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Volume One, Chapter 767: Increase Troops in North America

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    The pursuit battle that took place in the Dayton area finally ended with the victory of the Continental Army. A total of more than 2,100 British troops fled from the two British forts. However, under the pursuit of the Continental Army, there were only less than 400 British troops in the end.  Escape.  However, Washington was not satisfied with this result. In Washington's view, his side had deployed nearly 20,000 troops, but even under such circumstances, it was still not possible to completely annihilate the British army.  Fortunately, Washington also knew that the foundation of the Continental Army was too weak after all, so he did not blame the generals of the Continental Army. Instead, he reorganized the army and began to march towards Columbus, the capital of Ohio.  At this moment, outside Columbus, two thousand Continental Army soldiers were constantly provoking the British soldiers guarding Columbus.  However, their provocation had no effect, at least the British army did not leave the city to fight them.  "Captain, we can't go on like this. Our supplies are about to run out, and every extra day we stay under Columbus City will increase our danger. In our opinion, we might as well withdraw our troops!"  In the Continental Army camp, a lieutenant was talking to a man with the rank of lieutenant colonel.  "Noland, the mission that the Marshal gave us was to raid Columbus. But now, although we are already under the city, we have not completed the mission. Under such circumstances, if we withdraw our troops, I am afraid that the Marshal will not take it lightly.  Spare us!" "At this time, the tongue we caught has already said that the two thousand soldiers led by the British governor were stationed less than 150 miles away.  Look, maybe in less than two days, the British can return to Columbus!" Hear Noland say this.  As the captain of the Continental Army's assault team, Smith seemed a little distracted.  When setting off, Washington gave Smith a strict order, that is, he must rush to Columbus as quickly as possible, and then if there are insufficient defenders in Columbus, he will capture it, and if the enemy force is strong, he will station himself outside the city.  Maintain a confrontational situation to hold back the enemy's main force.  But according to Smith¡¯s understanding.  Currently, there are only more than 400 people stationed in Columbus, but even under this situation, more than 1,800 Continental Army soldiers still cannot capture the city.  "Smith. After all, the combat effectiveness of our army is not as good as that of the British, so I think the Marshal will definitely understand the current situation if we choose to retreat!" Noland continued to persuade.  Noland and Smith are both old men in the Continental Army.  Otherwise.  Washington would not entrust such an important task to Smith.  After listening to Noland's words, for a long time, Smith suddenly had an idea in his mind and said to Noland: "Noland, what do you think the British governor will do after he learns that we appeared under the city of Columbus?"  Smith's words made Noland roll his eyes. "I'm talking about Smith, didn't I say before that the British Governor will definitely bring the army back quickly for reinforcements!" Who knows, Smith didn't do it because of Noland.  Angry at Rand's disrespect, quite the opposite.  A smile suddenly appeared on Smith's face.  "Noland, I think our opportunity has come! You are just as you said. After the British learned about the strength comparison between Columbus's defenders and ours, they will definitely rush back non-stop for reinforcements. After all, the importance of Columbus cannot be lost.  ! In this case, I think we can lead the army to set a trap on the road to Columbus. If the British don't discover it, we can catch the British by surprise with our strength!" Smith finished!  After that, Noland's face immediately showed a look of realization. "Yes, why didn't I think of it? No wonder you are the leader now, and I am just a little lieutenant now!" Noland smiled at Smith.  teased.  "Okay, who doesn't know what kind of temper you are, Noland? If you had wanted to, you would have climbed on top of me long ago!" After saying that, Smith smiled and said a few words to Noland, and then his face changed.  Yi Su began to issue orders.  "Noland, I want to give you a task, you must complete it for me!" Seeing Smith's actions, Noland also saluted Smith with a serious expression and said loudly: "Please give me orders, Lieutenant Colonel  "Your Excellency!" "Noland, in order to prevent the British from learning about our plan, I decided to leave you and your squadron as suspects outside Columbus. The task I gave you is very simple, that is?After I lead the main force to leave, you must hold back the British troops in the city and make sure not to let them discover our movements!  " After saying that, the expression on Smith's face softened a little. He patted Noland on the shoulder and said: "You should be able to understand what I mean. Your task is not easy, but we must do it now. If  If our ambush is successful, then the entire Ohio or Pittsburgh will be under our control, but if we fail, the consequences will be more serious, so I hope you can fight with all your strength!  " "I understand, Lieutenant Colonel!  " Noland solemnly paid a military salute to Smith and then left the camp resolutely. Late that night, through careful study of the surrounding terrain, Smith finally selected a suitable location for an ambush, and then made a prompt decision.  Smith decided to rush to the ambush site under the cover of darkness. After Smith left, only Noland and the 110 soldiers he led were left in the entire Continental Army camp. In mid-June 1794, Smith ambushed.  The British army led by Stewart succeeded, but at the last minute, Stewart was able to escape. But no matter what, it was an extremely brilliant victory. Then, Smith led the army and took the captured British soldiers to the city of Columbus to demand the British.  The military defenders surrendered. Considering that foreign aid had been exhausted, the helpless Columbus defenders finally agreed to Smith's request to surrender. This battle in Columbus became the most important battle after the Continental Congress resurrected.  Although the number of troops participating in the battle was not comparable to that of the Battle of Dayton, it was extremely important to the Continental Army. With Stewart leading the remaining troops to flee to Pittsburgh, it meant that there was no longer a British force in Ohio that could stop the Continental Army.  In late June 1794, Washington led the Continental Army to Columbus. In Columbus, Washington held a meeting of Continental Army generals to re-divide the Continental Army's combat tasks. This meeting was undoubtedly recorded.  It has entered the annals of history. Because after this meeting, the Continental Army began to tighten its requirements for recruitment, and at the same time changed its previous high-pressure policy, and began to soften its treatment of those who surrendered. In addition, the large amount of military supplies stored in Columbus became a  The best supplies for the Continental Army. To a certain extent, these supplies greatly relieved the pressure on the Continental Army's weapons and equipment, and also allowed the Continental Army to move towards regularization. Not only that, Washington decided to separate.  After part of the army occupied the entire Ohio, they decided to lead the main force to attack Pittsburgh! The great changes in Ohio triggered turmoil throughout North America. On July 3, 1794, intelligence from the North American colonies was sent to Augustus as soon as possible.  On the Regent's desk. "It's simply ridiculous. Stewart is damned. The rebellion that had been wiped out by the empire has resurrected under his rule.  And it has grown to such an extent.  What a disgrace to the kingdom!  " In Buckingham Palace, there is no doubt that His Highness the Regent was furious after learning the news. Although Augustus behaved very rudely, at this moment, no one of the British ministers in the palace dared to accuse His Highness the Regent.  "Your Highness, we can talk about Stewart's dereliction of duty later, but the top priority is to send troops to North America as soon as possible, otherwise the situation will deteriorate.  There is no guarantee that the situation of more than ten years ago will not occur!  "After a while, British Prime Minister Fox took the lead in saying. "It was not Fox's intention to excuse Stewart. Even in Fox's heart, he still wanted Stewart to be severely punished for this, but the situation in North America is already in danger of being corrupted. At this time,  Obviously, the priority is to stabilize people's hearts. The top priority now is obviously to send troops to North America. In fact, two months ago, the British government began to mobilize troops to reinforce North America. However, because the situation was not corrupt at that time, the British government believed that the Continental Congress would not do so.  It was a scabies disease, so we didn't take it seriously. We just dispatched more than 1,500 troops from the West Indies to rush for reinforcements. But now, it is obvious that the situation has changed beyond everyone's expectation. Stewart's situation has changed.  In the battle report, he did not blame the failure on his own rashness, but highlighted the fact that the Black Slavery Act passed by the Continental Congress gathered a large number of troops for him. The reason why the British army was defeated was because of the disparity in military strength. "  Your Highness, the rebel gang in the Continental Congress currently has more than 20,000 troops. AlthoughIn my opinion, the combat effectiveness of these soldiers is very questionable, but it is undeniable that under their aggressive recruitment, their ambitions are not small. Therefore, I believe that the government should immediately dispatch no less than 20,000 troops to North America to fight with thunder.  The force will wipe out all these rebellions!  "After Fox finished speaking, British Secretary of War Abbot said. "Does the War Department already have a plan for this?  "After Abt finished speaking, Augustus, who was sitting at the top, asked anxiously. After hearing the question from His Highness the Regent, Abt said: "The Ministry of War plans to transfer five thousand troops from the Rouen area.  Three thousand men were drawn from Gibraltar, five thousand men were drawn from London, and five thousand men could be drawn from the West Indies. This would make eighteen thousand men, plus the original strength of the Governor's District of Pittsburgh,  This brings the number to more than 20,000 people!  " "What about the generals?  " "The Ministry of War is preparing to appoint Sir Warton Hall, the garrison general in the Rouen area, as commander, responsible for the annihilation of the Continental Army!  ¡± Wotonhauer, this man Augustus still knows. During the British-Prussian coalition's battle against France, this general cooperated with William III of the Netherlands to launch a strategy in northern France. Although his ability is not top-notch,  . But with the current shortage of senior generals, Walton Hall had no choice but to agree. At this time, Fox also said: "In addition, according to the opinions of the cabinet,  Stewart is no longer suitable to serve as the Governor of the Pittsburgh Governor's District, so after discussion, the government decided to recommend Duke Andrew as the new Governor of the Pittsburgh Governor's District!  "After Fox finished speaking, Augustus immediately agreed without any hesitation. Obviously, in Augustus's heart, he also hated the governor. And at this time. Abbot of the War Department  Looking a little nervous, he said to Augustus: "The only thing that worries me is that our country's troops deployed in the provinces of Rouen, Amiens, and Calais only have a total of 23,000 people.  Zi then mobilized five thousand people.  Will it affect our country's governance?  " After France surrendered, northern France was brought under the rule of the British, and the British divided the captured northern French territory into three provinces: Rouen, Amiens, and Calais. " Among them, Rouen  The British garrisoned 8,000 troops, Calais garrisoned 10,000 troops, and Amiens garrisoned 5,000 troops. Originally, Amiens was the place with the largest garrison. After all, it was closest to the center of French rule, but considering that France was already weak.  Unbearable, under this situation, the Bourbons simply did not have the strength to start a war with the British, so the British were assured that they only deployed 5,000 troops in Amiens. As for Calais, although this was the first area occupied by the British,  Because the territory of Calais borders the Netherlands and Prussia, especially Prussia has deployed a division in the Prussian Netherlands, the British will deploy 10,000 troops in Calais.  As a last resort, only the garrison in Rouen can be used, and there is no need to think about the garrison in the other two provinces. The size of the British Army has not yet exceeded 100,000, of which one is stationed in various colonies in North America.  There are more than 10,000 troops stationed in the West Indies, 15,000 in the Asian colonies including India, 8,000 in Gibraltar, and thousands more in Africa.  If it comes down, there will be more than 50,000 troops stationed overseas, and 23,000 troops will be stationed in the three provinces in northern France. As a result, the British army will actually only have 20,000 troops. "Well, the army.  The layout of the army is very good, but there is one thing. When can these troops arrive in North America at the earliest?  " "Your Highness the Regent, if we take the lead, we can directly transfer from the West Indies first. In this case, the West Indies will be able to set foot on the North American continent as soon as ten days after receiving the order, while the rest of the army will have to pass from the European continent.  In this case, it will take more than a month at the earliest!  " As he spoke, Abt had a look of helplessness on his face. "To be honest, the changes in more than a month are too great, especially now that the Continental Army has already taken advantage. As for the West Indies,  It will take a week to send the order from the British mainland to the West Indies. This means that it will take half a month for the latest reinforcement of 5,000 soldiers to arrive in North America. Half a month is enough.  Marching from Columbus to Pittsburgh, there was no other way, so Augustus agreed to the government's plan.After making the suggestion, he left the palace with a sad look on his face.  After Augustus left, Abbot approached Fox and said; "Actually, Your Excellency, Prime Minister, there is another way at the moment. It's just that His Highness the Regent was here just now, so I don't feel comfortable mentioning it. Why don't you go talk to His Highness the Regent?"  Talk about it." Before Fox could speak, Abbott said: "As far as I know, the Prussians have deployed nearly 30,000 troops in their colonies. If the Prussian government can agree to help us, then the situation in North America will definitely change.  Therefore, he changed!" After hearing Abbot's suggestion, Fox immediately reprimanded: "You don't have to think about the Prussians. It would be good if they don't add insult to injury. In my opinion, Prussia will definitely add insult to injury. Don't forget.  Well, the Prussians have never stopped their colonial expansion in North America over the years. Maybe this is a God-given opportunity for them. You should say hello to Sir Wodenhall and ask him to be more careful about the Prussians in North America.  , I always feel that the Prussians will intervene in this incident!" Hearing what Fox said, Abt had to give up his thoughts.  In mid-July 1794, the Continental Congress moved from the French colony to Columbus and officially unveiled the name Continental Congress.  Just after the Continental Congress was re-established, Washington, who had led his troops to the border city of Wheeling, Ohio, immediately swore to send troops.  It only takes more than a week to travel from Wheeling to Pittsburgh, the capital of the Governor's District of Pittsburgh.  At this time, the city of Pittsburgh was already in chaos. Six thousand British troops recruited from various colonies by the Governor-General of Pittsburgh were stationed in the city, but these British troops did not bring any sense of security to the residents of Pittsburgh.  After the news of Washington¡¯s oath to send troops in Wheeling came, residents in and around Pittsburgh began to flee with their families, which made the entire Pittsburgh as noisy as a vegetable market.  Standing by the window of the Governor's Mansion Building, Stewart's face was very ugly.  The defeat of Ohio put a huge burden on him, and many people even within the governor's government jumped out to accuse Stewart of incompetence.  (To be continued)
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