The Fox of France - Chapter 452 (Patreon)

Chapter 452: The Choice

Speaking of which, the Canadians were actually not very familiar with the current situation of the war. At that time, except for the French, everyone else lacked radio communication, so in fact, the British fleet had no way to contact the British forces on Canadian soil. Of course, the British's actions had already been reported in the newspapers of Louisiana. (Needless to say, the French portrayed the British as if they were Mongolians)

However, the issue was that newspapers in Louisiana were only available in a few larger cities like New Orleans. As for the areas along the borders with the US and Canada, they were basically small towns of farmers, essentially the size of villages. Many of these towns did not even have a sheriff with a horse and a large-caliber shotgun, let alone a newspaper office.

Naturally, to guard against Canadians, Americans, Native Americans, and the French looking for shortcuts (whether they spoke German or French), or to put it more bluntly, to guard against all unfamiliar and untrusted Homo sapiens, each small town had a telephone, usually placed in the town hall. Its sole purpose was for emergency calls during sieges or to mobilize militias for rescue when another town was under siege. Moreover, the damn Louisiana Telephone Company charged not only a landline fee but also based on call duration, and the fees were quite high. Thus, even for communicating with the outside world, people preferred writing letters, despite the mail carrier only visiting the town once every half month.

Therefore, the "French" in these areas were also isolated in terms of information. Generally speaking, even if someone was willing to read a newspaper, it would also take about half a month for it to arrive. The only ones perhaps better informed were those heretics who believed in "revolutionary theology" and set up "collective farms," as they needed to keep in touch with the outside world regularly. They had their own postal stations with daily mail collection and delivery. Moreover, if there was a major event, their comrades in more information-rich areas would use telephones to inform them.

Thus, it was equally improbable for the Canadians to learn about the changes in the war situation from the "French" in the bordering areas. Because those people either knew as little as they did or were evil heretics, and who knows if their words were true?

Moreover, during the previous battles, the British had captured some American soldiers and learned from them that British reinforcements had arrived and attacked the American South. However, General Isaac Brock was skeptical about the authenticity of this information. He feared that the Americans, unable to breach his defenses and suffering heavy casualties in their attacks, were using this false news to deceive him into making a preemptive strike, only to be ambushed and defeated.

"My friends, in the previous engagements— I mean the series of battles after we left Washington, in Cleveland— we utilized the advantages of defense and the Americans' lack of experience to achieve a very favorable exchange rate. We can be certain that even if the Americans could eventually retake Cleveland with their numerical superiority, they would be too weakened to cause us trouble elsewhere due to the heavy losses they suffered here.

If this news is true, the Americans will soon retreat. If we seize the opportunity to pursue them, we might achieve a great victory. However, we must also consider the possibility that our enemy has lost confidence in directly attacking our defenses. So, they use such news to deceive or motivate us, enticing us to leave our strong positions for an offensive. This would give them the chance to defeat us in open battle.

Now, let's consider our actions and the potential gains.

If the news is true, considering our fleet is likely moving north along the coastline, their retreat to reinforce the coast would be pressed for time. Such a retreat must be swift, and the last thing they would want is to be pursued. If this news is true and we pursue them, the gains could be significant. Even if we can't crush them, just by holding them back, we would be providing great support to our fleet.

If the enemy intends to deceive us, they will surely set up ambushes along their retreat path or even try to hide a force to cut off our return.

Now, we have two choices.

First, we could ignore them and continue to hold our position in the city. This is the safest approach. We are already in a clearly advantageous position. Taking a cautious approach to secure this advantage without giving the Americans a chance to turn the tables is a good choice in theory. But letting go of such an opportunity would be a pity. Moreover, it's uncertain how long our fleet can stay in North America. Who knows what troubles the French might cause us.

Second, we could pursue the potentially retreating Americans. If successful, we might achieve another great victory. But if we are deceived and the news is a trap, we could suffer huge losses. Once we are significantly weakened, the American military would take the opportunity to invade Canada, and

all the advantages we've built up these days would be lost. The risk is very high.

So, gentlemen, what do you think we should do next?" General Isaac Brock addressed his subordinate officers.

"General, I think we should just ignore them and hold Cleveland. Even if the fleet arrives, our advantage is already very clear. Even if the French cause some trouble later, the situation won't turn bad immediately. The fleet's impact on America and the supplies we receive after their arrival would stabilize the situation and maintain our advantage. Even if the fleet has to leave due to French interference, we can maintain our advantage for a considerable time. America's national strength is limited; they can't sustain a standoff with us forever. Eventually, they will concede. So, I believe there's no need for us to take risks," responded Major General Shelton, another commander.

The other British officers generally supported this approach. It's understandable, as the British army has always been conservative. Moreover, these officers had already earned considerable honors in the war. Continuing to take risks no longer seemed worth the potential cost.

Thus, "Let him be strong, I am the gentle breeze on the mountain; let him be imposing, I am the moonlight on the river" became the collective choice of all.

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