Tweet
From the annals of the English Civilization, circa 1700 AD...
President Elizabeth glanced up from the sheafs of reports on the pollution being produced by the new factories that were being constructed from London to as far as the conquered provinces of New Berlin, and looked at the clock by the wall. It was about now that -
The door suddenly clattered and a greying, tall man burst through striding, followed by an aide gamely attempting to carry all of the cases about his person.
"Ah, Field Marshal Roberts. Just on time," said Elizabeth.
Field Marshal Anthony Roberts sat down at the side of the President and leaned back, as his aide unravelled the necessary maps and reports.
"I'll get down to business, ma'am. The operation against the Aztecs is proceeding as planned, as you know we've already taken control of one of their cities. However, we have some troubling news concerning the French and Americans?"
He leaned forward, sweeping his hand over the map.
"Between them, they've taken three of the other Aztec cities; nothing worrying, we expected this from the start and they aren't particularly strategic objectives."
Elizabeth nodded impatiently, waiting for him to get to the point.
"We've had reports - reliable reports - that both the French and American forces are moving towards Tenochtitlan. I'm sure you know exactly how worrying this is."
She did, casting her mind back to the brief state visit she'd made to the Aztec capital. The incredible sights of the Oracle and Sistine Chapel were not things she would forget readily, and as Wonders of the World, they represented truly inspiring constructions that could have positive effects across a civilization. Or indeed, any civilization that possessed them. If England were to have both of those Wonders, the benefits would be immeasurable; Elizabeth wagered that perhaps even the dissenters in Oxford might be quietened by the knowledge that the Sistine Chapel was in their hands.
"How close are they?" asked Elizabeth anxiously.
Roberts sat back heavily and steepled his fingers. "We don't know, intelligence is sketchy, what with the war." A slip of the tongue, Elizabeth noted - in all quarters of England, this was being called a 'tactical operation' against the 'rogue state' of the Aztecs. "I can tell you that they're sending significant amounts of troops and cavalry, and that they could arrive at Tenochtitlan very soon. They both have a good chance of taking the city, ma'am."
"What do you suggest, Roberts? I want that city," demanded the President.
The Field Marshal nodded unconsciously, and clicked his fingers at his aide, who hurriedly extracted some papers from a briefcase. "Well, we have enough veteran forces on the front line to handle it, and I should think that resupply and reinforcement shouldn't be a problem, what with the railroads we're building right now. I expect that we will be able to take the city within a very short time. With your permission, I'll divert our forces from taking the other Aztec city and move them towards Tenochtitlan?"
Elizabeth thought the General seemed confident enough, and the other Aztec cities hadn't put up too much resistance, so she readily gave her assent, and returned to the drudgery of meeting with her various city governers regarding the funds they were requesting from the government.
----------------------------------------
Two months later, an emergency Cabinet meeting was called late at night, in the War Room. The generals conducting the war were all in attendence, even those on the front line who'd been rushed back via steam locomotive within literally the last hour. Once the last attendee had slipped into the dark, echoey room, Elizabeth began without preamble.
"Gentlemen. Would someone please like to explain why I have been woken up at such an ungodly hour?"
Field Marshal Roberts, sitting at the opposite head of the table, leaned forward, his face flickering with highlights cast by the candles. "Ms. President, we have a crisis situation." Elizabeth rolled her eyes, wondering how many times she'd heard those words in her career, but listened carefully nonetheless. "Our spies have just returned from the Aztec capital, and we now know that they have sufficient defenses to easily overpower our approaching forces. Three companies of catapults and several fortified riflemen." He shook his head irritably. "We just don't have the manpower to attempt an attack."
The President frowned angrily. "Why didn't we know this until now?"
General Cooke, sitting to her right, volunteered, "Ma'am, our lines of communication have been stretched to the breaking point in recent days. With our forces approaching Tenochtitlan at breakneck speed, we've barely been able to keep up with the messengers." General Cooke was one of the longest standing members of the English army and so Elizabeth reluctantly accepted what he said. She also made a mental note to meet with her scientists regarding the claims a researcher at York University had made about some kind of instantaneous 'telegraphic' communication - this lapse of information was unforgiveable, given the situation.
"So what are you telling me? That we are simply going to retreat? What about the French and American forces, are they privy to this information, are they halting?" Elizabeth tried to gauge the thoughts on the stony faces of her assembled war council.
"Yes, and no. We do think that they have their own spies in the capital, but their forces have significantly larger than ours and will most likely be able to conquer the city. The question is, who will reach it first," said General Roberts wearily.
Elizabeth sighed, pausing for a while. "And, of course, it won't be the English who will, if you are correct," she replied sourly.
"If I may, President?" asked a person sitting further down the tabble, after a while. Elizabeth nodded curtly. "Colonel Baker, of the Fifth Cavalry. It's of my opinion that we can not only take Tenochtitlan, but conduct the assault with minimal casualties."
The assembled generals, field marshals and other officers digested this information and simultaneously began offering their own opinions. After a few seconds, the President made a cutting motion through the air with her hand, waiting until the commotion had died down said, "Go on."
Colonel Baker coughed nervously. "Since our new Anglo-Aztec railroad has been built up to within miles of the front line, it is possible for us to mobilise reserve forces from the entire country to bolster our main force and successfully take the city."
Field Marshal Roberts interrupted. "Colonel, I think that's enough. You clearly aren't aware of the logistics of the situation. The First Army is still recovering from its skirmishes with the Aztec Riflemen and will take too long to be back in action. And by mobilising the cavalry reserves, you'll leave the rest of our country without sufficient attack forces and also create severe disturbances in the citizenry." Turning to Elizabeth, he continued, "Ma'am, this is a foolish course of action. We must halt."
"Ms. President!" interjected the Colonel angrily, pressing against the table. "We can do this. I for one do not wish to see the Aztec capital in American or French hands, even if they are our allies. We might not call this a war, but it is and everyone in this country apart from the people in this room understand that. I can take Tenochtitlan before there's any unrest." Roberts stared at the Coloner impotently.
Elizabeth recalled what her mother had told to her as a child, about the First Aztec war. The Aztecs had declared war on the peaceable English without any provocation and cruelly razed the city of Liverpool to the ground within a few months of the start of the conflict. It had taken the English far too long to mobilise, having learned the logistics of it from the Egyptians, and despite taking two Aztec cities and enlisting the support of the Americans, the war had initially struck a heavy toll on the country, even broiling it in a war with the allies of the Aztecs, the Germans. Ironically though, despite the fact that the English had not wanted to go to war, they emerged from it in a far stronger position than before and with fresh supplies of iron and luxuries, with had allowed the construction of the Great English rail system.
"The Aztecs are not to be trusted," her mother had said. "And whatever might happen, you should always be wary of the intentions of even your allies."
In recent years, Elizabeth had formed the Triple Entente with France and America, ensuring England's safety, but the menace of the Aztecs still had hung over the country and sure enough, the Aztecs reinvaded in what many thought was a suicidal move. The English, proceeding through a period industrialisation, did not want to be distracted by this war and so she chose not to mobilise and instead conducted a limited offensive. So far, it had succeeded in containing and repulsing the Aztecs. Yet the French and Americans were growing strong, too strongly. Now, she was presented with a stark choice.
In a quiet voice, Elizabeth said, "I have had enough of England being perceived by the world as a second rate nation that has already been eclipsed. I have had enough of our so-called allies violating our borders and making a mockery of our armed forces. I have had enough of our inaction and our reluctance to take risks. It is time that England reasserted her dominance in the world, and we are now presented with a perfect opportunity to do so. Taking Tenochtitlan will not be easy, and there will be casualties, I am sure of that. But we do not do things because they are easy. Sometimes we must choose the hard paths." She looked at Colonel Baker, and then at each of the generals and staff at the table. "I am now formally ordering the English armed forces to call up all cavalry and riflemen reserves from around the country and do whatever it takes to ensure that the Sistine Chapel and the Oracle will pass into this country."
Field Marshal Roberts looked on in dismay, and then he strode out of the room without a word, followed by several of the other generals. Colonel Baker stood up, and said, "Thank you, ma'am. I'll go about seeing to the preparations."
----------------------------------------
A week later saw Colonel Baker shielding his eyes from the lashing rain a few miles outside Tenochtitlan as a Major shouted into his ears in an attempt to be heard above the weather.
"Sir, it's not good! We've already exhausted over 70% of our entire cavalry and riflemen, and we're still meeting heavy resistance from the Aztec riflemen."
"Where are our reinforcements?" demanded Baker, not looking at the major.
"There aren't any more reinforcements! Sir, we must regroup," implored the Major. Colonel Baker managed to see a brief glimpse of the bedraggled cavalry divisions and the injured men being tended to in a makeshift hospital to the south. He turned to took to the north, trying in vain to see Tenochtitlan and past that, the rapidly advancing French and American cavalry.
"No. If we don't capture Tenochtitlan, then we're at enormous risk of being routed by whoever takes the city. We must get inside and fortify. We'll be advancing with all remaining forces within the hour, Major, and I expect you to be there with me on the front line."
Sitting on his mount, in full armour, Colonel Baker turned to face his troops a little over an hour later. The rain had temporarily ceased and there would be no better time to advance. He raised his voice. "Cavalry! To the north lies the last remaining bastion of the Aztecs, and past them are the Americans and the French. The entire nation of England is depending on you to win this day, and I have no doubt in my mind that the men I see assembled here, the finest fighting force in the world, the cavalry of the English, will be able to deliver on that. The Aztecs wanted a war with us, and by god, we will give them a war!" Baker unsheathed his sword, and the Major beside him cried, "Charge!"
Here ends this segment of the archival records recovered from London. As we know from other documentary accounts from the period, Tenochtitlan was successfully captured by the English with remarkably few casualties, owing to the swiftness of their cavalry, although the surviving forces did sustain heavy damage. Several companies of Aztec workers were captured from the capital and the English riflement fortified the city as the French and American forces returned to their borders in disappointment. This battle is widely thought to have been the beginning of a revival of fortunes for the English civilization and it is certainly reflected in our current state as the most populous and advanced civilization in the world.
-- researcher from the Department of History, University of Tenochtitlan.
President Elizabeth glanced up from the sheafs of reports on the pollution being produced by the new factories that were being constructed from London to as far as the conquered provinces of New Berlin, and looked at the clock by the wall. It was about now that -
The door suddenly clattered and a greying, tall man burst through striding, followed by an aide gamely attempting to carry all of the cases about his person.
"Ah, Field Marshal Roberts. Just on time," said Elizabeth.
Field Marshal Anthony Roberts sat down at the side of the President and leaned back, as his aide unravelled the necessary maps and reports.
"I'll get down to business, ma'am. The operation against the Aztecs is proceeding as planned, as you know we've already taken control of one of their cities. However, we have some troubling news concerning the French and Americans?"
He leaned forward, sweeping his hand over the map.
"Between them, they've taken three of the other Aztec cities; nothing worrying, we expected this from the start and they aren't particularly strategic objectives."
Elizabeth nodded impatiently, waiting for him to get to the point.
"We've had reports - reliable reports - that both the French and American forces are moving towards Tenochtitlan. I'm sure you know exactly how worrying this is."
She did, casting her mind back to the brief state visit she'd made to the Aztec capital. The incredible sights of the Oracle and Sistine Chapel were not things she would forget readily, and as Wonders of the World, they represented truly inspiring constructions that could have positive effects across a civilization. Or indeed, any civilization that possessed them. If England were to have both of those Wonders, the benefits would be immeasurable; Elizabeth wagered that perhaps even the dissenters in Oxford might be quietened by the knowledge that the Sistine Chapel was in their hands.
"How close are they?" asked Elizabeth anxiously.
Roberts sat back heavily and steepled his fingers. "We don't know, intelligence is sketchy, what with the war." A slip of the tongue, Elizabeth noted - in all quarters of England, this was being called a 'tactical operation' against the 'rogue state' of the Aztecs. "I can tell you that they're sending significant amounts of troops and cavalry, and that they could arrive at Tenochtitlan very soon. They both have a good chance of taking the city, ma'am."
"What do you suggest, Roberts? I want that city," demanded the President.
The Field Marshal nodded unconsciously, and clicked his fingers at his aide, who hurriedly extracted some papers from a briefcase. "Well, we have enough veteran forces on the front line to handle it, and I should think that resupply and reinforcement shouldn't be a problem, what with the railroads we're building right now. I expect that we will be able to take the city within a very short time. With your permission, I'll divert our forces from taking the other Aztec city and move them towards Tenochtitlan?"
Elizabeth thought the General seemed confident enough, and the other Aztec cities hadn't put up too much resistance, so she readily gave her assent, and returned to the drudgery of meeting with her various city governers regarding the funds they were requesting from the government.
----------------------------------------
Two months later, an emergency Cabinet meeting was called late at night, in the War Room. The generals conducting the war were all in attendence, even those on the front line who'd been rushed back via steam locomotive within literally the last hour. Once the last attendee had slipped into the dark, echoey room, Elizabeth began without preamble.
"Gentlemen. Would someone please like to explain why I have been woken up at such an ungodly hour?"
Field Marshal Roberts, sitting at the opposite head of the table, leaned forward, his face flickering with highlights cast by the candles. "Ms. President, we have a crisis situation." Elizabeth rolled her eyes, wondering how many times she'd heard those words in her career, but listened carefully nonetheless. "Our spies have just returned from the Aztec capital, and we now know that they have sufficient defenses to easily overpower our approaching forces. Three companies of catapults and several fortified riflemen." He shook his head irritably. "We just don't have the manpower to attempt an attack."
The President frowned angrily. "Why didn't we know this until now?"
General Cooke, sitting to her right, volunteered, "Ma'am, our lines of communication have been stretched to the breaking point in recent days. With our forces approaching Tenochtitlan at breakneck speed, we've barely been able to keep up with the messengers." General Cooke was one of the longest standing members of the English army and so Elizabeth reluctantly accepted what he said. She also made a mental note to meet with her scientists regarding the claims a researcher at York University had made about some kind of instantaneous 'telegraphic' communication - this lapse of information was unforgiveable, given the situation.
"So what are you telling me? That we are simply going to retreat? What about the French and American forces, are they privy to this information, are they halting?" Elizabeth tried to gauge the thoughts on the stony faces of her assembled war council.
"Yes, and no. We do think that they have their own spies in the capital, but their forces have significantly larger than ours and will most likely be able to conquer the city. The question is, who will reach it first," said General Roberts wearily.
Elizabeth sighed, pausing for a while. "And, of course, it won't be the English who will, if you are correct," she replied sourly.
"If I may, President?" asked a person sitting further down the tabble, after a while. Elizabeth nodded curtly. "Colonel Baker, of the Fifth Cavalry. It's of my opinion that we can not only take Tenochtitlan, but conduct the assault with minimal casualties."
The assembled generals, field marshals and other officers digested this information and simultaneously began offering their own opinions. After a few seconds, the President made a cutting motion through the air with her hand, waiting until the commotion had died down said, "Go on."
Colonel Baker coughed nervously. "Since our new Anglo-Aztec railroad has been built up to within miles of the front line, it is possible for us to mobilise reserve forces from the entire country to bolster our main force and successfully take the city."
Field Marshal Roberts interrupted. "Colonel, I think that's enough. You clearly aren't aware of the logistics of the situation. The First Army is still recovering from its skirmishes with the Aztec Riflemen and will take too long to be back in action. And by mobilising the cavalry reserves, you'll leave the rest of our country without sufficient attack forces and also create severe disturbances in the citizenry." Turning to Elizabeth, he continued, "Ma'am, this is a foolish course of action. We must halt."
"Ms. President!" interjected the Colonel angrily, pressing against the table. "We can do this. I for one do not wish to see the Aztec capital in American or French hands, even if they are our allies. We might not call this a war, but it is and everyone in this country apart from the people in this room understand that. I can take Tenochtitlan before there's any unrest." Roberts stared at the Coloner impotently.
Elizabeth recalled what her mother had told to her as a child, about the First Aztec war. The Aztecs had declared war on the peaceable English without any provocation and cruelly razed the city of Liverpool to the ground within a few months of the start of the conflict. It had taken the English far too long to mobilise, having learned the logistics of it from the Egyptians, and despite taking two Aztec cities and enlisting the support of the Americans, the war had initially struck a heavy toll on the country, even broiling it in a war with the allies of the Aztecs, the Germans. Ironically though, despite the fact that the English had not wanted to go to war, they emerged from it in a far stronger position than before and with fresh supplies of iron and luxuries, with had allowed the construction of the Great English rail system.
"The Aztecs are not to be trusted," her mother had said. "And whatever might happen, you should always be wary of the intentions of even your allies."
In recent years, Elizabeth had formed the Triple Entente with France and America, ensuring England's safety, but the menace of the Aztecs still had hung over the country and sure enough, the Aztecs reinvaded in what many thought was a suicidal move. The English, proceeding through a period industrialisation, did not want to be distracted by this war and so she chose not to mobilise and instead conducted a limited offensive. So far, it had succeeded in containing and repulsing the Aztecs. Yet the French and Americans were growing strong, too strongly. Now, she was presented with a stark choice.
In a quiet voice, Elizabeth said, "I have had enough of England being perceived by the world as a second rate nation that has already been eclipsed. I have had enough of our so-called allies violating our borders and making a mockery of our armed forces. I have had enough of our inaction and our reluctance to take risks. It is time that England reasserted her dominance in the world, and we are now presented with a perfect opportunity to do so. Taking Tenochtitlan will not be easy, and there will be casualties, I am sure of that. But we do not do things because they are easy. Sometimes we must choose the hard paths." She looked at Colonel Baker, and then at each of the generals and staff at the table. "I am now formally ordering the English armed forces to call up all cavalry and riflemen reserves from around the country and do whatever it takes to ensure that the Sistine Chapel and the Oracle will pass into this country."
Field Marshal Roberts looked on in dismay, and then he strode out of the room without a word, followed by several of the other generals. Colonel Baker stood up, and said, "Thank you, ma'am. I'll go about seeing to the preparations."
----------------------------------------
A week later saw Colonel Baker shielding his eyes from the lashing rain a few miles outside Tenochtitlan as a Major shouted into his ears in an attempt to be heard above the weather.
"Sir, it's not good! We've already exhausted over 70% of our entire cavalry and riflemen, and we're still meeting heavy resistance from the Aztec riflemen."
"Where are our reinforcements?" demanded Baker, not looking at the major.
"There aren't any more reinforcements! Sir, we must regroup," implored the Major. Colonel Baker managed to see a brief glimpse of the bedraggled cavalry divisions and the injured men being tended to in a makeshift hospital to the south. He turned to took to the north, trying in vain to see Tenochtitlan and past that, the rapidly advancing French and American cavalry.
"No. If we don't capture Tenochtitlan, then we're at enormous risk of being routed by whoever takes the city. We must get inside and fortify. We'll be advancing with all remaining forces within the hour, Major, and I expect you to be there with me on the front line."
Sitting on his mount, in full armour, Colonel Baker turned to face his troops a little over an hour later. The rain had temporarily ceased and there would be no better time to advance. He raised his voice. "Cavalry! To the north lies the last remaining bastion of the Aztecs, and past them are the Americans and the French. The entire nation of England is depending on you to win this day, and I have no doubt in my mind that the men I see assembled here, the finest fighting force in the world, the cavalry of the English, will be able to deliver on that. The Aztecs wanted a war with us, and by god, we will give them a war!" Baker unsheathed his sword, and the Major beside him cried, "Charge!"
Here ends this segment of the archival records recovered from London. As we know from other documentary accounts from the period, Tenochtitlan was successfully captured by the English with remarkably few casualties, owing to the swiftness of their cavalry, although the surviving forces did sustain heavy damage. Several companies of Aztec workers were captured from the capital and the English riflement fortified the city as the French and American forces returned to their borders in disappointment. This battle is widely thought to have been the beginning of a revival of fortunes for the English civilization and it is certainly reflected in our current state as the most populous and advanced civilization in the world.
-- researcher from the Department of History, University of Tenochtitlan.
Comment