and upon hearing this, Stewart showed a sneer on his face and said:
"If there are really people who don't know how to commend themselves, then is it possible that our army is just a display? Don't forget, sometimes the army is not just for resisting foreign enemies!"
Stewart's meaningful words caused everyone present to bow their heads and fall silent.
You must know that most of those who owned large private farms in the North American colonies had inextricable relationships with these colonial government officials. After all, for bourgeois capitalists, they are good at establishing relationships with government officials. More
Needless to say, many farms and factories are owned by these officials themselves.
Although Stewart's words were only meant for these officials, they were not meant to be a warning to them!
After Stewart unified the voice of the colonial government, the colonial government of the Pittsburgh Governor's District immediately sent a large number of messengers to various farms and factories to convey Stewart's orders. At the same time, Stewart also issued a mobilization order in the name of the Pittsburgh Governor's District.
In fact, after the meeting, Stewart thought carefully and realized that this attack by the Continental Congress was not an opportunity for him!
You must know that Stuart's current position is not stable. In this case, using a victory or even completely wiping out the Continental Congress to stabilize his position as Governor of Pittsburgh is a very cost-effective deal for Stuart.
Buy and sell.
Just when Stewart ordered the Governor-General of Pittsburgh to mobilize, the Governor-General of North America in Georgia also issued a first-level mobilization order.
In addition to the Second Colonial Division stationed in Oklahoma, the First Colonial Division and the levies of the two divisions are being assembled one after another.
The Prussian Army has always been a leader in the world, and this lead not only refers to the combat effectiveness of the Prussian Army, but also refers to the mobilization speed of the Prussian Army.
In the North American colonies, although Prussia only had two divisions of the army, adhering to the fine tradition of the Prussian Army, Bruneck also did not relax the construction of the army in these colonies.
The reason why the Prussian Army was able to dominate Europe was because it adopted the "invisible division" plan. In this case, as long as there were enough soldiers, one Prussian division could become two divisions in an instant.
group.
Thanks to Bruneke's efforts over the years, the strength of a colonial division even exceeded that of a local division, reaching 17,000 men.
The reason why there are so many more people is precisely because Bruneke expanded the cavalry regiment among the North American colonial divisions. You must know that most of the land in the North American continent is large and sparsely populated. Under this situation,
There must be a large number of cavalry.
Moreover, the North American continent also has the conditions to expand the cavalry. After all, the terrain and climate of the North American continent are very suitable for the growth of war horses. The price of a war horse in North America is much lower than that in Europe. It is this situation that gave Bruneck the opportunity to expand the cavalry.
conditions of.
In a colonial division, in addition to the four infantry regiments, the original two cavalry regiments were expanded into five cavalry regiments by Bruneck. If the cavalry force directly under the division is added, a colonial division has
The number of cavalry can reach 8,000.
Such a cavalry force is quite terrifying, but it would not be surprising if cavalry forces of this size were dispersed and stationed in various cities.
In just one month, Bruneck gathered 15,000 troops in Nashville, the capital of Tennessee. Among these 15,000 troops, except for part of the First Colonial Division, the rest
They belong to the two newly expanded divisions.
One month is not enough for the army to rush to Nashville from all regions, but if it takes another month, it is foreseeable that nearly 30,000 troops will gather in Nashville.
"My Lord Governor, Washington has led the Continental Army to capture Polis!"
A staff officer hurriedly walked up to Bruneck, who was watching the army training, and said in his ear.
After hearing what the staff officer said, Bruneke's expression changed, and then he immediately said:
"Let all officers above the battalion level come to my military tent for a meeting!" (To be continued...)