Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 513: Different Paths, Same Destination

In the Vienna Palace, Franz looked at the telegram in his hand and didn’t know what to say. Describing the situation as “out of the blue, trouble finds you” might seem a bit off.

This time, Austria had caused the situation themselves. If the negotiations hadn’t taken place in the Austrian embassy, it wouldn’t have mattered how President Juárez died as it wouldn’t have been Austria’s problem.

Blaming Ambassador Kompten? That wouldn’t be right either. He had been doing his job diligently. Holding the negotiations at the Austrian embassy was meant to give Austria an advantage and secure greater benefits for the country.

President Juárez’s death was merely an accident. Ambassador Kompten bore no responsibility and shouldn’t be held accountable.

Now, a heavy burden had suddenly fallen from the sky. No matter how it was explained, there would still be accusations. Either that Austria had poisoned President Juárez or that Maximilian I had taken revenge by having him killed.

In reality, Franz had never intended to kill President Juárez. His existence wasn’t a threat to Austria. In fact, keeping him alive was more valuable than eliminating him.

As for Maximilian I, if he had been capable of assassinating President Juárez during the negotiations, he wouldn’t have ended up in his current situation.

Prime Minister Felix suggested, “Your Majesty, given what has happened, we should withdraw our troops from Mexico. At this point, holding them accountable wouldn’t be morally justifiable.”

Franz nodded. No matter how solid the previous reasons were, now that a Mexican president had died in the Austrian embassy, that alone could serve as an explanation.

Continuing to press Mexico would ruin Austria’s international reputation. This would go against the long-standing principles of the Austrian government. Even the notoriously shameless British wouldn’t do something like this.

“Order Governor Hümmel to withdraw the troops. We should also evacuate the embassy and our citizens. Mexico is about to descend into chaos, and we shouldn’t get involved in this mess.”

The process didn’t matter as much since the ultimate goal had been achieved. With Juárez’s sudden death, the Republican faction would inevitably engage in fierce infighting over his successor.

Juárez had been president over a decade ago, and his term had long since ended. During the past ten years of guerrilla warfare, elections were impossible.

Since overthrowing Maximilian I, preparations for a Mexican election had been underway. Had President Juárez not died, his chances of being re-elected would have been very high.

But reality had no “what ifs.” Without Juárez, there was no other political figure in Mexico who could command the same authority.

The central government’s lack of authority and the brewing internal conflicts, combined with the meddling of foreign powers, make it almost inevitable that civil war will break out in Mexico.

Soon enough, one might see the American Civil War reenacted on Mexican soil. Both the Confederacy and the Union are eager to back a puppet government in Mexico to bolster their influence in North America.

The British, French, and Austrians aren’t the type to sit idly by, either. The French may be pulling back strategically, but as Mexico’s biggest creditor, staying low-key isn’t an option.

Meanwhile, the British and Austrians are itching for action. It seems Austria, under the influence of the British, has become quite skilled at stirring up trouble during its colonial expansion.

Foreign Minister Wessenberg spoke up, “Your Majesty, withdrawing from Mexico City should suffice. We’ve already occupied several southern states so we can afford to hold our position for now.

The Austrian colonies in Central America have long had territorial disputes with Mexico. These issues can be settled gradually. We’ll wait until Mexico forms a new government, then discuss terms.”

With President Juárez’s death, Austria must put on a show for the world. Pulling out of Mexico is inevitable, but how they do it will require finesse.

They can’t afford to have mobilized their forces for nothing. At the very least, they need to recoup their expenses. If Austria delayed just a bit longer, waiting for Mexico’s civil war to break out, they could solidify their hold on the southern territories.

As long as Mexico doesn’t elect a government that Austria recognizes, they can keep those territories. It won’t take long—just three to five years—and they’ll be Austria’s for good.

This move isn’t just strategic. It’s also to placate the plantation owners in Austrian Central America, who have been itching to expand.

The Austrian government needed them to maintain a certain strength to prevent the Americans from extending their reach into Central America. As long as Austria occupied the Central American region, the Panama Canal wouldn’t be able to start construction.

After some thought, Franz made his decision, “We won’t occupy their territory under our government’s banner. Austria has never invaded Mexico.

The southern part of Mexico is simply a region where the locals refuse to accept the Mexican government’s rule. If the Mexican government can’t manage its own people, that’s their problem, not ours.”

Once he lowered his bottom line, Franz wasn’t afraid to play the fool. As long as Austria didn’t officially claim Mexican territory, the international community couldn’t say much.

If the Mexican government is strong enough, they’re welcome to send troops to reclaim these areas. But they’d better succeed on the first try. If they fail, the rebellion will only spread. Losing a few more states would just highlight their incompetence.

In three to five years, when the dust has settled, those regions can quietly be integrated into the Austrian colonies in Central America.

That’s just how the game is played. When it’s time to be hypocritical, so be it. As long as the real gains are in hand, the formalities don’t matter.

Most of the spoils from this expansion will go to the plantation owners in Austrian Central America. But with those gains comes the responsibility—they’re the ones who will have to govern these new territories.

Mexico is no easy prize. If the French couldn’t swallow it whole, Franz wasn’t naive enough to think Austria could either.

So, Franz decided to let the colonialists handle it. They could take as much land as their strength allowed. However far they expanded was up to them, and if they failed, they’d have to deal with the consequences themselves.

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In Mexico City, the death of President Juárez had already stirred up a storm. Under the orchestration of certain individuals, a massive crowd of protesters had surrounded the Austrian embassy, leaving no way in or out.

People tend to be more forgiving of the dead than the living. Before his death, President Juárez was widely criticized, but now that he’s gone, his image has suddenly become exalted, as if he had transformed into a saint overnight.

Inside the embassy, Ambassador Kompten was growing increasingly uneasy. Outside, the protesters kept up their demonstrations around the clock, their chants so loud they shook the entire embassy district that even the embassy’s guard dog was trembling.

To prevent the protesters from storming the embassy, Kompten had already called in a battalion from outside the city. They had set up a perimeter and even mounted a Gatling gun at the front gate.

This wasn’t an overreaction. In just a few days, there had already been several attempts to breach the embassy, and the bodies lying outside were proof of that.

In this light, Franz’s order to evacuate the embassy seemed wise. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to ensure the safety of the embassy staff.

As Kompten pondered the situation, a young officer approached him with a telegram, whispering, “Sir, this is the latest order from the Austrian government.”

Snatching the telegram, Kompten noticed it was dated five days earlier. He didn’t dwell on the delay. Instead, he focused on the message instructing them to evacuate Mexico. For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

The order to evacuate the embassy clearly signaled a complete withdrawal from Mexico. After years of painstaking effort to establish the embassy district, the thought of abandoning it left Kompten with mixed emotions.

After a brief pause, Ambassador Kompten sternly ordered, “Notify the Mexican government that we are evacuating. They have three hours to disperse the crowd, or they will bear the consequences.”

With the decision to leave, there was no need for restraint. The great powers had never lacked strong-arm tactics, and if the Mexican government continued to act recklessly, a bloodbath in Mexico City before their departure wasn’t out of the question.

Not annexing Mexico didn’t mean Austria feared its strength. The main issue was that defeating the government forces was easy, but ruling Mexico was a different story.

Mexico’s territory had shrunk considerably, but it still covered nearly two million square kilometers, much of it mountainous. Clearing such a vast area would require at least hundreds of thousands of troops.

The cost had long exceeded the benefits. The French abandoned Mexico because they realized this and were unwilling to continue sinking resources into that black hole.

But now, things were different. Since Austria was pulling out anyway, even if things got ugly, Ambassador Kompten felt no pressure.

He knew exactly where the protesting crowds outside had come from. The Mexican government didn’t dare confront Austria directly, so they pushed the people to the front, hiding in the background to watch the spectacle.

Kompten hadn’t acted yet, not because he was afraid, but because it wasn’t necessary. On the surface, it looked like this was causing trouble for Austria, but in reality, the biggest problem would eventually fall back on the Mexican government.

If they had any experience in governance, the Mexican government would never have done this. Public opinion is a double-edged sword. Once Austria withdrew, that overwhelming public sentiment would become the blade to cut down the republican government.

The truth was, from the moment the autopsy report on President Juárez was released, Austria’s political extortion attempt was doomed to fail.

The Mexican government had been wasting its time from start to finish. Even without the protesting crowds, the Austrian government would have abandoned Mexico anyway.

Upon receiving news of Austria’s withdrawal, the Mexican government, for once, acted with surprising efficiency. All the major factions within the government agreed on one thing—getting rid of this plague as quickly as possible.

But then the backlash hit. Violent clashes erupted between the protesters and the police sent to disperse them. Even the organizers couldn’t control the highly agitated crowds.

The three-hour deadline passed quickly, and chaos reigned outside the embassy district. Watching the Mexican government suppress its own people, Kompten could only sneer.

Even though they were leaving, packing up wasn’t something that could be done in just a few hours, so he had time to enjoy the show. As for any trouble, Kompten wasn’t worried at all. The Mexican government was more concerned that they might refuse to leave.

Anyone daring to obstruct the Austrians from leaving would become the Mexican government’s greatest enemy. The inexperienced Mexican government didn’t realize that Austria’s withdrawal was only the beginning of their troubles.

While the withdrawal was underway, military operations were intensifying elsewhere. The frustrated colonists wouldn’t miss this rare opportunity for expansion.