The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 940: Chapter 701: Occupying Garnifornia (Two-in-One Chapter)_4

In fact, the British offensive was neither hurried nor delayed. After all, the British understood that the main defensive forces of the United States must be in the Northeastern part.

But the French felt more urgency. The land allocated to France was mostly in the Southern United States, coincidentally the target of Mexico’s attack.

If the French didn’t act faster, they feared that before the French Army could arrive, Mexico would have already taken the capital of Texas, Austin, and Texas would have been smoothly annexed by Mexico.

Indeed, Mexico had a claim of territorial sovereignty over Texas, and the land swallowed by Mexico would definitely not be willingly regurgitated, which would inevitably lead to another war.

But France’s current situation clearly did not permit them to start another war. Even a small-scale conflict with Mexico might deepen the French economic crisis.

The only solution was to act quickly, to capture the important cities of Texas before Mexico could annex it and then demand the Mexican Military to withdraw.

As long as France could occupy Texas before the Mexican Military, unless Mexico was willing to go to war with France, they would have no choice but to grit their teeth and withdraw from Texas.

Even though the French knew that Mexico’s military move was orchestrated by the British, they could only swallow their grievances; they had no other recourse.

After all, overall, the British were not in the wrong. The United States had indeed offended the entire world; how could they prevent other nations from declaring war on the U.S.?

France couldn’t use the same tactic to set a trap for the British. The United States had only two neighbors: Mexico had already made a move, and Canada was a Colony of the United Kingdom.

Apart from France itself, there were no more countries within the Allied Army that could compete with the British for territory.

Australasia indeed had the power, but the Eastern Seaboard of the United States lay across the entire United States from them.

If Australasia wanted to compete for territory on the Eastern Seaboard, they would have to capture almost half of the United States from west to east, which Britain would never allow.

Even if the relations between Australasia and Britain were good, Britain would not idly watch Australasia take over such a large part of the United States.

This was precisely why the British were not in the least panic-stricken; no country could compete with Britain for territory on the United States East Coast. Britain could proceed with a firm and steady strategy, waiting for the American People to get worn down in the offensive and defensive battles.

On August 9, 1928, tens of thousands of French troops landed in Galveston and successively captured Houston and Woodland.

Even after taking several cities in succession, the French Army showed no signs of stopping. They quickly moved on towards their destination, which was also the capital city of Texas, Austin.

Austin, having been the capital of Texas for many years and once the capital of the Lone Star Republic, had an undeniable significance to Texas.

For the French, capturing Austin swiftly and then taking the opportunity to control nearby areas such as San Antonio and Dallas would essentially mean controlling the important cities of Texas.

Thus, France could take advantage of the situation to establish a government in Texas and expel the Mexican Military with a legitimate claim.

As for the southern parts of Texas, including Weslaco, Mansfield, and Corpus Christi, they had to be temporarily left to the Mexican Military.

The French Army could not manage so many areas at once. Compared to these Small Towns, preemptively capturing the important cities of Texas was the most prudent approach.

The French, too, had their pride as one of the Powers. If the Mexican Military could make incursions into Texas so freely, then all the more so for France, a Power.

By keeping the Mexican Military out of Texas, the French could better control the Eastern state of Louisiana and fulfill their long-planned strategic objectives.