Holy Roman Empire

Napoleon III is now very troubled, and he is still hesitating whether to give up the Mexican Empire.This decision is not easy to make. In recent years, the French government has invested too much resources in Mexico. It is a pity to give up directly.

If it weren't for Austria's failure to expand its power in Mexico, Napoleon III would have doubted whether Maximilian I was a spy sent by the Habsburg dynasty to cause trouble for France.

Of course, the thought was only fleeting.From the perspective of family interests, if the Habsburg dynasty was interested in Mexico, it would be impossible for Maximilian I to appoint an outsider as the crown prince.

After receiving the news, Napoleon III was stunned by this divine manipulation. He once wondered if it was the illegitimate son of Maximilian I.

In his view, even if the direct members of the Habsburg family have no interest in the Mexican throne, abducting a collateral member to become the heir in the past is better than supporting an outsider.

If it wasn't for the fact that the influence of the Bonaparte family was too weak to gain the approval of the local constitutionalists, otherwise Napoleon III would have supported his own people in the first place.

Napoleon III regretted it. If he had known that Maximilian I was so incompetent, he would not have supported this idiot.

The wealthy old man who passed sixty a year ago saw the embarrassment of the emperor. After all, this political investment was led by Napoleon III. Now that Mexico is to be abandoned, the emperor must no longer propose it himself.

"Your Majesty, the investment in Mexico has failed. If we continue to invest, we may not be able to recover the cost. What we need to do now is to stop the loss.

Taking advantage of the opportunity of the alliance of the three countries can deter the Americans, we need to find a next home to take over the business as soon as possible, and strive to sell it at a good price. "

Selling the interests of Mexico is indeed a good choice, at least better than losing everything.

In order to wipe out the Mexican rebels, the French have lost tens of thousands of soldiers, and they have also taken in loans of more than one billion francs.

This loss is almost catching up with the loss of the British in the Anglo-Boer War.However, there is not necessarily a reward for paying. The rebels in Mexico are suppressing more and more, and the situation is still deteriorating.

After pondering for a while, Napoleon III asked suspiciously: "Mexico is not yet our colony, and the situation is still deteriorating. To whom can we sell our interests there?

Spain had a civil war because of the throne dispute, and it was impossible to intervene in Mexico at this time; the British calculated too much, and it was impossible to pay a high price; the strategic focus of the Austrians in operating overseas colonies was on the African continent, and they had no interest in Mexico.

The remaining countries, either have no strength, and it is impossible to take over at all; or they are poor ghosts with no money, and it would be too expensive to give them. "

This is the crux of the problem. They are unable to control the situation, who else can they count on to take over?

Everyone is not a fool. Anyone who understands the situation in Mexico knows that this is a mess, and they will never jump into this pit of fire.

After a pause, as if thinking of something, Napoleon III snapped, "Marquis Fickel, don't tell me I'm an American? It's impossible.

It can be sold to any country, except for the United States of America and the Confederate States of America. This is agreed in the four-nation pact.

Once we violate the treaty, we will face sanctions from the other three countries, and the newly established Triple Alliance of Britain, France and Austria will immediately collapse! "

On the issue of checking and balancing the Americans, the positions of Britain, France and Austria are all the same.France is now a responsible big country, and it must not act recklessly.

In order to sell a few dollars, the Triple Alliance of Britain, France and Austria must be dismantled. Napoleon III was not so short-sighted.

He is very aware of the diplomatic difficulties facing France. On the surface, everyone has reconciled, but the secret exclusion of European countries has always existed.

Especially after the annexation of the Italian region, their life is not easy.If the Triple Alliance is torn up, Britain and Austria will definitely retaliate, and it may be another anti-French alliance.

Seeing that Napoleon III was angry, the old man immediately shut up.This is already worthy of the money of the Americans, and the emperor has nothing to do if he doesn't agree, he can't get himself involved.

As if aware of Marquis Fickel's request for help, Allen, the chancellor of the exchequer, said: "Your Majesty is right, Mexico must never fall into the hands of the Americans.

However, the Mexican issue must also be resolved as soon as possible. If we continue to delay, we will only lose more.

I personally suggest that no matter who accepts the Mexican Empire, as long as they can guarantee the normal performance of our debts with the Mexican government, they can get the benefits we have in the local area. "

Obviously, Minister of the Exchequer Allen is sober. He knows very well that it is impossible to sell at a good price given the chaotic situation in Mexico. As long as the normal performance of the debt can be guaranteed, it is God's blessing.

Even this he didn't give much hope, after all, there are too few people who are willing to take the offer at this time.Unless the Americans are brought in at the risk of breaking with Britain and Austria, it is basically impossible to find this big guy.

The debt owed by the Mexican government to France is not a small amount. With Mexico's fiscal revenue, it will take decades to repay it even if there is no expenditure.

After contemplating for a moment, Napoleon III said: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will contact European countries as soon as possible to test out who is interested in taking over the Mexican Empire.

Now I can't take care of so much, I don't ask for how much money to sell, as long as I can sell it as soon as possible to avoid losing everything. "

Chapter 71 Intrigue

After preparing to stop the loss, the French government immediately compiled a list of assets and sent them to European countries to find interested customers.

The focus is naturally Britain and Austria. Other countries simply do not have the strength to take down the Mexican Empire.The military strength of Prussia and Russia may be enough, but they have no money in their pockets, so they are not good buyers.

In Vienna, the Austrian government has also conducted in-depth analysis since news that France is preparing to sell assets in Mexico.

The result is naturally self-evident, properly inferior assets.Don't look at the French who have obtained a series of privileges and almost monopolized Mexico's mineral resources. The problem is that these assets are difficult to realize.

If you want to turn these real estates into real assets, you must first help the Mexican government stabilize the situation.As long as the civil war continues, these minerals are worthless.

Local people have no purchasing power, and commercial privileges are tasteless.You can't spend money and effort to help the Mexican people get rich and become well-off, right?

This is not the 21st century, and resources are not worth much now.In this era, the most valuable thing in the Mexican Empire was silver mines, but the mined silver was first used to repay the debts of the French.

That's right, the French are tearing up the sale now, but the investment required is too large, and the benefits that can be obtained are unclear.

To put it bluntly, the money you can get is your own money.The illusory future income is depicted beautifully, as long as it is not available, it is all nonsense.

Everyone can see that the bottom line of the French is also falling again and again.From getting back the loan at the beginning, and then selling three melons and two dates, it is enough to get back the principal now.

If it doesn't work, it can be discussed again. If the investment can be recovered with a [-]% discount, it is estimated that Napoleon III can also accept it.

This is not because Napoleon III's bottom line was low, but mainly because he lost confidence in Maximilian I.Throwing money into a bottomless pit for a long time, even the rich and powerful France can't bear it.

Once the Massimiliano regime collapsed, all their investments were in vain.The Mexican Republicans were overthrown because of their bad debts, and the possibility of expecting them to continue to perform the contract is too low.

Unfortunately, it may be that the French are too famous in Europe, and no one dares to touch the meat that they can't eat.

Although the Paris government has repeatedly lowered the conditions, these loans do not require the receivers to pay immediately, as long as the Mexican government is guaranteed to perform the contract, they even gave a commission.

To put it simply, the French took back most of the loan principal, and the remaining interest and benefits from various privileges belonged to the receiver.

The result is still the same, no one is willing to take over.In the unlikely event that the Mexican government fails to honor its debts, it will be the receiver's turn to pay.

Facts have proved that all countries have a bottom line and are unwilling to lose their own credibility. No one is willing to give the French this guarantee.

In fact, there are many people who are interested in Mexico, but most of them just want to make a profit, and they are not willing to make large-scale investment at all.

For example, the Spaniards have always wanted to turn Mexico into a colony again.They also took practical action when the American Civil War broke out, only to be pushed out by the French.

Now a civil war broke out in Spain because of the struggle for the throne.There is also a credit for the French. If Napoleon III hadn't threatened with force and strongly rejected the candidate nominated by the military, the matter would not have reached this point.

The civil war has started, and it is naturally impossible to expand to Mexico.Now the Spanish overseas colonies are still in fear, for fear of being swallowed by others.

Another example is the British. They are also expanding in Mexico, but they have not invested enough and have not competed with the French.

They were unwilling to invest back then, let alone now.The British had too many colonies, and they couldn't manage their own. It was difficult for the Mexican Empire to arouse their interest.

There was also the Kingdom of Prussia, which also expressed interest in Mexico.It's a pity that they have no money in their pockets, and they can't get out the initial investment in suppressing the Mexican rebellion.

Such a poor ghost is naturally not a high-quality customer.It is estimated that it will be given to Prussia for free. They have no money to send troops to intervene in the Mexican Civil War.

In order to stop the loss, the French government has secretly contacted the Republicans.As long as Juarez is willing to continue to fulfill the treaty signed with them by Maximilian, it is not impossible to discuss letting them take power.

……

In the middle of the night, the headquarters of the Mexican Rebel Army was brightly lit, and Juarez was still holding a military meeting to discuss the next battle plan.

Repeated defeats and repeated battles are used to describe the Mexican insurgents.Starting from Juarez's uprising and continuing until now, the rebel army has experienced hundreds of battles, large and small, basically ending in failure.

Thanks to the reform policy of Maximilian I, however, the rebel army did not disappear, but gradually grew stronger amidst the failure.

War is the best teacher. From fighting recklessly with the French at the beginning to now launching guerrilla warfare everywhere, the rebel army has grown a lot.

Although they still couldn't beat the French, they were no longer at a disadvantage against the Mexican government forces.Without the support of the French, Maximilian I would have been overthrown long ago.

Foreign Minister Hadro said: "Your Excellency, the Americans have received news that the position of the Paris government has changed. They are preparing to sell the privileges they have obtained from that tyrant."

The Mexican rebels also had a government. They did not recognize the legitimacy of the Maximilian I government, and formed a republican government, which can also be said to be a continuation of the previous republican government.

After receiving the sponsorship, the situation of the rebel army improved, and the government of this grassroots team gradually improved, and now it has all internal organs.

The leaders are almost all political prisoners pardoned by Maximilian I, which is a bit embarrassing.

There were also many internal conflicts in the interim government. In order to prove that they had no collusion with Maximilian I, these people gave Maximilian I the title of tyrant.

Frankly speaking, this hat is too wronged.Maximilian I was at most a faint king, and had absolutely nothing to do with a tyrant.

That's the whole point, everybody's a republican, nobody's going to defend him.Since it is an enemy, naturally the darker the better.

Juarez said happily: "It seems that the French can't stand it anymore. The day of victory of the revolution is not far away."

Hearing the good news, everyone was overjoyed.After all, it is against France, and the pressure is still very high.

In this era, France is in full swing, and its influence in Mexico is even more extraordinary. If it weren't for the serious damage to their interests, many of them would not have participated in this revolution.

Even if they participated in the uprising army, many people were skeptical about whether they could win.In order to drive away the French, they have launched many decisive battles, and the result of each decisive battle ended in failure.

The shadow of failure has been hanging deep in everyone's hearts. Everyone knows that the French's investment in Mexico is less than one-tenth, or even one-twentieth.

Even such a small investment made them breathless. Naturally, everyone was extremely afraid of the French.At this time, everyone was very happy to hear that the French were about to give up.

A middle-aged officer asked with concern: "Is anyone taking over?"

The French have withdrawn, and if someone fills their place, it will be their new enemy.It would be a tragedy if you just finished rejecting wolves at the front door and suddenly found that tigers are entering at the back door.

"Driving wolves and chasing tigers" sounds very good, but it would be uncomfortable to operate.The strength of the rebel army is limited and cannot complete such a great task.

Everyone is most worried about Austria, the emperor comes from the Habsburg family.If France becomes Austria to send troops to intervene, the cooperation between the two parties will definitely be closer.

Next door is the Austrian Central American colony, and it is too easy for the Vienna government to intervene in Mexico's internal affairs.

Foreign Minister Hadro replied vigorously: "The French have all failed, how could someone take over?"

Everyone's tense expressions suddenly eased. If no external forces intervened to overthrow the rule of Maximilian I, everyone was still full of confidence.

After a pause, Hadro continued: "Your Excellency, why don't we agree to the terms of the French first, and then regret it after the expulsion of Maximilian I?"

The contacts with the French were conducted in secret, but the people here are all high-level, so it is clear that the rebel army has a secret connection with the French.

This is not surprising, the French are too powerful, everyone is not sure of victory, and they are also ready to compromise with the French during the armed uprising.

If there is no agreement, it means that the conditions of the two parties are too far apart.But this line is still kept, it can be regarded as a back road left.

"Playing with the French", as soon as Hadro's suggestion came out, everyone's face changed drastically.

After finally waiting for the French to be unable to hold on, they may be preparing to withdraw their troops. If they provoke the French at this time, who knows if it will make the French angry?

Juarez shook his head and said: "No, France is a big country, even if they fail here, it still won't affect their strength. If they are offended to death, we will never have peace in the future."

It's not that Juarez is timid, he really has no strength in his hands, and he is not tough in speaking and doing things.Even if the French give up Mexico, it can also cause them a lot of trouble.

Hadro defended unwillingly: "Your Excellency, the secret contact between the French and us is strictly confidential.

Even if it is to make a deal with us, the Paris government dare not sign a treaty on paper with us.Otherwise, the news of the betrayal of Maximilian I would be exposed, and Napoleon III would not be able to bear the political impact.

It's just a verbal agreement, even if we breach the contract, the French will not be able to come up with an argument on the surface.

As for the issue of revenge, at this point, can our relationship with the French still be good?

Unless we continue to implement the treaty signed by Maximilian I, there will be no possibility of détente between the two sides. "

Juarez fell into hesitation, and if he wanted to win the revolution in the shortest time, then fooling the French was the best choice.

Don't say that there is no treaty, even if there is a treaty, you can renege on it.But the revenge of the French is uncomfortable, and Juarez dare not underestimate the strength of the French.

The debt default that year was a profound lesson.In addition to the financial collapse of the government and the inability to pay, the Mexican government believed that European countries would not go to war for such a small amount of money. As a result, Britain, France and Spain all intervened, and the French stayed here even more.

After so many years of civil war, the economic losses brought to Mexico are no longer known to be how many times the debt.

Even if no one blamed him for this matter, Juarez is still very clear that he is responsible for this issue.After learning a lesson, he naturally became more cautious.

"What about other people's opinions?" Juarez asked.

Finance Minister Andersson was the first to answer: "I think it is worth a try, the French annexed Italy not long ago and are busy digesting the results.

In a short period of time, they should carry out strategic contraction.This is a matter of national policy, and the Paris government cannot change it for us.

This time may last for ten years.This is our opportunity. As long as we complete internal reforms during this period of time and the country becomes stronger, we will not be afraid of the French retaliation. "

Army Minister Grove echoed: "It's come to this point, why do you care what the French are doing? Anyway, they are enemies, and it doesn't matter if they offend them harder.

As long as we can overthrow the corrupt tyrant regime as soon as possible, we can establish a strong Mexican Republic without fear of French revenge. "

……

Everyone is an optimist, thinking that as long as the rule of Maximilian I is overthrown, Mexico can immediately become stronger.

Chapter 72 Prepare for Aftermath

In the scorching sun, a luxurious train sped past.On both sides of the road, the mature grains seemed to be frightened, bent over, lowered their heads, and trembled from time to time.

In the luxury compartment of the special train, a young man in gorgeous clothes was concentrating on reading the newspaper, frowning from time to time.

The young man was Alexandrovich (Alexander III) who was visiting abroad. He had high hopes for this trip to Paris, and he did not forget to collect information on the way.