1850 American Gold Tycoon

Chapter 657 New Players in North America

May 1861, Mexico City.

The sky in Mexico City was gray, as if shrouded in haze, which made people feel depressed.

The streets and alleys in Mexico City were scattered with randomly discarded guns and even cannons. What surprised the first batch of French soldiers who entered the city was that these guns and cannons discarded by the Mexican soldiers were as intact as their fortifications.

After all, the Mexican army did not have the courage and determination to fight a capital defense war with the French army to defend their capital.

When the French army completed the siege of Mexico City, only more than 7,000 people were able to continue to fight. However, after Mexican President Benito Juarez fled, more than 30,000 Mexican City defenders with sufficient ammunition and food chose to surrender to the French army.

This is the second time that the capital of Mexico has been occupied by foreign troops since its founding in 1821.

Although the Mexican authorities had learned from past experience and their preparations were in place, and the city had sufficient supplies to fight a war of attrition with the invading enemy and severely damage the enemy, the Mexicans were not short of supplies.

French soldiers entered Mexico City in neat rows, following the drumbeats of military music, and the blue flag of the French Army fluttered in the wind over Mexico City.

The French soldiers' steel-nailed boots made neat and crisp sounds on the cobblestones, which frightened the residents of Mexico City. But curiosity drove these Mexican soldiers and civilians hiding behind broken windows to peek through the cracks at the French troops entering the city.

Fortunately, Napoleon III planned to occupy Mexico for a long time, so he restrained the French army before entering the city, and the French army itself had sufficient supplies. There was no serious robbery in Mexico City like when it was occupied by the US military.

Amid the rumbling of salutes, Napoleon III rode a majestic white horse and slowly stepped into the land he conquered. The French soldiers lined up on both sides of the street saluted their emperor.

Napoleon III enjoyed the admiration of the soldiers to his heart's content. This was the highlight of his accession to the throne.

Since Napoleon III ascended the throne, France's industrialization has advanced at an unprecedented speed, and he has made remarkable achievements in domestic affairs and people's livelihood. What he lacks is the achievement of martial arts.

Although he defeated Tsarist Russia in the Crimean War, broke the shackles of the Vienna system on France, and swept away the haze of the fall of the First French Empire that shrouded the French.

But this is far from enough for Napoleon III. He is a descendant of the Napoleon family. The French have higher expectations for Napoleon III, hoping that this monarch with the blood of the Napoleon family can make France great again like his uncle and regain its former glory.

"This is a country that lacks cohesion and self-identity."

This is the brief evaluation Napoleon III gave to the conquered country after entering the Mexican presidential palace.

Conquering Mexico in just one month made Napoleon III feel bored and did not have much sense of achievement.

Thanks to the thorough preparation and the logistical support provided by the American Republic, the French army suffered very few casualties in this expedition, with only 206 killed and 667 wounded.

The biggest loss of the French army was not caused by the Mexican army, but by the plateau environment that the French army could not adapt to. Thousands of French soldiers lost their combat capability due to their inability to adapt to the environment of the Mexican plateau and had to recuperate in the rear.

Even so, the French army easily won the war.

"Your Majesty, the Mexican authorities have sold the right to build roads and the mining rights along the railway to the American Republic. Do we recognize the treaty they signed with the American Republic?"

In a conversation with officials who surrendered in Mexico City, General Eli Ferdinand Faure of the French Army was surprised to find that the Mexicans had sold the right to build roads and some mining rights in Mexico to the American Republic.

It is well known that Mexico is very rich in mineral resources. Faure obviously cares about this part of the income and is unwilling to give it up.

"As I expected, it turns out that Mexico borrowed money from this neighbor in the north." Napoleon III was not surprised by this. "Liang Yao is quite far-sighted."

The British Expeditionary Force and the Spanish Expeditionary Force must have taken money from Mexico to withdraw their troops voluntarily, and the Mexican government's finances naturally could not afford such a large sum of money. Otherwise, France, Britain and Spain would not have gone to the extent of armed debt collection.

The money that the Mexican government paid back to the British and Spanish must have been borrowed, and there is no other creditor around Mexico that can provide huge loans to the Mexican authorities except the Republic of America.

"Liang Yao is now deeply trapped in the quagmire of civil war and has no time to look south. Even if we do not recognize the treaty he signed with the old Mexican government, he can do nothing to us." Forey said, "Besides, we will establish a new government sooner or later."

Forey did not know whether Napoleon III wanted to directly occupy Mexico or support a puppet regime, but there was one thing he was sure of.

That is, his expeditionary force would be stationed in Mexico, at least for a period of time. If the agreement signed between the old Mexican government and the Republic of America was recognized, he and his French expeditionary force would naturally gain less benefits in Mexico.

Napoleon III glanced at Tromeran, who had been silent on the side, and did not speak immediately.

After careful consideration, Tromeran said to Napoleon III: "Your Majesty, I think this is inappropriate."

"Tell me about it." Napoleon III motioned Tromeran to continue.

Compared with Forey, Tromeran had more contacts with the top leaders of the American Republic. He must know more about the American Republic than Forey. Napoleon III wanted to hear Tromeran's opinion.

"The treaty signed between the American Republic and the former Mexican government is reasonable and legal. If we do not recognize it, it will violate the spirit of the contract. Moreover, half of the debt owed by the former Mexican government to Britain and Spain has not been settled. If we do not recognize the treaty signed between the American Republic and Mexico, the American Republic will have enough reasons not to fulfill the agreement and settle the remaining debt. We will inevitably be angry with Britain and Spain for this."

Tromeran analyzed very clearly.

"Mexico and the American Republic are very dependent on the American Republic economically. We have just taken over Mexico and have not yet established a firm foothold in Mexico. If the American Republic secretly trips us up, we will be unable to defend ourselves."

Trommeran knows Liang Yao and knows that Liang Yao is not a person who can suffer losses or be bullied.

Admittedly, with the strength of France, Liang Yao naturally dare not do anything to France in public, but it is hard to say in secret. After all, Mexico and the American Republic are neighbors, and the cost and price that the American Republic needs to pay to influence Mexico is much smaller than that of France.

In addition, Trommeran does not want to have unpleasantness with two new neighbors in Europe because of the interests of a new colony.