The human heart was complicated. On the surface, President Juárez suppressed all opposition forces, but the situation in Mexico City was turbulent.
After the shooting, the blockade against the Austrian Embassy was lifted. Originally, it was forbidden to enter, but now, the Mexican government took the initiative to send supplies.
There was no other way. President Juárez was really afraid. The Austrian soldiers came out and caused so much trouble. If they were allowed to come out every day, who knew how much more trouble would appear.
If a few more died, even if the shooting had nothing to do with them, the Republican government would not be able to escape. Juárez had already experienced the tyranny of the great powers.
Ten years ago, the Mexican government was on the verge of bankruptcy. Juárez announced a two-year moratorium on foreign debt payments to prepare to bargain with the creditors.
As a result, the Mexican Republican government became an underground regime. He only returned to Mexico City after ten years.
How many decades could one have in life? If it wasn't for this lost decade, perhaps Juárez's social reform would have been successful.
Only after losing it did one know how to cherish it. Only after experiencing it personally did one know fear.
Now, in the Republican government, except for the teenagers, there was no one who was not afraid of the great powers. Juárez didn't acknowledge the debt left by Maximilian I Of Castile, but in fact, he still obediently paid the money.
In order to appease the radicals, he kept saying that when the situation stabilized, he would no longer pay the debt. In fact, it was just a slogan.
The French were worried that the fall of Maximilian I Of Castile would ruin the debt. In fact, the Republican government led by President Juárez was already terrified and didn't dare to renege on the debt.
The so-called toughness was just political slogans. In reality, it was still very honest. Even if they had to scrape together the debt, they would first pay the debt.
Without sending troops to intercept, Governor Hummel's march was very fast and arrived in Mexico City in less than a week.
President Juárez's response was not without effect. Austria wanted face, so there was no war. The army led by Governor Hummel didn't have an excuse to attack the city and directly set up camp outside the city.
The "shooting" was handled at the judicial level. The ambassadors of various countries were witnesses, waiting for the Mexican government to provide evidence to close the case.
Everything was developing in a good direction. At this time, the feast prepared by Minister Compton began. Hundreds of "Austrian citizens" ran over to protest, and they even prepared evidence.
There was no doubt that these were the families of the soldiers or their relatives and friends. A week before the Republic army entered the city, their property suffered heavy losses and some even lost their lives.
Under normal circumstances, these citizens had no choice but to accept it. But this time it was different. With Minister Compton plotting in secret, they were suddenly emboldened.
Extraterritoriality made them fearless. How foreign citizens treated the Mexican government, they followed suit.
Minister Compton, who was chatting happily just a moment ago, immediately changed his expression and snapped, "Your Excellency, your country's army has disregarded international law and acted recklessly, harming the personal and property safety of Austria's citizens. Now, I represent the Vienna government to issue an official diplomatic note to you.
I order your government to hand over the person responsible within 24 hours, accept the punishment of the law, and compensate the losses of our citizens! "
"This excuse was a bit far-fetched, and everyone knew what was going on. But the people did, and Austrian.
From a legal point of view, as long as these people became Austrian citizens before the Mexican Republican Army took action, they were protected by Austria.
It was impossible for Minister Compton to make such a mistake. The documents could prove that they were naturalized before the Republic army entered the city. Regardless of whether it was in accordance with the procedures, it was Austria's internal affairs and outsiders had no right to intervene.
Regardless of whether it was in accordance with the procedures, it was Austria's internal affairs and outsiders had no right to intervene.
President Juárez's face changed. The other problems were still manageable. "Hand over the person responsible", that was absolutely impossible. If they were to hand him over, the army would definitely mutiny.
Moreover, even if they committed a crime, they should be punished by Mexican law. How could they let the Austrians try them?
They were counting on the British and French to mediate. Unfortunately, the British and French envoys began to daydream after seeing the evidence provided by the Austrians.
It wasn't that they didn't want to help, but the evidence was in front of them. The Austrians had written documents to prove that these were Austrian citizens, as well as photos taken by photographers of the atrocities committed by the Mexican Republic army.
The British, Fao, and Germany were still allies in name, but they couldn't support the Mexican Republic government when Austria was in the right.
President Juárez knew that the Austrians were making things difficult for them at this time and proposed these conditions to deliberately make things difficult for them. It was definitely not just to stand up for these "citizens."
It would be difficult to solve the problem if they didn't figure out the true purpose of the Austrians. At this time, the Austrian army was already at the foot of the city, and it was too late to resist.
The only thing that comforted him was that the Austrians still cared about the international impact and didn't directly make a move. This proved that there was still room for maneuver.
The powers in this era had a common characteristic. When reasoning couldn't achieve their goal, they would choose to use cannons to speak.
The role of bridge between the two sides fell to the British Minister Edward. They were the best at this kind of thing. More than half of the international conflicts in this era didn't lack the shadow of the British.
…
That night, the British Minister Edward appeared in the Austrian Embassy.
Putting down the coffee in his hand, Edward asked elegantly, "Mr. Compton, the Government of London is also closely monitoring your country's actions in Mexico.
We are allies. If you need help, don't hesitate. But what exactly do you want to achieve? "
The "help" of the Englishmen was not so much a help as a warning. Austria was not prepared to borrow manpower from England when it came to overseas expansion. Franz was afraid that he could not afford it.
Naturally, Minister Compton understood the hidden meaning behind it. The emphasis on "allies" was nothing more than saying that Britannia's interests couldn't be harmed. The mention of "help" was nothing more than a warning not to go too far.
Picking up the coffee on the table, Minister Compton took a sip and said unhurriedly, "The evil republican ideology must be curbed.
If we don't teach the Mexicans a lesson, won't the republican ideas become more rampant? If it spreads to the European continent, I'm afraid everyone will suffer. "
This explanation obviously didn't satisfy Edward. Since when did the Government of Vienna have such an internationalist spirit?
Since Franz came to power, he first indulged the Russian Empire, then he gave away France. He didn't look like a responsible European power.
Edward believed that the Austrians attacked the republican ideas. As the backbone of the monarchy, the Austrian Emperor's power was no weaker than Tsar's.
It was just that Austria's reform was early, and the social reform had been completed. The development was very good, and the society was very stable.
On the issue of attacking the republican ideas, the monarchy's position was the same. This was a battle for the right to speak in the ideological world, and no one would easily give up.
Edward asked with uncertainty, "Mr. Compton, does this mean that your country is preparing to restore Maximilian I Of Castile?"
In terms of interests, this was not in Austria's interest. The price of restoring Maximilian I Of Castile was too high.
However, in a country with a strong imperial power like Austria, one could not only look at interests. The will of the emperor could also determine the direction of the country.
Although Maximilian I Of Castile's ability was not good, he was Franz's younger brother. Just based on this, it was possible that Franz would invest heavily.
Similar situations had occurred more than once or twice in European history. Edward wasn't sure if this would happen in Austria. After all, the image that Franz left to the outside world was too perfect.
Minister Compton shook his head and replied, "If we can restore His Majesty Maximilian I Of Castile, that would be the best.
However, due to some special issues, the major forces in Mexico are not very welcoming of this emperor.
Our conditions are very simple. The Mexican government has three choices: First, continue to support Maximilian I Of Castile as emperor. Then there is no need to mention these small issues, and a constitutional monarchy is acceptable.
Second, make up for the loss of the Austrian citizens and bear the cost of the troops this time, a total of 12 million SD. If there is no money, cede Chiapas, Tabasco, Oaxaca, Veracruz, and the Yucatan Peninsula to pay off the debt. "
There was no need to say anything about the third option. Edward also knew. The most common method was to use force to solve the problem if negotiations failed. If the Mexican government thought they could win, they could try to solve it by force.
Edward thought for a moment and said, "Your country's appetite is still so good, but can the Mexicans accept these conditions?"
Obviously, Edward did not want to see Austria expand unscrupulously in Mexico. If they were not restricted, they would eat away at the whole of Mexico sooner or later.
Compton smiled and explained, "You can't say that. As long as the Mexican government allows Maximilian I Of Castile to be restored, they don't have to pay any price.
If they are patriotic enough, they should be able to accept our good intentions. You must know that His Majesty Maximilian I Of Castile is benevolent, and he will not hold them accountable for conspiring to rebel. "
Edward rolled his eyes and accepted the restoration of Maximilian I Of Castile. How could things be so simple?
The constitutionalists, conservatives, and Catholics were fine. It did not matter if there was an empty emperor, but for the Gonghe party, it was a disaster.
It was equivalent to denying their legitimacy from beginning to end, and the political impact would be enough to drive President Juárez away.
It seemed to be the choice with the lowest price, but in fact, it was the choice that the Republican government could not accept. Once this condition was put forward, whether the Mexicans accepted it or not, the Mexican government would split.
Minister Compton's condition was completely made up to intensify the internal conflict in the Mexican government.
Other political groups would use this as an excuse to attack the Republican government for their own selfishness and disregard the interests of the country.
No matter what choice President Juárez made, there would be a lot of trouble. It would be strange if such an obvious target had nothing to do with the House of Habsburg.
Now that Maximilian I Of Castile was alone, even if he was restored, he would only be a rubber stamp emperor. No one would care about him, and he would not be able to bring any benefits to Austria. This worthless condition was clearly aimed at the Republican government.
Edward did not say anything else. President Juárez led the rebel army to overthrow the rule of Maximilian I Of Castile and slapped the face of the House of Habsburg.
Now that the other party wanted revenge, he deserved to be unlucky. When it came to this level, Edward did not want to get involved.
In the depths of his heart, he had already started to mourn for President Juárez. Who told him to be unlucky to be in the heyday of the House of Habsburg?
