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Long Live King Tibalto I!
I bet Alejandro's regretting that offer of the throne now.
I'm still hoping for a Constitutional Monarchy, but I'm just naive that way.
I bet Alejandro's regretting that offer of the throne now.
I'm still hoping for a Constitutional Monarchy, but I'm just naive that way.
Ouch. Seems like the Republic's goose is quite thoroughly cooked by the look of things. Where will Alejandro go now? More to the point, how will he get there?
Hope that the next (if there is one) army Alejandro commands dosent have a military policeman
Euch... Mexico is very nice. And very warm. And just generally very better than London. Euch...
Ah well, at least I have access to the Paradox Forums here!
English Patriot- Haha superbly partisan! I'm delighted to hear it! And yup, as we've seen before, Tibalto can at least summon up the occasional dashing charge every once in a while!
canonized- Thanks! Alejandro seems to have got away- but then again, all he's done is throw himself into a raging river- what if he's inadvertantly drowned himself? And certainly don't lose sight of questionable officer loyalty- that particular issue isn't dead yet!
Strategos' Risk- True, it doesn't exactly glamourise him. But he who fights and runs away...
alex994- Hehe well they have a small repetoire and they stick to it! Nothing wrong with that! And I suppose we shall have to see where Alejandro ends up, though after their parting I doubt it'll be in the arms of Elena!
Depep212- Good to see some Republic supporters in there! And have I welcomed you to the thread yet? If not- welcome to California, amigo!
robou- Certainly this ought to be the wake-up call that the Republicans are desperately in need of. The question is, have they overslept too long?
Andreios- This does leave the Republicans on a very sticky wicket. They've got the Second Army in Nevada but that's being destroyed by Santa Anna, so all they're left with in the Californian homeland is the Fourth (stationed at the capital). Seems as if mustering something from the colonies will be vital for both sides... (And of course, there is a whole army- the Third- in Colombia). It's not all lost for Alejandro though- that is if he can manage to get control of the remaining Republican forces!
billy bob- Not any more old boy... The refrain is becoming increasingly forlorn!
Cinéad- Both good questions. Alejandro's surely got to go to San Francisco, though what will greet him there is certainly up in the air- it's unlikely to be a hero's welcome. The Republic has to rally fast, and given what we've seen of its record so far, is that really likely to happen?
Depep212- Well that's a very important point to raise: will the government learn from its mistakes at Santa Maria? If Alejandro has to deal with the same set of problems again, he might as well give up...
Jimbo- Hehe it would be nice if that worked, but there doesn't seem to be anything particularly glorious to salvage from this mess. Every man at the Alamo might have died, but at least they went out in style. Even a disaster like Dunkirk left the British with more credibility than Santa Maria does...
billy bob- It does indeed!
To all- Thanks so much for your patience recently guys, as a special "I'm-Back-From-Mexico" treat, have two updates at once!
Also, I cannot advise you more strongly both to vote in the AARland Choice Awards (for this AAR or not depending on your opinion), and also to read the latest issue of Instrumentality (for which I have written an article), which is linked in my signature.
Otherwise enjoy the updates!
Ah well, at least I have access to the Paradox Forums here!
English Patriot- Haha superbly partisan! I'm delighted to hear it! And yup, as we've seen before, Tibalto can at least summon up the occasional dashing charge every once in a while!
canonized- Thanks! Alejandro seems to have got away- but then again, all he's done is throw himself into a raging river- what if he's inadvertantly drowned himself? And certainly don't lose sight of questionable officer loyalty- that particular issue isn't dead yet!
Strategos' Risk- True, it doesn't exactly glamourise him. But he who fights and runs away...
alex994- Hehe well they have a small repetoire and they stick to it! Nothing wrong with that! And I suppose we shall have to see where Alejandro ends up, though after their parting I doubt it'll be in the arms of Elena!
Depep212- Good to see some Republic supporters in there! And have I welcomed you to the thread yet? If not- welcome to California, amigo!
robou- Certainly this ought to be the wake-up call that the Republicans are desperately in need of. The question is, have they overslept too long?
Andreios- This does leave the Republicans on a very sticky wicket. They've got the Second Army in Nevada but that's being destroyed by Santa Anna, so all they're left with in the Californian homeland is the Fourth (stationed at the capital). Seems as if mustering something from the colonies will be vital for both sides... (And of course, there is a whole army- the Third- in Colombia). It's not all lost for Alejandro though- that is if he can manage to get control of the remaining Republican forces!
billy bob- Not any more old boy
... The refrain is becoming increasingly forlorn!Cinéad- Both good questions. Alejandro's surely got to go to San Francisco, though what will greet him there is certainly up in the air- it's unlikely to be a hero's welcome. The Republic has to rally fast, and given what we've seen of its record so far, is that really likely to happen?
Depep212- Well that's a very important point to raise: will the government learn from its mistakes at Santa Maria? If Alejandro has to deal with the same set of problems again, he might as well give up...
Jimbo- Hehe it would be nice if that worked, but there doesn't seem to be anything particularly glorious to salvage from this mess. Every man at the Alamo might have died, but at least they went out in style. Even a disaster like Dunkirk left the British with more credibility than Santa Maria does...
billy bob- It does indeed
!To all- Thanks so much for your patience recently guys, as a special "I'm-Back-From-Mexico" treat, have two updates at once!
Also, I cannot advise you more strongly both to vote in the AARland Choice Awards (for this AAR or not depending on your opinion
), and also to read the latest issue of Instrumentality (for which I have written an article), which is linked in my signature.Otherwise enjoy the updates!
In Need Of A Hero
Extract from “Independence to Empire, A New History of the Californian Republic” (By Chris Carmack and Michael Connor, Berkeley University Press, published 2007)
For the First Californian Republic, the “Battle” of Santa Maria was perhaps the worst possible of all eventualities. The entirety of the First Army, with the exception of just one man, had been eliminated from the war- either as a casualty, a prisoner, or a deserter to the Monarchist side. Not only that, but the alarming speed with which news of the disaster travelled meant that public opinion of the government’s handling of the crisis, and thus the government’s credibility as a whole, took a sudden, fatal battering. Among soldiers and civilians there developed a dangerous view that not only were they fighting for a cause that was inherently unsatisfactory, but indeed for one that was incapable of winning. With the loss of 50,000 soldiers, the entire of southern California (which now fell utterly into gleeful aristocratic hands) and the loyalty of the country, this was indeed the moment at which, as Palmer so aptly put it: “insurrection truly became civil war”.
Naturally, the misfortunes of the Republicans were the Monarchists’ opportunities, and this was an opportunity which Don Tibalto and his allies fully exploited. With the eradication of the First Army, southern California, already a Don stronghold, was simply written off by the Republicans- and Don Tibalto equally decided that it was not worth his time to officially stamp his authority on it. Instead, the would-be King turned north from Santa Maria, for the true prize of Don California: Monterey. Here, for the first time ever, Tibalto was a victim of his own caution- he was certain that the Republicans would be able to muster some kind of southward counter-thrust, and thus his troops (ironically much as the First Army had done) moved slowly towards the Catholic seat of California. Certainly, the Republicans ought to have mustered some kind of response instead of allowing the enemy to advance unmolested, but the defensiveness of the government, already absurdly paranoid before Santa Maria, had only become worse; and thus Monterey, the open road to which Tibalto took three weeks to apprehensively traverse, might have been captured within a few days.
Such a patient approach did, at least, give the other Monarchist forces a chance to catch up with the rapid gains made by their leader. Santa Anna, eager to earn himself a privileged position at the court of the imminent monarchy, prosecuted his particularly mission furiously: upon hearing of the news of Santa Maria he launched a frontal attack which finally broke the Second Army’s wavering resolve and left Nevada wide open to Monarchist advances (though at least, unlike the First Army, some sections of the Second fled northwest in the hope of continuing the fight). The final Monarchist thrust, up the Central Valley led by General Romulus Jones and Don Diego del Serrano, proceeded gradually, and met with virtually no resistance- even recently-settled non-Hispanic farmers, obvious opponents of the Dons, recognised the lunacy of fighting against such odds. There were, of course, a few exceptions; and it was just such an act of courageous (and utterly pointless) resistance that was to provide the Republic with heroes for the future- heroes that it badly needed.
Extract from “Independence to Empire, A New History of the Californian Republic” (By Chris Carmack and Michael Connor, Berkeley University Press, published 2007)
For the First Californian Republic, the “Battle” of Santa Maria was perhaps the worst possible of all eventualities. The entirety of the First Army, with the exception of just one man, had been eliminated from the war- either as a casualty, a prisoner, or a deserter to the Monarchist side. Not only that, but the alarming speed with which news of the disaster travelled meant that public opinion of the government’s handling of the crisis, and thus the government’s credibility as a whole, took a sudden, fatal battering. Among soldiers and civilians there developed a dangerous view that not only were they fighting for a cause that was inherently unsatisfactory, but indeed for one that was incapable of winning. With the loss of 50,000 soldiers, the entire of southern California (which now fell utterly into gleeful aristocratic hands) and the loyalty of the country, this was indeed the moment at which, as Palmer so aptly put it: “insurrection truly became civil war”.
Naturally, the misfortunes of the Republicans were the Monarchists’ opportunities, and this was an opportunity which Don Tibalto and his allies fully exploited. With the eradication of the First Army, southern California, already a Don stronghold, was simply written off by the Republicans- and Don Tibalto equally decided that it was not worth his time to officially stamp his authority on it. Instead, the would-be King turned north from Santa Maria, for the true prize of Don California: Monterey. Here, for the first time ever, Tibalto was a victim of his own caution- he was certain that the Republicans would be able to muster some kind of southward counter-thrust, and thus his troops (ironically much as the First Army had done) moved slowly towards the Catholic seat of California. Certainly, the Republicans ought to have mustered some kind of response instead of allowing the enemy to advance unmolested, but the defensiveness of the government, already absurdly paranoid before Santa Maria, had only become worse; and thus Monterey, the open road to which Tibalto took three weeks to apprehensively traverse, might have been captured within a few days.
Such a patient approach did, at least, give the other Monarchist forces a chance to catch up with the rapid gains made by their leader. Santa Anna, eager to earn himself a privileged position at the court of the imminent monarchy, prosecuted his particularly mission furiously: upon hearing of the news of Santa Maria he launched a frontal attack which finally broke the Second Army’s wavering resolve and left Nevada wide open to Monarchist advances (though at least, unlike the First Army, some sections of the Second fled northwest in the hope of continuing the fight). The final Monarchist thrust, up the Central Valley led by General Romulus Jones and Don Diego del Serrano, proceeded gradually, and met with virtually no resistance- even recently-settled non-Hispanic farmers, obvious opponents of the Dons, recognised the lunacy of fighting against such odds. There were, of course, a few exceptions; and it was just such an act of courageous (and utterly pointless) resistance that was to provide the Republic with heroes for the future- heroes that it badly needed.
A Reason To Resist
Morgan Ranch, Californian Central Valley, California, January 12th 1861
The young man’s whimpers of pain died away again. He had always been pale, always been slightly sickly- particularly in comparison to his brother- but never so morbid as after the last half hour. He gasped for air.
“I do not understand you, Morgan.” Snapped Don Diego del Serrano coldly, raising his voice to speak over the terrible sounds of the other man’s pain. “How can there be no reason why you resisted? You must have something here- something worth defending!”
“This is our home…” Whispered William Morgan hoarsely. “You’re attacking our home… You’re attacking the Republic!”
Don Diego gestured to one of the grim-faced soldiers in the room with his eyes, and the man lashed viciously downwards with a bull-whip at William Morgan’s back. He collapsed again with a scream of agony, as by the door the imposing figure of a tall, uniformed Negro flinched.
“That is not an answer, Morgan!” Shouted Don Diego. “It is not for the likes of you to offer commentary on the actions of your betters! Why did you resist?”
“Because… Because it’s right…” He moaned.
Don Diego’s faced twisted. “Right? How can it be right for you, and not right for the farm five miles south of here? Do not try and outwit me, boy, I know exactly what your kind consider to be right and wrong! I want a real answer!”
There was a torturous silence. William Morgan, still panting desperately, tried to raise himself onto his hands. Don Diego raised a single hand, preparing to signal another beating, but he was interrupted.
“Excellency! Is this necessary? He’s told you his reasons- it isn’t his fault if you don’t accept them!”
“But it is his fault, General Jones,” replied Diego, his voice changing to a condescending sneer as he glanced at the Caribbean mercenary, “if he’s lying. We’ve encountered almost no resistance thus far, and suddenly this boy and his farmhands start firing back at us. There is a real reason for that.”
“There is no other reason…” Put in William Morgan desperately, but instantly regretted it as Don Diego swung a booted foot into his face, causing him to crumple over again clutching at a now-bleeding nose.
“Speak when you’re spoken to, boy! Now perhaps a less taxing question: is this your farm? Whose property is this?”
“It is mine.” Replied Morgan, his voice slightly obstructed by the hands that were still trying to stem the crimson flow down his face. “Mine and my brother’s…”
“And who is your brother?”
“Colonel Henry Morgan, Eighth Infantry, Fourth Army.” He recited the words as though they were a prayer- as though he had been made to learn them as a kind of reverence.
“Your brother is a soldier in the Republican army?” Snarled Diego with mock-disbelief. “Well, that certainly ought to be punished.” He waved a hand at the soldier, who struck again, harder than before, this time beating down on the arm William Morgan had put out to defend himself, before striking once more against the young man’s face. The soldier raised his arm again-
“-Excellency!” Jones’ deep voice was louder than before. “For God’s sake, isn’t that enough? This man gave up his arms and surrendered in good faith, and to flog a prisoner-of-war in any circumstances is against the rules of engagement!”
“Offend your sensibilities does it, Jones? You’re terribly sanctimonious for a Negro, do you know that?” The general stared at the Don bitterly, but said nothing. Diego grinned, waiting to get a rise out of his colleague. “It just seems a little ironic that you should react in this way to one beating, when God knows what sort of voodoo you practice in your spare time.”
Jones’ eyes narrowed a little, his teeth were gritted. “God knows, Excellency.” He finally managed quietly. “But this is still inhuman. You have all the information you can gain from him.”
“Not so- we still haven’t found out what it is about this ranch that’s worth defending- worth losing nine of our soldiers for.”
“It’s my ranch!” Protested Morgan. “It’s our ranch! It belongs to us! What you’re doing is illegal, and improper, and evil! That is something we have to take a stand against, even if that means doing a little evil ourselves! You continue to attack civilians and terrorise innocent people and this uprising will end badly for you, because people will resist! People will not stand for this! You cannot expect to treat your country- our country- in this way, and consider yourselves its rightful rulers! You-”
Don Diego’s boot caught him in the jaw again, and he rolled over with a shout of surprise and pain, his voice cut off in mid-sentence. “Enough, Morgan- you shall give me a headache.” He turned to the soldier with the whip. “I think he is unlikely to tell us any more of value, but we shall camp here tonight. Have this boy interned- with the political prisoners, that should suit such a great thinker.” He smirked to himself. “As for his farmhands- have them shot.”
“Don Diego-!”
“They resisted us and caused the deaths of nine faithful subjects of the Kingdom, Jones!” Shouted Diego, not even allowing the mercenary to speak. “If it upsets you so much, don’t watch!” He waited a moment, and then added with a snort of laughter: “Go and find your witch-doctor and tell him to curse me!” The soldiers in the room shared his mirth; Romulus Jones saluted smartly, and, taking up Diego’s offer, went out the door.
Diego went to follow him, but as he reached the door turned back to the crouching figure of William Morgan. “I’ll give your brother my regards when I see him.” He laughed, and went out, waving a hand as he went in another gesture to the guard, who, obediently, raised his whip high again.
Morgan Ranch, Californian Central Valley, California, January 12th 1861
The young man’s whimpers of pain died away again. He had always been pale, always been slightly sickly- particularly in comparison to his brother- but never so morbid as after the last half hour. He gasped for air.
“I do not understand you, Morgan.” Snapped Don Diego del Serrano coldly, raising his voice to speak over the terrible sounds of the other man’s pain. “How can there be no reason why you resisted? You must have something here- something worth defending!”
“This is our home…” Whispered William Morgan hoarsely. “You’re attacking our home… You’re attacking the Republic!”
Don Diego gestured to one of the grim-faced soldiers in the room with his eyes, and the man lashed viciously downwards with a bull-whip at William Morgan’s back. He collapsed again with a scream of agony, as by the door the imposing figure of a tall, uniformed Negro flinched.
“That is not an answer, Morgan!” Shouted Don Diego. “It is not for the likes of you to offer commentary on the actions of your betters! Why did you resist?”
“Because… Because it’s right…” He moaned.
Don Diego’s faced twisted. “Right? How can it be right for you, and not right for the farm five miles south of here? Do not try and outwit me, boy, I know exactly what your kind consider to be right and wrong! I want a real answer!”
There was a torturous silence. William Morgan, still panting desperately, tried to raise himself onto his hands. Don Diego raised a single hand, preparing to signal another beating, but he was interrupted.
“Excellency! Is this necessary? He’s told you his reasons- it isn’t his fault if you don’t accept them!”
“But it is his fault, General Jones,” replied Diego, his voice changing to a condescending sneer as he glanced at the Caribbean mercenary, “if he’s lying. We’ve encountered almost no resistance thus far, and suddenly this boy and his farmhands start firing back at us. There is a real reason for that.”
“There is no other reason…” Put in William Morgan desperately, but instantly regretted it as Don Diego swung a booted foot into his face, causing him to crumple over again clutching at a now-bleeding nose.
“Speak when you’re spoken to, boy! Now perhaps a less taxing question: is this your farm? Whose property is this?”
“It is mine.” Replied Morgan, his voice slightly obstructed by the hands that were still trying to stem the crimson flow down his face. “Mine and my brother’s…”
“And who is your brother?”
“Colonel Henry Morgan, Eighth Infantry, Fourth Army.” He recited the words as though they were a prayer- as though he had been made to learn them as a kind of reverence.
“Your brother is a soldier in the Republican army?” Snarled Diego with mock-disbelief. “Well, that certainly ought to be punished.” He waved a hand at the soldier, who struck again, harder than before, this time beating down on the arm William Morgan had put out to defend himself, before striking once more against the young man’s face. The soldier raised his arm again-
“-Excellency!” Jones’ deep voice was louder than before. “For God’s sake, isn’t that enough? This man gave up his arms and surrendered in good faith, and to flog a prisoner-of-war in any circumstances is against the rules of engagement!”
“Offend your sensibilities does it, Jones? You’re terribly sanctimonious for a Negro, do you know that?” The general stared at the Don bitterly, but said nothing. Diego grinned, waiting to get a rise out of his colleague. “It just seems a little ironic that you should react in this way to one beating, when God knows what sort of voodoo you practice in your spare time.”
Jones’ eyes narrowed a little, his teeth were gritted. “God knows, Excellency.” He finally managed quietly. “But this is still inhuman. You have all the information you can gain from him.”
“Not so- we still haven’t found out what it is about this ranch that’s worth defending- worth losing nine of our soldiers for.”
“It’s my ranch!” Protested Morgan. “It’s our ranch! It belongs to us! What you’re doing is illegal, and improper, and evil! That is something we have to take a stand against, even if that means doing a little evil ourselves! You continue to attack civilians and terrorise innocent people and this uprising will end badly for you, because people will resist! People will not stand for this! You cannot expect to treat your country- our country- in this way, and consider yourselves its rightful rulers! You-”
Don Diego’s boot caught him in the jaw again, and he rolled over with a shout of surprise and pain, his voice cut off in mid-sentence. “Enough, Morgan- you shall give me a headache.” He turned to the soldier with the whip. “I think he is unlikely to tell us any more of value, but we shall camp here tonight. Have this boy interned- with the political prisoners, that should suit such a great thinker.” He smirked to himself. “As for his farmhands- have them shot.”
“Don Diego-!”
“They resisted us and caused the deaths of nine faithful subjects of the Kingdom, Jones!” Shouted Diego, not even allowing the mercenary to speak. “If it upsets you so much, don’t watch!” He waited a moment, and then added with a snort of laughter: “Go and find your witch-doctor and tell him to curse me!” The soldiers in the room shared his mirth; Romulus Jones saluted smartly, and, taking up Diego’s offer, went out the door.
Diego went to follow him, but as he reached the door turned back to the crouching figure of William Morgan. “I’ll give your brother my regards when I see him.” He laughed, and went out, waving a hand as he went in another gesture to the guard, who, obediently, raised his whip high again.
Urgh man, the ugly side of the Monarchist army, an embarrassing blemish, I mean I'm fairly evil, but there's a limit..
Don Diego is still as sadistic and cruel as ever . To think we ever thought of him as an honourable man in the early dawn of this AAR . =(
Great to see a new update.
Morgan seems unusually verbose for a farmer. I would suspect he was up to something too, heh.
It is interesting to see a spontaneous resistance to the monarchy building. I guess the question is, how widespread will it become, and who will lead it?
And does Jones' disgust signal potential disloyalty to Tibalto?
Morgan seems unusually verbose for a farmer. I would suspect he was up to something too, heh.
It is interesting to see a spontaneous resistance to the monarchy building. I guess the question is, how widespread will it become, and who will lead it?
And does Jones' disgust signal potential disloyalty to Tibalto?
The Dons will wreck themselves on this. I think the Republic ought to ask for American intervention.
VIVA LA REPUBLIC!
VIVA LA MORGANS!
VIVA LA FREEDOM!
*Note-none of this is supposed to corroborate with spanish.
VIVA LA MORGANS!
VIVA LA FREEDOM!
*Note-none of this is supposed to corroborate with spanish.
well, a little bit of boot and whip to the commoners never hurt before... However, the moral senses in me stay with the view point of General Jones.
However, the moral senses in me stay with the view point of General Jones.Ah, perhaps General Jones regrets the side he has taken up? Maybe at a critical point he will desert and changes sides? The rise of nationalism is soon and inevitable, it cannot be stopped. And keeping to English..
Long Live the Republic!
The rise of nationalism is soon and inevitable, it cannot be stopped. And keeping to English..Long Live the Republic!
JimboIX said:
Do you want the Republic to have to beg? No! Kill the King ASAP and then go out and crush the Dons. (And take their land and liberate the pesants!)
And how does California's Northern Border look? Do we have anything new since you last posted a map?
The Monarchist do not have to be nice... they are the future of California! Dont support the yaquis!
Dont support the yaquis! 
Excellent! It's good to know that there is still some hope for the Republic. People like that poor farmer will form the bedrock of a glorious resistance to the tyrannical Monarchists! Furthermore, perhaps Jones will realise which side is the right one and turn his army against Tibalto, preferably while killing him at the same time
It's also heartening to know the there is still one army left the Republicans can use, once Alejandro gets to 'Frisco and beats the President up a bit (metaphorically of course lol) he'll go and crush the enemy.
It's also heartening to know the there is still one army left the Republicans can use, once Alejandro gets to 'Frisco and beats the President up a bit (metaphorically of course lol) he'll go and crush the enemy.