Part 38: The Last Mexican War and the Brazilian Embarrassment

Chapter 27: The Last Mexican War and the Brazilian Embarrassment



In his inauguration speech, President Villa announced his plans for the Republic, primarily the removal of the Mexican government and making Texas the premier nation of the Americas. The populace and newspapers have gone wild with this news, even going so far as to claim a new Manifest Destiny for the nation and that Mexico City itself should be a part of the Republic.

(The Manifest Destiny cultural invention fired, which gives national claims on 3 random bordering provinces. We have claims on Mexico City, Gueguetenango and some Argentinian province now.)

President Villa has many goalss for the Republic and only four years to accomplish them. He wastes no time in beginning the first plan.



On August 27, 1911, the Last Mexican War is declared.



Mexico is currently partitioned into two sections: Mexico City and the area immediately south of it, and Central America plus Yucatan. We largely ignore Central America; most of Mexico's troops are in the area near Mexico City. Eight divisions are assaulting that area from its eastern border.



The President timed the beginning of the war well. Mexico City lay undefended. There are a number of nearby divisions but they were in the middle of some sort of rotation; it is anybody's guess who will arrive at the Mexican capital first. We are sending in three 4-division armies, one from each side.



Our men arrive at roughly the same time as four Mexican divisions only to find that we outnumber the poorly supplied men 100 to 1. The Battle of Mexico City lasts three minutes.



Shortly after the capture of Mejico, President Villa makes his offer to the Mexicans: Mexico is to become a satellite of the Republic, like Argentina before them. They will also pay war indemnities to the Republic over the course of five years. The Mexicans, realizing this is the best offer they could possibly get, accept.



The Mexican government is replaced with a Texas-friendly one, and they enter a defensive alliance with us (alliances with satellites do not expire). Mexico also ceded the province of Gueguetenango, since we have a claim to it (that also happens when something is satellited).



President Villa makes an offer to the new Mexican government, a trade of the two provinces that seperate the halves of Mexico for a modest cash sum. We do not wish any further harm to our brethren in Mexico, and the connection will mean they can more easily put down revolts in Central America (and cleaner borders).

One of our generals that are still in Mexico, Bonham, receives a secret telegram from the President. He is ordered to not return north but head further into Central America and topple the government of what remains of the United States of Central America.



He reaches Guatemala and engages the pathetic army there.



Bonham forces a peace with the Central Americans. They become a satellite of the Republic, and we take the province of Poyais from them, leaving them with only Guatemala.



The President's orders did not end there. Bonham marches from Poyais to the small, poor nation of Nicaragua. His mission is the same as before: topple the government and install a Texas-friendly satellite.



Nicaragua falls quickly.



Well, it isn't an automobile factory, but steamers are still very profitable so it'll do.



While still in Central America, General Bonham is approached by a group of local Hondurans. They wish to restore the nation of Honduras, and we grant it to them with the condition that they become a satellite of the Republic. They take the city of Poyais (population 1.5 million) and form a new government there, loyal to the Republic.

President Villa reveals his plans and what the army has been doing in Central America on May 5th, 1912. He calls it his Manifest Destiny for the nation. Not merely the conquering of Mexico, but the subordination of an entire continent. The operations in Central America were only practice and preparation. Pancho wants every nation south of us to be under the Texan sphere of influence except Colombia, which will be annexed so that Texas may have direct control over the Panama canal and isthmus. And, he says, we will start big.



Five days later, the Republic of Texas declares war on Brazil. Our navy, waiting off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, unloads 8 divisions onto the nearby province of Campos.



Where there were only a handful of divisions there are now 18 somehow, so we are unloading another 8 divisions into Campos. (Note: yes, everything is teal and its confusing. It is fixed after this war, so bear with me)



We are going to attempt an encirclement. Brazil is still at war with France, so this really shouldn't be too hard unless France is really slacking.



Shit!



There are Brazilians everywhere! Where did they come from? We didn't know Brazil had this many troops or a decent railroad!



Most of our men are able to retreat to the ships, where they are taken to Texan Argentine to recuperate.



The Brazilians are much better equiped to fight a war than we expected. We try to make an early peace deal, offering a white truce. They decline.



We send our armies through Argentina, to see if we can make progress at the Argentina-Brazil border.




The Ottomans had gotten into another war with Russia while no one was paying attention, and they have lost horribly. The Ottoman Empire is not much of an empire any longer. They retain only Thrace, Cyprus, the western coast of Anatolia and a few other small holdings in the Balkans.




Russia releases Serbia as another one of their satellites, and proceeds to grant them a large amount of land in the Balkans.



As if this war could get any worse! We dispatch an army to engage the invaders.

The situation in South America does not get any better. The force invading Brazil from Argentina takes a couple provinces before the brunt of the Brazilian army arrives again and drives them out.



The Brazilians left Rio undefended for a moment though, and that is all we need. Now we have a bargaining chip to get out of this disaster.



Which is only getting worse as time goes on, apparently. We lose to the Brazilians in Tampico, and they've launched an invasion of Santa Cruz.



President Villa is forced to ask the Brazilians for a white peace again, and they accept the offer.

The Texan-Brazilian War was a complete catastrophe for the Republic. Pancho's plan failed right at the start, but he will not easily give up.