Chapter Nineteen: No War in the North

June 20, 1836.

Antoine, the younger son of Louis Philippe, was officially betrothed to Isabella II. They would be married upon Isabella II reaching the age of sixteen.

The marriage of Isabella II implied that she would soon assume direct control of state affairs, rendering the position of the Queen Regent no longer necessary.

Although Queen Regent Christina was extremely reluctant to relinquish her position, she was forced to compromise under the formidable pressure exerted by France.

The suppression of bandits by the Northern Army was proceeding very smoothly, yet this force was not the most formidable army deployed by Queen Regent Christina.

In the early stages of the Carlist Wars, the Queen Regent had organized several much larger armies.

However, the quality of both soldiers and officers was exceptionally low. The officers mostly attained their positions through bribery and the brutal suppression of civilians, and their command could only be described as utterly incompetent. Meanwhile, the soldiers were essentially bandits engaged in legalized plunder; they burned, killed, and pillaged without restraint, reducing every region they passed through to scorched earth.

This drove the mountain dwellers and guerrillas into a united front, where they capitalized on their familiarity with the terrain to repeatedly defeat superior forces with inferior numbers.

Conversely, while government forces performed adequately during successful engagements, the moment they encountered resistance, internal conflicts erupted instantly. Incidents of mutiny, fratricide, refusal to render aid, and even the betrayal of comrades' intelligence to undermine rivals and secure personal standing within the government ranks occurred repeatedly.

On the other hand, the Carlist guerrillas, under the command of General Zumalacárregui, had at one point pushed the battle lines all the way to Bilbao.

Yet, due to the erratic and disastrous commands issued by Carlos, General Zumalacárregui was killed in action.

Concurrently, the Queen Regent's government forces finally began to produce exceptional commanders such as Espartero and the Count of Luchana.

Espartero came from humble civilian origins, his father being a carriage repairman.

Espartero enlisted at the age of fifteen to fight in the Peninsular War, displaying immense valor during the conflict and earning a promotion to captain.

Following the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars, he traveled to the Spanish colonies to participate in military campaigns.

His experiences in South America left Espartero profoundly well-versed in guerrilla warfare.

Upon returning to his homeland, Espartero joined the government forces, repeatedly repelling guerrilla offensives and successfully ambushing the Carlist leader General Zumalacárregui during the Battle of Bilbao, resulting in the latter's fatal injuries.

For this military achievement, Espartero was promoted to the rank of general.

Presently, Espartero was granted an exceptional promotion by the Queen Regent to Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Army, tasked with coordinating with the French forces to utterly eradicate the remaining Carlist strongholds entrenched within the Pyrenees.

Espartero was an exemplary commander. Prior to launching operations, he had thoroughly ascertained the details of the Carlist forces and formulated meticulous deployment plans.

The Carlist army claimed to number twenty thousand, but the vast majority consisted of untrained farmers and herdsmen. Furthermore, the Carlist ranks were riddled with opportunists and roving bandits who could easily be bought off with money.

Moreover, Carlos himself was a fool; had he possessed any semblance of competence instead of a penchant for chaotic interference, Zumalacárregui would undoubtedly have been the greatest challenge Espartero had to face.

Fortunately, Carlos had personally destroyed that capable and battle-hardened general.

Currently, most of the Carlist generals had never attended a military academy; their vision was restricted to the gains and losses of a single city or territory, entirely devoid of any grand strategic perspective.

The Northern Army commanded by Espartero achieved massive success in the early stages of the war, shattering the Carlist forces into a disorganized rout.

On the other front, the French Foreign Legion commanded by Lieutenant General Pierre was also advancing smoothly, successively capturing several vital Carlist strongholds.

However, a massive complication had now emerged. Espartero received orders from the Queen Regent to remain stationary and preserve his strength, while Lieutenant General Pierre, as if acting in tacit accord, also halted his advance.

Louis Philippe likewise had no desire to see French troops suffer casualties, nor did he trust the Queen Regent herself. Consequently, he needed to diminish the Queen Regent's strength as much as possible while preserving the combat power of the French army.

Thus, both sides engaged in a game of stagnation, though the commanding generals on the ground felt this course of action was inappropriate.

Consequently, the two sides communicated their respective dilemmas to each other, hoping the other would advance first while guaranteeing they would follow suit immediately upon doing so.

Espartero:
"Although Her Majesty the Queen Regent's government forces number 62,000, cavalry cannot be utilized effectively within the mountainous terrain. Furthermore, they have brought 100 pieces of artillery, the majority of which are obsolete and heavy, severely encumbering our marching speed. I have been forced to order my men to rest and regroup."

Lieutenant General Pierre:
"His Majesty the King has dispatched the Foreign Legion; they possess no experience in mountain warfare, and we are still required to sever the Carlist supply lines. We genuinely lack sufficient troops to continue the advance."

In truth, both sides understood perfectly that whether originating from the Spanish or French directions, the supply lines had been cut, and Carlos was trapped like a turtle in a jar.

If they simply weathered the situation here for two months, the Carlist army would cease to exist, and those soldiers would be reduced to helpless peasants and pathetic beggars.

Yet they failed to encounter the desperate, cornered-beast struggle they anticipated from Carlos, causing a lingering sense of unease in both battle-hardened generals.

Their premonitions were entirely correct; the British had found Carlos.

"Your Majesty..."

"You call me Your Majesty? Did you British not intend to persuade me to abdicate, consistently addressing me simply as 'sir'? You even promised me a pension to retire in England."

Carlos had reached a stage of absolute desperation; his territory was compressed within the mountains, provisions were dwindling rapidly, and several companies had already deserted without warning.

Generals loyal to Carlos proposed launching a counterattack to boost morale, but Carlos lacked the courage to fight to the death. He hoped to hide in the mountains as he had done previously, waiting until the enemy's supplies were exhausted and they retreated.

Yet this time, Carlos's supply lines had been severed by the French, while the Spanish government forces had allocated massive supplies well in advance. The initiative did not rest in his hands.

The arrival of the British could be described as a drowning man grasping at a straw, though Carlos, consumed by rage, seemed entirely oblivious to this fact.

The liaison officer, Baron Pitt, was equally frustrated. Were it not for explicit orders from above requiring him to reach an agreement with Carlos, he would gladly have departed instantly and ignored this idiot. Nevertheless, exercising immense patience, he spoke:

"Those previous terms were merely tests of your character. If you are willing to accept the conditions now and proceed to England, we are still prepared to provide the annual pension of thirty thousand. But now that we have witnessed your towering ambition, the British Empire is willing to support you unconditionally."

Carlos remained dissatisfied and attempted to retort, but was restrained by his surrounding aides and generals.

Baron Pitt continued:

"To our knowledge, there are seventy thousand French and Spanish Queen Regent troops stationed just outside the mountains, while you command fewer than twenty thousand men, coupled with a severe shortage of supplies. For your safety, I propose that you board our vessel and travel to Portugal, where we will train your troops for you."

"That is impossible!" Carlos replied with absolute finality. "I remain right here. This is my home, and I shall live and die alongside my soldiers!"

"Pardon my bluntness, but your army is likely fragile and vulnerable. However, if you insist upon this course, we are prepared to provide you with provisions, mercenaries, and an experienced commander..."

Before Baron Pitt could finish, Carlos interrupted him.

"What is your ulterior motive!"

Carlos refused to believe such an advantageous proposition existed without an ulterior motive on the part of the opposing faction. Baron Pitt stated his objective directly.

"We wish for you to reject the marriage alliance with the French and pledge never to forge an alliance with France."

United States, New York.

A young man dressed as a gentleman uttered a few brief words to the bank teller.

Merely through those few simple sentences, the teller grew visibly panicked. He requested the young gentleman to wait momentarily before sprinting rapidly toward the office of the branch manager.

A butterfly flapping its wings sporadically in the tropical rainforests of the Amazon River basin in South America can precipitate a tornado in Texas, United States, two weeks later.

And a single withdrawal of funds on June 28, 1836, would detonate a global economic crisis mere months thereafter....