How to Survive in the Roanoke Colony

San Jose.

A colonial stronghold located at the western edge of Florida.

It wasn't a particularly large city. Nor was it an especially important one.

It was just one of many strongholds hastily built in Florida to check the Virginia community and England, a rather ordinary place that in the original history would have been established about 100 years later.

The fate of this small village, where about 200 to 300 people lived, changed during the recent "slave rebellion."

It was around the time when news of San Agustin's fall spread, the rebellion intensified, and the strongholds that Spaniards had built throughout Florida began to collapse.

Spanish people from northwestern Florida fled here in large numbers amid the madness of the rebellion.

No, it wasn't limited to the northwest. Like a rolling snowball, more and more slave owners fled from various parts of Florida to places where other slave owners had already fled.

As a result of thousands of colonists flooding in, this place became one of the largest settlements in the Viceroyalty of Nueva España.

Of course, in reality, it was merely a gathering place for fleeing slave owners.

"Look, San Jose is visible!"

"Prepare to land."

But even such a refugee gathering place was a very precious stronghold for the current Spanish army.

The last city of Spain's Florida colony to maintain loyalty, and a good place to use as a rear base when reconquering Florida in the future.

It was no coincidence that about 2,000 Spanish troops arrived at this place to suppress the slave rebellion.

Over the past decade, roads meticulously built in the Spanish colony spread densely around San Agustin.

Using this place as a bridgehead, recapturing nearby Indians, and then sweeping away nearby settlements would begin the full-scale suppression of the rebellion.

The force of 1,500 troops that arrived here now was sufficient to sweep through Florida.

Commander Gaspar looked around, enjoying the feeling of land under his feet after a long time with satisfaction. Welcoming crowds were looking up at him with desperate eyes.

They seemed to already know what orders he had received from Nueva España.

In fact, that was the only reason for him to come here.

Gaspar cleared his throat and shouted to the citizens of San Jose:

"What has been lost or gained through treason will eventually return to its original owner!"

Then, amidst endless cheers, people stamped their feet and stretched out their arms.

They were people who knew very well about "things lost or gained through treason."

They had lost their farms, slaves, luxury goods, and mansions after the rebellion.

Slaves had gained freedom.

And those things had to return to their "original owners."

After landing, Gaspar received voluntary support of food and various supplies and immediately headed east. The target was San Marcos, the nearest sizeable city.

If they captured that place, they could reach various colonies within the Florida peninsula in one breath through the connecting roads.

They reclaimed and planted flags in several abandoned villages along the way, believing they would soon be rebuilt.

And they finally headed toward San Marcos without obstruction...

"Wait, something visible ahead!"

"...What?"

In an era without telescopes, Gaspar had no choice but to check the front with his naked eyes. Even squinting, he couldn't properly identify what it was. It just seemed like quite a lot of people were gathered.

And if hundreds of people were suddenly gathered in their path, there was only one answer.

"Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!"

"Woaaaah!"

To encounter the enemy at a point not far from San Marcos of all places.

But despite the sudden order, the morale of the Spanish army wasn't broken; rather, it soared to the sky.

There was no fear in their eyes.

After all, they were just slaves who hadn't received proper training. Their equipment would be poor, and there's no need to mention their lack of practical experience.

Thinking this, Gaspar and his soldiers moved forward, and.

"...What is that?"

"I... don't know."

Soon they were shocked by what they encountered.

Soldiers in unified regulation uniforms? Quite unexpected, but possible.

The appearance of enemy forces that seemed more elite than expected and those various equipments are similar. They could have gathered what the masters and Spanish soldiers used.

But the most important thing...

That is, well, um...

It was completely different from what they expected.

==

Shortly before the Spanish arrived.

Virginia community's army arrived in Florida first.

"Aaaargh! Mo-monster! What is... that!"

"Ah... don't you know? This is called a [tractor]."

"I don't know! Such a thing!"

They caused a great commotion, and.

"We-welcome, Oitotan. But are you really the commander-in-chief?"

"That's right."

"Then who was that person you were speaking to with honorifics earlier..."

"Nobody."

"What?"

"I said nobody."

Anyway, they entered San Agustin while receiving welcomes.

Then they held a meeting where.

"The defending side must be more passive than the attacking side."

Oitotan led it.

"The attacking side can choose the battlefield. We cannot."

"So what are you trying to say?"

"I heard the natives have been won over. That's fortunate. We already had a wide area to worry about."

In the end, the conclusion was simple.

They needed to disperse their forces.

They didn't know where the Spanish army would come from.

Therefore, they had to guard all possible routes the Spanish might take.

They identified about 10 spots where Spanish forces could land near San Agustin and its vicinity, placing 2-3 tractors at each. Local natives and liberated slaves were assigned to assist them.

Of the total 40 tractors brought from Virginia, 30 were deployed for such strategic defense points.

And the remaining 10 tractors?

They were placed at the path connecting their last bridgehead, San Jose, to the liberated Florida.

After all, the probability of entering Florida through an already secured stronghold was higher than attempting a reckless landing operation.

And the remaining infantry forces were split in half, with half stationed in San Agustin and half sent with Oitotan.

Thus.

About 200 Virginian infantry and around 300 African liberated slaves.

A total force of about 500 stood in front of approximately 1,500 Spanish troops.

And the 10 tractors they had.

"Ste-steel monster...! Monster! Monster..."

"Don't waver! Anyone who breaks formation out of panic will be hanged!"

That terrified the Spaniards.

==

Gaspar immediately realized what kind of opponents were before him.

No matter how he looked at it, they weren't the level of forces that could be drawn from this Florida.

This meant they had either received support from abroad or others had participated.

Upon this realization, Gaspar belatedly understood.

Another force besides the Florida rebels has come to this region to help them?

That means... there was a separate entity that requested help.

The subject of the rebellion.

If so, this battle is no longer a simple suppression of rebellion.

The Viceroyalty of Nueva España had been regarding the recent slave uprising as a massive riot that occurred amid chaotic disorder.

That's why the key point of the operation planned so far was to suppress the rebellion, with the ultimate goal being to occupy all strongholds and pacify them.

But now?

The enemies have a unified system.

The enemies have leadership. They called in their "allies" to participate in the war.

In other words, this fight now is not a simple suppression of rebellion but a "war."

Moreover, more than anything else.

What on earth is "that," that thing that seems to be made of iron?