now paints and bases the model.
Now that we've done several music videos about the 1st Battle of Puebla – Puebla Pride, Master of Nothing, Stand Tall, Zaragosa, Eagles in the Clay – at last we come to the most disputed part of the fight.
Most historians credit the Mexican infantry on the heights for withstanding the French assault, with General Zaragosa often cited as inspiring his men to fight.
It is said the victory was sealed when Porfirio Diaz, contrary to orders, took the initiative and led a charge into the retreating Zouaves, turning defeat into a rout. Thus, Diaz is said to be the Hero of the Fifth (Cinco de Mayo).
But did it happen that way? Zaragosa died of fever only a few months after the battle, leaving history to be written by others. Diaz would go on to be president (effectively dictator) of Mexico. Is the 'Hero of the Fifth' a factual account, or a legend crafted for political purposes?
I wanted to fit all of that into a song, and worked with Gemini to come up with these lyrics:
Lightning Bolt
(Verse 1)
The clouds are bruising purple... over Guadalupe’s height,
Lorencez brings the Zouaves, thirsty for a fight.
He thinks the road to Mexico is paved with easy gold,
But he hasn't met the Brigadier... the thirty-one-year-old.
From the brickyards and the fences, Porfirio scans the plain,
He feels the static in the air... the coming of the rain.(Pre-Chorus)
The order says: "Hold."
The heart says: "Go."
The history books are waiting... for the hammer blow!(Chorus)
Oh, Diaz! The Sword of Oaxaca’s son!
When Zaragoza shouted "Wait!", he’d already begun!
He didn't need a golden throne to hear the battle cry,
Just a horse, a blade, and a thunder-clapping sky!
From the dust of the retreat, a legend started growing,
With the Frenchmen on the run and the stormy banners blowing!(Verse 2)
The elite are stumbling backward, their red pants stained with mud,
The soil of the Cinco is drinking up their blood!
Zaragoza sends the rider: "Hold the line and stay!"
But Díaz turns his head... and looks the other way.
He sees the gaps, he sees the fear, he sees the broken ranks,
And launches like a lightning bolt into the Frenchmen’s flanks!(Bridge)
They say the rain washed out the tracks...
They say the night fell fast...
But Porfirio made sure...
That the victory here would last.(Chorus)
Oh, Diaz! The Sword of Oaxaca’s son!
When Zaragoza shouted "Wait!", he’d already begun!
He didn't need a golden throne to hear the battle cry,
Just a horse, a blade, and a thunder-clapping sky!
From the dust of the retreat, a legend started growing,
With the Frenchmen on the run and the stormy banners blowing!(Outro)
The "Hero of the Fifth"...
Before the crown, before the fame...
Just a soldier in the mud...
Legend or the truth?
Making the Music
Sonauto had a pronunciation problem with Zouaves, Lorences and Oaxaca, so I spelled them out phonetically.
The Gemini AI suggested three possible music styles, and I tried all three. What worked in this case was:
Latin Rock, Cinematic, Anthemic, Military, High-Energy, Orchestral Strings, Heavy Staccato Drums, Powerful Male Vocals, Epic, 150 BPM
And the music tags which the AI selected based on that were 'cinematic rock, symphonic rock, hard rock, arena rock, latin rock, 2020s, anthemic'.
Making the Video
As usual, Nano Banana came up with the art, based on the lyrics.
I then cropped and enlarged the art, and used another AI, Flux Klein, to make the final version.
Caption files were created for English, French, German, Spanish and Tagalog.
The final step was to combine the music with titles, using ClipChamp:
I've posted the video as a reel on the TMP Facebook page. It's doing well, reaching out beyond the wargaming community and into the younger demographic (from 25 to 54).