Chapter 531

Seizing Mexico City without bloodshed and overthrowing Maximilian I Of Castile's rule, the Republican government led by Juárez finally got rid of the name of the rebel army and became worthy of the name.

Before he could celebrate, Juárez received the news that Maximilian I Of Castile was hiding in the Austrian embassy. His good mood instantly disappeared.

There was no doubt that Maximilian I Of Castile staying in Mexico City was a ticking time bomb that could cause a political earthquake at any time.

To be precise, there was no need to wait for the future. Maximilian I Of Castile was causing trouble for them now, even if it was unconsciously.

Maximilian I Of Castile had not abdicated and was still the internationally recognized ruler of Mexico. In contrast, the Republican government led by Juárez had not been recognized.

This uprising was under the banner of "killing the tyrant." Now that the emperor was in the Austrian embassy, should they arrest him or not?

A young officer was eager to try. "Mr. President, there aren't many troops in the Austrian embassy. Should we send someone to rush in and snatch that bastard Massimiliano out?"

Juárez was also cursing Maximilian I Of Castile in his heart. There was already a way to escape, but he still didn't know how to run. Wasn't there something wrong with his brain?

"Bauer, are you out of your mind? That's the Austrian embassy. If we send someone to rush in now, wouldn't we be giving them an excuse to interfere?

Send someone to surround the Austrian embassy and inform the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to communicate with them. Ask the Austrians to hand over Maximilian I Of Castile. "

Juárez didn't believe what he said, but this was an essential part of politics. Rashly attacking the embassy of a country, especially the embassy of a great power, was courting death.

On this issue, the position of the European powers was the same. They would not allow something like attacking the embassy.

Although the Austrian embassy had taken in the Mexican emperor and interfered with Mexico's internal affairs, Mexico was only a weak country.

In this cruel era, weak countries had no right to speak. As long as Austria insisted that they were rebels and that the Republican government was not legitimate, the matter would be over.

Don't expect international public opinion to support them. This was still the era of monarchy. Even the most open-minded country, France, didn't dare to say that the rebellion was reasonable.

The Mexican government had already offended the French. If they challenged Austria, would they still have a good life?

Don't think that the Americans supported their revolution. if they really needed to take action, they would be ostriches. The most important duty of the Anglo-Franco-Austrian alliance was to suppress the Americans.

It was fine if they didn't take action, but once they did, they would have to consider whether they would be beaten by society. The wounds of the Civil War had just healed, and now was the time when the Americans were the most low-key. How could they stand up for them?

From a geopolitical perspective, a weak and backward Mexico was more in line with the interests of the Americans. On this issue, the United States of America and the Confederate States of America shared the same position.

Bauer, who was scolded, was not angry. Instead, he was relieved that he was no longer a scapegoat. If they really did it, the embassy, and they would be. of the Of the Gang None.

If they really did it, they would definitely have to give an explanation to the Austrians in the future, and the executors would definitely not have a good time. He had hurried over to seek advice from President Juárez in order to avoid trouble.

Naturally, Juárez was very clear about this little trick. Bauer didn't dare to bear this responsibility, and neither did he as the president.

Because they reneged on their debt, they caused the French to invade and overthrow their regime. Juarez didn't have the courage to do it again.

The two ignored the fact that Austria wouldn't hand over Bauer. Anyway, it was always right to be cautious in foreign affairs. As long as nothing happened, that would be the best outcome.

…

In the Austrian embassy, Minister Compton yelled, "You haven't been recognized by the international community. You are not the legitimate government of Mexico. You are not qualified to negotiate with Austria."

The negotiations hadn't even begun, but Phillips was dumbfounded. They talked about legality and refused to recognize the Republican government. Phillips didn't know how to deal with it.

There was no other way. The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs was also a grassroots team. Since its establishment, there had never been any formal diplomatic activities. They didn't know how to deal with this kind of thing.

Before Phillips could come up with an answer, he was kicked out. Compton then invited the European envoys to meet. Although they didn't reach a valuable agreement, they still reached an agreement on the issue of refusing to recognize the Mexican Republican government.

There was no need for additional reasons for monarchies to refuse to recognize the Republican government. It was political correctness.

Unless the Mexican government could come up with tempting benefits, they couldn't expect to be recognized by the international community.

…

Leaves fell to the ground one by one, forming a golden "golden road." Stepping on it made a creaking sound from time to time, making people feel so comfortable, as if they were stepping on a cotton blanket. There wasn't a single extra leaf. Every leaf was a golden leaf, leaving people with an endless aftertaste.

Cornmeal grinned, Millet bent over in laughter, and Soya Bean squealed in the wind …

Governor Hummel, who was touring around, was still immersed in the joy of the harvest. He thought, It's another bumper harvest year. It looks like the new railway project can be launched.

"Governor, this is a telegram from the embassy in Mexico. Please take a look."

The uninvited guest interrupted Governor Hummel's reverie. Without any hesitation, Hummel quickly took the telegram and browsed through it.

The smile on the corner of his mouth had already betrayed his thoughts. Obviously, this was good news.

After reading the content of the telegram, Governor Hummel immediately ordered, "Order the first, second, and third divisions to stop field training and must arrive at Port Barrios within a week!

Order the Caribbean Sea Fleet to immediately stop all outward activities and be on standby in the port.

Order the logistics department to immediately deploy three months' worth of combat supplies for 50,000 people to gather in the port cities along the Caribbean coast.

Order the Ministry of Foreign Trade to immediately organize a fleet … "

A dozen orders were issued in a row, all to be completed as soon as possible. Obviously, it was prepared in advance. Otherwise, it would be impossible to complete it in a short period of time.

The colonial division, in particular, was usually understaffed. Generally, there were only one-fifth to one-third of the personnel to maintain the structure of the army and rapidly expand during times of war.

Of course, daily recruitment of reserves into the army was still indispensable. Other nationalities might not be used to this kind of daily training, but it was common for the Germans.

It was like this in their hometown, so they could naturally do the same in the Americas. After so many years of development, the registered population of the Austrian Central American colony had exceeded 3.78 million, of which the number of white people accounted for two-fifths.

Of course, there was still some exaggeration. Many new mixed-bloods were also included in this group. In this era, the supervision was not strict. As long as the difference in appearance was not too big, they could get by.

Of course, the bureaucrats' desire for political achievements was also a major factor. If the bureaucrats did not make it easy, the birth rate of the Austrian citizens in Austrian Central America was 7.8%. How did this figure come about?

Looking at the whole world, this birth rate was the highest, completely exceeding the normal birth rate of the population. Among the many Austrian colonies, only the birth rate of the citizens in the Nanyang region could be comparable.

This statistic was limited to people with Austrian nationality, and other people were not included in the statistics. The Government of Vienna was only concerned about the birth rate of their own people.

Among them, the number of Germans had already accounted for 32% of the total population. It did not matter how this figure came about. It was an indisputable fact that the Germans had become the largest ethnic group in the region.

In theory, the number of registered reserves in Austrian Central America was 210,000. This was the maximum mobilization. Of course, this was limited to the registration of the Empire's citizens.

Governor Hummel did not think that the local Indians would also respond to the Empire's call, so naturally, he did not include them in the reserves.

In theory, in reality, the highest mobilization record of the Austrian Central American colonies was only 100,000 people. Any more would seriously affect the local production.

There was no way to fight a foreign war, and they could not throw their own economy into a half-dead state during training.

This number also exceeded the mobilization level of a normal agricultural country, but it did not matter. Austrian Central America had an agricultural and mining economy, but the mother country, Austria, was an industrial country.

The Austrian Central American colonies were equivalent to an agricultural province in an industrial country, so their mobilization ability was naturally stronger than that of an agricultural country.

This military strength could be ranked in the top five in the American continent. Other than the British, the United States of America, and the Confederate States of America, Governor Hummel did not care about other countries.

This intervention in Mexico was an opportunity to show off. Perhaps in Franz's view, bringing Massimiliano, his unlucky brother, back safely was considered to have achieved his goal.

But for the colonial officials who were eager to make a career, if they did not do something, it would be unworthy of their identity as colonists.

Governor Hummel was no exception. In his opinion, this matter must be expanded, otherwise, how could everyone make a career?

Otherwise, he would have sent an army to take Maximiliano I out of the palace. Anyway, the Mexican Republic government did not want this trouble.

Placing Maximilian I Of Castile in the Austrian embassy was to cause trouble. Never doubt the revolutionary party's ability to cause trouble. There were always some youths who thought they were smart.

As long as there was an armed conflict, Governor Hummel would have an excuse to intervene. According to the Austrian principle, they usually did not like to make enemies. Once they made enemies, they could only be killed.

Hummel did not have that big of an appetite to annex the Mexican Empire. Even if he did, with the strength of the Austrian Central American colonies, they would not be able to digest it.

Moreover, other countries would intervene and would not allow Austria to expand so wildly.

How much meat they could bite, other than strength, was more important to see how much trouble they caused. A reasonable excuse could always reap the greatest benefits.

What Governor Hummel wanted to see the most was that the Mexican Republic government would send troops to besiege the Austrian embassy. At that time, when the two countries officially declared war, no one could blame Austria.

Compared to making a career, Maximilian I Of Castile's personal safety ranked second. As long as he was still alive, he could report to His Majesty the Emperor. A little grievance was completely acceptable.

If something unexpected happened, as long as they tried their best to rescue him, they could also deal with it. Others did not know the inside story, but as a high-ranking government official, Governor Hummel still knew that Maximilian I Of Castile had a falling out with his family.

Perhaps as the elder brother, the Emperor still wanted to help him, but there were definitely a lot of people in the House of Habsburg who wished for this unlucky guy to die earlier.

Of course, this death would be a natural death. He definitely could not die in the hands of the Mexican rebels. Otherwise, for the family's glory, they would also find trouble with Mexico.

This kind of thing could only be sensed and could not be explained in words. Governor Hummel was still very worried about Massimiliano's safety. In this era, people who dared to kill a king were still very rare.

There was a precedent. The guys who chopped off the heads of Charles I and Louis XVI basically all died miserably, and even implicated their families. Anyone with a little bit of political sense knew the consequences.

While actively preparing for the war, Governor-General Hummel reported back to the government in Vienna for instructions.

This was just a formality. Franz did not have the desire to control it remotely. Naturally, it was not impossible for the Government of Vienna to do this. According to the usual practice, the colonial governor would be authorized to act when the opportunity arose.