After the situation was broken, the chaos expected by the outside world didn't happen. Only the UK, Fao, and France really took action to seize the colonies.
It wasn't that other colonial empires didn't want to compete. The main reason was that they didn't have enough strength. It was good enough that they could defend their current territory.
It was naturally a good thing that there were fewer competitors. If it was resolved through negotiations, Fao probably wouldn't be able to monopolize it.
The Government of London's seemingly absurd behavior was actually well thought out. Now it was only the small countries whose interests were damaged. Even if everyone was resentful, they could only hold it in.
Palace of Vienna
Foreign Minister Wesenberg: "Your Majesty, news just came from South America that the French are in contact with the Colombian government to restart the Panama Canal project."
Franz frowned: "Do you know the true purpose of the French?"
The Panama Canal could be said to be full of setbacks. The plan had existed for hundreds of years, but the progress had never been smooth.
As early as 1534, the Spanish sent people to explore, and in order to dig a canal, they also built a post road. But because of the European War, the plan was aborted.
In 1814, the Spanish restarted the canal plan, but unfortunately, a colonial uprising broke out and the plan was aborted again.
The Republic of Colombia also had a canal plan, but after Austria occupied Central America, the plan was aborted again.
From the standpoint of the Republic of Colombia, the opening of the Panama Canal could bring great economic benefits, but they faced great strategic pressure.
A man's wealth was his own ruin.
Before the canal opened, the value of the Panama area was limited and not worth coveting. Once the canal was open, the situation would change. How could the Republic of Colombia protect the Panama area?
Count on the French?
This was probably inviting a wolf into the house. At that time, France would definitely be fighting for the Panama area.
Foreign Minister Wesenberg: "At present, we don't have enough information to determine the true purpose of the French.
On the surface, it seems to be a spontaneous action of the capitalists. The Government of France didn't come forward. This may be a test. "
Franz nodded. This should be the most reasonable explanation.
Austria had been operating in Central America for 20 years and was now deeply rooted. Their power had long penetrated into the Panama area.
Since the failure of the Mexican strategy, the French's influence in the Americas had plummeted. It was almost impossible to compete with Austria.
Although the benefits of digging the Panama Canal were great, the risks were even greater. Once Austria sent troops to take over Panama, their investment would likely shrink by more than half, even if not all of it was for naught.
After thinking about it, Franz said, "No matter what the French want to do, ignore them. Once the canal project is launched, create an excuse to declare war with Colombia and directly seize the Panamanian region. "
Under Franz's butterfly effect, the international situation had changed beyond recognition. The advantage of being familiar with history had long since disappeared.
Without the advantage of foresight, he could only adapt to the situation. What the French wanted to do was impossible to determine, but it was not wrong to deny the Panama Canal traffic.
…
In the Republic of Colombia, ever since the French proposed to open the Panama Canal, President Aquileo Parra Gomez had been having a headache.
He naturally knew the huge economic value of opening the Panama Canal, but the premise was that Colombia had the strength to defend it.
Austria's infiltration into Colombia was no secret, especially in the Panama region, where the highest proportion of the local population was German.
With so many people leading the way, Panama would fall in a few days if a war broke out. Everyone was aware of the hidden dangers, but no one dared to deal with it.
The Republic of Colombia was full of internal conflicts. In the past thirteen years, there had been twelve presidents, an average of one every year.
Originally, President Aquileo Parra Gomez didn't consider dealing with this problem. It was already lucky that Austria didn't target them. Who dared to take the initiative to cause trouble?
The arrival of the French triggered the problem under the cover. Domestic capitalists preached the benefits of opening the Panama Canal every day, without considering the risks that came with it.
Of course, from the standpoint of the capitalists, opening the Panama Canal was indeed very beneficial. Even if Panama was lost, it wouldn't affect their business.
Colombia's capitalists weren't purely local national capitalists. The dominant ones were the compradors, with the shadows of the Fao, the United States, and other countries present.
Aquileo Parra Gomez said, "Mr. Nino, I can't agree to the canal plan you proposed.
Unless your government comes forward to convince the Austrians, we can't restart the Panama Canal project. This concerns our territorial strategic security. "
Nino smiled slightly. "Mr. President, the Austrians are aggressive and have already infiltrated the Panama region. Don't you want to get rid of the Austrian threat?
As long as the Panama Canal is opened, your country will have the canal as a bargaining chip. The major European powers won't let Austria control this golden waterway.
After introducing various forces, even if the Austrians want to make a move, they must consider the position of the European countries.
The Government of Vienna isn't crazy. The Panama Canal isn't enough for them to take the risk. The risk isn't as big as you think. "
No matter how Nino tried to persuade him, Aquileo Parra Gomez was indifferent. No matter how nice the French made it sound, it was all a castle in the air.
After the Panama Canal was opened, it was possible for the various forces to prevent Austria from monopolizing the canal, but that didn't mean they would let the Republic of Colombia control the canal.
If nothing else, didn't the French put in so much effort to gain control of the Panama Canal?
Aquileo Parra Gomez knew that with the strength of the Republic of Colombia, there was no way for them to gain control of the canal. They didn't even have much economic power.
Without enough benefits, why would he take the risk?! Austria wasn't a pushover. What if they angered the Government of Vienna and they beat them up?
In this day and age, the fist was the law. Being weak was a sin. Aquileo Parra Gomez didn't think the French would fall out with Austria for Colombia.
Aquileo Parra Gomez said, "Mr. Nino, this is just your personal judgment. It doesn't represent the position of the European governments.
The Panama Canal is only theoretical. We have sent people to do surveys. It isn't that simple to dig a canal in Panama.
Your country has dug the Suez Canal before, so you should know the difficulty of the canal construction. The situation in Panama is even worse and requires a lot of investment.
If the Austrians don't agree and they make trouble, the canal may never be navigable.
It is impossible for the European countries to stand against Austria for a canal that is not navigable. I'm afraid even your country won't necessarily support us. "
This was the core of the problem. The value of the Panama Canal could only be reflected after it was navigable. Now that there was nothing, it would be an insult to everyone's intelligence if they wanted to gain everyone's support.
Panama wasn't the only place in Central America where canals could be dug. It was just that compared to other places, the strait in Panama was the narrowest.
This was an advantage, but it also had disadvantages. For example, there were many poisonous insects in Panama, which would threaten the lives of the excavators.
In this day and age, human life was indeed worthless, but large-scale casualties would still increase costs.
These problems might not be discovered by the French, but they definitely couldn't be hidden from the Colombian government. Otherwise, they wouldn't have given up on developing this golden waterway.
Nino knew that it was impossible to get something for nothing. Without substantial benefits, it would be difficult to get the Colombian government to cooperate.
"Mr. President, as long as your country grants us the right to develop the canal, these problems will no longer be a problem.
You can rest assured that the canal plan requires such a large investment, and we can't let our funds go to waste.
In return, we are willing to persuade BNP Paribas to provide your country with an interest-free loan of 100 million francs to help your country through the economic crisis. "
Aquileo Parra Gomez's face became gloomy. How was this help? It was clear that they wanted to take advantage of the situation.
After the economic crisis spread, European countries such as the Fao dumped their domestic surplus goods overseas at low prices. South America was one of the hardest hit areas, and the Republic of Colombia naturally couldn't avoid it.
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