Time flew by, and the Austrian army quickly withdrew from Panama. However, the transfer was not to the Colombian government, but to the Panamanian local government.
To be precise, it should be the Panamanian Independence Organization. The original Panamanian local government had long been replaced, and the independent organization was now in charge.
The Colombian government troops were blocked by local militias on the way, not allowing them to enter the country.
The two sides were in a standoff, and the Panamanian Independence Organization had not yet issued a declaration of independence. The reason for refusing the government troops to enter the country was: bad military discipline.
Although Colombia was not a federal system like the United States, the local government still had a lot of power, and it was not unprecedented to refuse the government troops entry.
Knowing that Panama wanted independence, President Rafael Núñez could only use political means before the independence began.
Suppression did not exist! Now, whoever fired the first shot would bear the responsibility of provoking a civil war.
This was what the Government of Vienna wanted to see the most. A civil war broke out as soon as the Austrian army withdrew. It felt awkward.
Moreover, the longer it took, the more prepared the independent organization would be. It also took time to control the territory. The independent organization had only been established for a few months, and it was good enough to set up the framework. There was no time to sort out the internal affairs.
…
Foreign Minister Wesenberg: "Your Majesty, the Colombian government once again urged us to pay compensation. According to the news from the embassy, they have been surrounded by the families of the soldiers killed in action for three days.
Some people even stormed the embassy area and asked for compensation. Now it is difficult to even go out and buy daily necessities. We can only ask the Colombian government to send it in. "
Hearing this news, Franz smiled slightly. Wasn't it just a protest? In this day and age, which great power didn't experience it a few times? After encountering it so many times, it was no longer a big deal.
"Tell the Colombian government to provide the identity of the families of the soldiers killed in action. As long as the identity is verified, we will immediately pay the compensation.
The property losses are concentrated in the Panama area, and only the local people need to be compensated. In order to prevent the money from being diverted, we will directly send the money to the local government. "
What was the point of "giving it to the local government"? To fight a civil war?
If they had a choice, the Colombian government would probably rather not have the compensation. This was not just a problem of burning their hands, it was clearly a matter of life and death.
Revenge, this was real revenge. Compared to this, the previous conflicts and "misunderstandings" were only child's play.
Foreign Minister Wesenberg reminded, "Your Majesty, the Colombian government has relaxed trade controls on the Peruvian border in order to show our goodwill.
If we do this now, I'm afraid they will seal the border again. If the smuggling can't continue, Peru and Bolivia will … "
Franz waved his hand. "That's just a small problem. Peru is the French's underling. Most of the goods they purchase now are French. Even if they are blocked, what does it have to do with us?
As for Bolivia, haven't we already established trade routes with Argentina? Although the smuggled goods aren't much, if they use them sparingly, it should be enough. "
The "misunderstanding" in Panama had not only shocked Colombia, but Argentina, which was also Austria's neighbor, was also shocked. Even the Chilean government, which had been cozying up to the British, was frightened.
These days, the countries in South America were not much better than each other. All of them were weaklings. Even the top three in South America did not stand out.
After just one "misunderstanding", the number of troops that Colombia lost was equal to the total losses of the "Bird Poop War" in more than a year. Everybody panicked.
After witnessing Austria's strength, Argentina, as their neighbor, naturally had to adjust its foreign policy. Lifting the trade blockade directly would not work. That would offend the British.
However, this was not a problem for the shrewd Argentinian government bureaucrats. If trade could not be carried out openly, they could smuggle goods in secret.
This was killing two birds with one stone. Not only was Austria satisfied, but even the British had nothing to say. The bureaucrats could also take the opportunity to make a fortune.
…
While Austria was taking action, the French were not idle. The current French Empire was much more powerful than in the original timeline. Their prestige was not exposed, and with French Guiana, it was easy to intimidate several South American countries.
The Government of Vienna could persuade the Argentinian government to relax the blockade. The French could also make the Brazilian government turn a blind eye.
In a sense, the "blockade" created by the British had a lot of loopholes from the beginning.
The so-called "blockade" only blocked ordinary merchants. The real effect was probably to reduce the inflow of goods and increase the cost of purchasing goods from Peru and Bolivia.
The business groups with strength and background never cared about the blockade. As long as the benefits were enough, there was no blockade that the capitalists could not cross.
Even the coastline that the Royal Navy personally guarded, there were also merchant ships that broke through. As long as the background was strong enough, there was no fear of being caught.
If the British could not do it, other countries could not count on it. In addition to the dignitaries in the country, there were also a bunch of bold business groups with the background of the big powers.
If they were caught, they would be persuaded to return at most. There was no accountability, or what would happen if it caused a diplomatic conflict?
The only country that really implemented a strict blockade was probably Chile. When it came to vital interests, it had to be strict.
…
Perhaps the South American region was too rich, or perhaps the South American countries were too weak. In short, the South American region successfully aroused the interest of Napoleon Iv.
Seeing Austria's idea of Panama, Napoleon Iv also wanted to expand the French South American colonies.
France had not expanded for many years, which was too bad for Napoleon Iv, who wanted to surpass his father.
The Government of France was both excited and helpless about the Emperor's great plan. Everyone wanted to make contributions and leave their names in history, but the problem was that the conditions did not allow it!
Foreign Minister Dumbledore advised, "Your Majesty, the current international situation is not suitable for external expansion. The Prussian war has reached a critical moment, and we cannot disperse our strength.
Based on the current situation, once the Prussian war is over, the European continent will undergo another reshuffle. This is our best opportunity to expand our influence in Europe.
If it weren't for the upcoming changes in Europe, the Government of Vienna would not have given up the Panama region. International public opinion alone is not enough to make them give in. "
There was nothing wrong with it. The most popular theory these days was "Eurocentric." According to this principle, both the Fao and the countries of the two continents must concentrate on dealing with the post-war changes.
Napoleon Iv shook his head, "Count, this does not contradict my plan. Colonial expansion is a long-term national policy, and it is not going to be launched immediately.
What we need to do now is just the preparatory work. It will not be too late to take action after the dust settles on the European continent.
The world had been divided up. The most loathsome Englishman had taken the richest part of the world. Even the barbarians of Southern Europe had taken a large piece of the cake.
All that is left for France is the cold leftovers. In name, we are the world's third colonial empire, but in fact, everyone knows very well that it is a pile of sand.
At this point, we don't have much choice left. In addition to East Asia, there is South America. Relatively speaking, South America is full of small countries, and it is easier to succeed. "
Expansion, expansion, and expansion. This was not Napoleon Iv's personal desire. This was the urgent need of France's domestic industry and commerce.
This was the price that an industrial power had to bear. Without the blow of the Franco-Prussian war and the annexation of the Regions of Italy, France's industrial capacity had increased too much compared to the same period in history.
The increase in industrial capacity did not necessarily bring good things. It was accompanied by an urgent need for raw materials and commodity sales markets.
Affected by the large import of raw materials, the cost of France's industrial and commercial products was high and limited in international competitiveness.
To solve this problem, the best way was naturally to expand. No raw materials — grab; no commodity markets — grab. In short, there was nothing that could not be solved by the word "grab."
After listening to this explanation, Dumbledore wanted to say something but stopped. He wanted to say that the South American countries were not weak, but when the words were on the tip of his tongue, he could not say it.
The strong and the weak needed to be compared. Compared to France, the South American countries were too weak. Even if all of these countries joined forces, they would not be a match for France.
The Emperor's position was firm, and the colonial expansion faction in the country was strong. Seeing that the situation was not right, in order not to make an immediate decision, the finance minister, who was also anti-war, hurriedly changed the topic.
"The South American issue is not urgent. The most important thing right now is the Prussian war. There are signs that Austria has plans to annex the German Federal Empire.
The British are unreliable. If the Prussian Federation is defeated, and Russia only has a pyrrhic victory, then we are the only ones who have the power to stop the Austro-German merger.
If the Government of Vienna insists, and we have to stop it, then war is inevitable.
Everyone has seen the tragedy of the Prussian war. If we go to war with Austria, I am afraid it will be even more tragic.
In order to ensure victory, we have to prepare in advance. This requires a lot of money, and our finances cannot afford it. "
This was not purely a bluff. Austria had always had plans to annex the German Confederation, and it changed over time.
Once the international situation changed, the plan might become a reality. The Prussian war happened to be an opportunity.
If the Prussian Federation won, then there was nothing to say. No matter how heavy the losses were, the Government of Berlin could only choose to fight to the death with Austria. This was a matter of principle, and there was no possibility of compromise.
If the Tsarist government won and suffered heavy losses, the situation would be different.
The Russians did not want to see Austria annex the German Confederation, but the Tsarist government would not rush forward just to stop Austria.
This was decided by interests. Even if Austria unified Central Europe, the Russian Empire would still be the Russian Empire. At most, they would lose the path of expansion into Europe, and the threat would not be fatal.
Austria did not give so many loans for nothing. It could still influence the Tsarist government's decision at a critical moment.
If some benefits were promised, the possibility of the two countries compromising was very high.
In this context, the Government of Vienna had the ability to persuade most European countries to be neutral. The final result would most likely be a one-on-one fight with Fao, and at most, an unreliable British ally.
After Napoleon Iv succeeded the throne, he basically continued his father's economic policies. Although the domestic economic development speed had slowed down, it was still very good overall.
The Minister of Finance said "no money", which really shocked him. But then he was relieved. The Government of Paris had always been in heavy debt, and this was an indisputable fact.
The country that owed the most money in the world was not John Bull, nor was it the recently revived Austria, nor was it Prussia and Russia that were at war. It was France that dominated Western Europe.
There was no other way. Transforming Paris, building infrastructure, reviving armaments, colonial expansion, and annexing the Regions of Italy, all of these needed money.
The Orleans Dynasty left behind a debt-ridden mess. Although Napoleon Iii revived the French economy, he was not able to change the government's high debt situation. Instead, the debt increased.
It was not that this economic model was bad. In fact, many governments in later generations invested in stimulating the economy with the same concept.
But in this way, the government's debt would continue to rise. In the era of the credit standard, the hole could be filled by issuing more money, but in the era of the gold standard, it could only be resisted.
Under this economic model, while the French economy was developing, the government's debt was also increasing.
The total debt of the Government of Paris had exceeded 28 billion francs. This number exceeded the combined debt of Prussia and Russia, making it the world's largest debtor country.
Of course, owing a lot of debt did not mean that the Government of Paris was really poor. Government investments were not all for public welfare. Many investments became assets that could generate income, but these assets could not be realized in a short period of time.
After a moment of contemplation, Napoleon Iv shook his head, "The situation in Europe is not that serious. The Austrians have not started to prepare for war, which means that the Government of Vienna is also not ready.
Your speculation is actually only a possibility. There are too many assumptions in this. The war must end with a pyrrhic victory for the Russians.
In fact, no one has been prepared to grasp this degree since the start of the Prussia war.
The Russians have a greater chance of winning, but it may not be a pyrrhic victory. Even if the Prussia Federation loses, it may not necessarily lose all of its capital.
The British are indeed unreliable. We didn't count on them, did we?
Besides, why do we have to go to war with Austria? Dividing up the German Confederation is also a good choice.
Don't tell me that the Austrians want to have an all-out war with us? If we really fight, the British will only benefit. "
A tripartite arrangement was the most stable structure. The main reason was that everyone was worried that "the third party would benefit from the fight between the sandpiper and the clam."
Compared to the British, who were isolated overseas, whether it was Austria or France, their own strategic position was much worse.
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