Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 437: The Value of France's Face

Leisure time is always fleeting. Just as the Cuban Crisis was resolved, trouble arose in Mexico. This time, the Americans were not primarily to blame; they were merely smuggling arms to the rebels.

This kind of thing, even if they didn’t do it, someone else would. Outstanding arms dealers always sell weapons to the enemy.

As long as you have money, you don’t need to worry about not being able to buy weapons. If you can’t buy them, it must be because you don’t have enough money.

The Mexican Civil War has been going on for many years. In the early stages, the government forces were overpowering the rebels, but now the tide has turned.

In the fall of 1868, the Mexican government forces and the French army joined forces for a major offensive against the rebels. It should have been a sure victory, but in the end, the rebels turned the tables.

There’s no need to delve into the details; to summarize, the rebels took civilians as hostages, Emperor Maximilian I ordered his troops not to shoot at the civilians, and then they were defeated in a grand fashion.

The Mexican government forces hesitated and incidentally set up their allies for failure. The French army did not anticipate a threat on their flank, resulting in heavy losses.

Approximately a thousand men were lost, and now Napoleon III is demanding compensation from the Mexican government, holding them responsible.

Franz has now received a plea for help from his brother Maximilian, basically complaining about the French being unreasonable and asking him for assistance.

Fortunately, it was a private letter and not sent directly to the Austrian government, or it would have been extremely embarrassing. Maximilian probably knew he was in the wrong, which is why he didn’t send an official diplomatic document.

Franz wasn’t worried at all about the French reaction. It’s too late for Napoleon III to regret it now; even if he wanted to return Maximillian, it wouldn’t be possible.

Since they chose to support a young and inexperienced emperor, they must bear the corresponding consequences. Overall, their investment in Mexico is still in a state of loss.

Plundering wealth sounds good, but the constant civil war in Mexico has severely damaged production, leaving the country impoverished and the people destitute.

Even if they wanted to turn Mexico into a source of raw materials and a market for goods, they would first need to restore production. Without money in the people’s pockets, there naturally isn’t much purchasing power.

Currently, the benefits that the French derive from Mexico each year aren’t enough to cover the military expenses, even though the Mexican government ultimately bears these expenses.

However, the Mexican government is now so poor that it can’t even pay Emperor Maximilian I’s annuity. This unfortunate young man hasn’t received his full salary even once since ascending the throne.

The main source of funds for the Mexican government now is international loans, most of which come from France. In Franz’s view, it’s not too much, just a billion francs or so.

If Mexico could end the civil war, restore production, and make some efforts, repaying the debt would be no problem at all.

The Silver Empire doesn’t have much else going for it besides currency production. Taking advantage of silver prices before they hit rock bottom, they still have the ability to repay debts.

Rubbing his forehead, Franz helplessly wrote a reply. Lending money was out of the question; how could he use his own money to fill a bottomless pit?

The French are now wealthy and don’t care about such minor losses. Since Napoleon III created this mess, it’s best to let them handle it completely.

Suppressing the rebellion is very easy; just subcontract this task to the French. If there’s no money, there are still the mines—Mexico’s silver mines are enough to cover these expenses.

The key point is to deal with the French commander in Mexico. Whether by bribery or persuasion, as long as he signs, it’s all good.

Franz repeatedly advised not to mess with the French envoy but to focus on the military commander. Diplomats are usually not easy to fool.

After sending the letter, Franz decided to help his brother out. Otherwise, given his brother’s ability to handle matters, even if a treaty was signed, the French might not honor it.

Mexico has many internal problems, especially after Maximilian I’s reforms, which later generations refer to as the “Reform War.”

The Emperor is a reformist, and so are the rebels. However, the Emperor is a genuine reformist, while the rebels are using the reformist banner for their own gain.

Ideals ultimately gave way to reality; the rebels won, and the Emperor became a spokesperson for the conservatives. In fact, if Maximilian I had allied with the conservatives, he wouldn’t have lost the civil war.

The victory of the rebels marked the beginning of military rule in Mexico. Until the 21st century, Mexico’s situation has never been truly stable.

“Tyron, send people to stir things up in France. Let the French people know that their army couldn’t even defeat the Native Americans.

Just leak the news; let the French public fill in the gaps themselves. Don’t overdo it to avoid making it seem too deliberate.”

Franz was quite skilled at manipulating public opinion. Distinguishing between right and wrong happens in an instant, especially in this era when a small elite controls the discourse, making it easier to sway public opinion.

The fact that the rebels defeated the French army in Mexico is already true, and the over a thousand casualties are the best evidence.

The specifics of the incident aren’t important; they can be glossed over. The French public won’t care why the army failed; losing to Native Americans is simply unacceptable.

Even though there were many white people among the rebels, Mexicans and Native Americans were seen as virtually the same in the eyes of the French, at least according to the people of France.

A loss naturally requires regaining face. If they just let it go, how could the proud French public accept that?

Now that there is no foreign interference, and the divided United States has no strength to confront France be it the North or the South, the French government has no reason to back down.

Moreover, the French government has now invested more capital than in the original timeline, so suppressing the rebels is necessary to recoup those costs.

Whether they admit it or not, Maximilian I is now their representative of interests in Mexico. If the emperor falls, their interests will inevitably suffer greatly.

The economic crisis is not over, and there are few opportunities in the world as lucrative as Mexico. Aside from other benefits, the tariffs and mineral rights pledged to them are enough to make the French take action.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Tyron, the head of intelligence, calmly replied.

Revealing a piece of news is hardly difficult. French newspapers are not as obedient as Austrian ones. As the beacon of the free world, freedom of speech has always been upheld by the French people.

Press censorship can be enforced in Austria, as everyone is already used to it there.

France is different. These restrictive laws were abolished long ago, and Napoleon III didn’t have the confidence to enact and enforce such laws.

Without restrictions on speech, such news naturally can’t be kept secret. Events in Mexico, once reported back to Paris, would naturally be published by the newspapers.

Parisian newspapers can fabricate news when there isn’t any, so why wouldn’t they publish actual news?

Delivering such genuine news is always a journalist’s duty. Many responsible journalists in Paris will fulfill this honorable mission.

...

The morning in Paris is the most beautiful time of the day. It’s the only moment to breathe fresh air. Soon, the factories will start up, black smoke will rise, and the experience will become much less pleasant.

Of course, compared to London, every day in Paris is good weather. Happiness is relative, and with London as a benchmark, Parisians don’t feel there’s much of a problem.

In the winter of 1868, the weather in Paris was particularly good, probably the only benefit brought about by the economic crisis.

Many factories had closed down, cutting off sources of pollution. The sky became bluer, and the air fresher.

Unfortunately, these changes didn’t catch Parkeron’s attention. As one of the unemployed masses, his sole focus was finding a job; other issues were trivial.

Now he was on his way to collect unemployment benefits. Though the money wasn’t much, it was enough to buy black bread and keep him from going hungry.

You might think it’s quite advanced to have unemployment benefits in the 19th century. This was one of Napoleon III’s achievements; unemployment benefits and even retirement pensions were introduced.

It’s not surprising when you consider Napoleon III’s other title, the “Socialist Emperor.”

Thanks to these good policies, even during the economic crisis, Napoleon III’s popularity didn’t decline.

This period was also the best time for French workers. After Napoleon III, they wouldn’t have such benefits again for the rest of the 19th century, not until the rise of the Soviet Union did they once more enjoy such welfare measures.

Very soon, Parkeron’s attention was caught. He hurried forward and asked an acquaintance, “What’s going on, Cross?”

Cross complained incessantly, “Parkeron, did you hear? Our army in Mexico was defeated by a bunch of native bandits. They say over a thousand died, and several thousands were injured.

My God, tens of thousands of French troops couldn’t even beat a bunch of native bandits. Did they all get milked the day before, exhausting all their strength on women?

These damn bastards have completely disgraced France. If this news gets out, our status as the world’s leading land army will be in jeopardy.

This is absolutely terrible…”

Parkeron couldn’t listen to the rest. He grabbed the newspaper and started reading it intently.

His knowledge was limited, and there were many words he didn’t understand, but he recognized the most important ones: casualties, defeat.

Then, he was completely immersed in the news of the French army’s defeat. Tens of thousands of French troops couldn’t win against a bunch of natives.

He muttered to himself: “This can’t be possible! How could we have been defeated?”

...

News, if not exaggerated, can’t attract everyone’s attention, right?

After the artistic touch of the newspaper editors, it turned into a story of tens of thousands of French troops in Mexico suffering a major defeat with heavy casualties.

In reality, there were less than ten thousand French soldiers involved. If there had been tens of thousands, the Mexican rebels couldn’t have won.

An absolute disparity in strength can’t be changed by a few minor tricks. Maximilian I’s orders were only effective on the Mexican government troops. The French army didn’t care about the Mexican Emperor’s orders.

Seeing the situation was unfavorable, the French government hastened to refute the rumors. But it was of no use; the fact that the French army was defeated remained, and the reasons were not what the French people cared about.

In short, the French people were furious. Unsurprisingly, the Parisians began their most meaningful activity—protesting.

Feeling happy? Protest. Angry? Protest. Feeling empty and lonely? Go protest. Dissatisfied with the government? Protest. In France, there’s no problem that can’t be addressed by a protest.

During the economic crisis, many people had nothing to do, which made the protests even larger, starting in Paris and then spreading nationwide.

The situation escalated, and the news of the French defeat in Mexico, embellished by the newspapers, quickly spread throughout Europe.

At this point, the French government couldn’t back down. If they didn’t retaliate quickly, the Mexican rebels would make a name for themselves at their expense.

The French army now lacked the prestige of defeating the Russians. Losing to Mexican rebels will not be seen as an anomaly; instead, other countries will amplify the narrative that the French army is incompetent.

This situation is undoubtedly disastrous for the French government. If other countries do not acknowledge their strength, it means they will be at a disadvantage in international power struggles.

After the decline of the Russian Empire, the French hurriedly crowned themselves the world’s leading military power. Didn’t they realize that the bigger the tree, the more wind it attracts?

Clearly, Napoleon III is not so shallow as to covet just an empty title. It’s not worth the lack of discretion for a mere nominal status.

Behind this nominal status lie substantial interests. This is why the French are in such a hurry to seize power. They aim to take over the mantle of continental dominance left by the Russians.

The cake is only so big, and when European countries divide it, strength determines the share. The stronger the country, the larger the share it gets.

Weak nations can only watch from the sidelines as this has nothing to do with them. If they are unlucky, they might even become the cake on the table.

The current dispute over the Spanish throne exemplifies this: France can veto so many candidates because of its formidable strength.

If at this time others perceive them as weak, it might result in another anti-French king in Spain.

At least Britain and Austria want to support an anti-French king, and if France’s strength cannot maintain the status quo, this scenario will occur.

The most convincing way to prove their strength is through war. Where they fell, they must rise again.

The future stability of France’s rear depends on their upcoming performance. At this moment, France’s face is incredibly valuable, even more than a single city.