Chapter 437: Chapter 10: How Much is the Face Value of France?
 

Leisure time is always fleeting; no sooner had the Cuban crisis been resolved than Mexico encountered trouble. This time, the Americans were not mainly responsible; they were just smuggling arms to the rebel army.

Such actions would be carried out by somebody else, had the Americans not done so. The best arms dealers always sell weapons to the enemy.

As long as you have money, there’s no need to worry about not being able to buy weapons. If you can’t buy them, it’s definitely because you’re not rich enough.

The Mexican Civil War had been raging for many years and, initially, the Mexican government army had the upper hand against the rebel army. Now, it had come to a turning point.

In the autumn of 1868, the Mexican government army and the French Army jointly launched a major campaign against the rebel army. What was supposed to be a certain victory turned into a defeat for the government troops.

The detailed process is no longer necessary to delve into; to sum it up, the rebels took civilians hostage, Maximilian I ordered his troops not to fire upon the civilians, and then he suffered a glorious defeat.

The Mexican government army became overly cautious and, incidentally, betrayed their allies. The French Army had not anticipated a threat on their flank, resulting in severe losses.

About a thousand men were lost, and now Napoleon III is demanding compensation from the Mexican Government, holding them accountable for this.

Franz has now received a letter for help from his brother, Maximilian, which primarily complains about how unreasonable the French are and seeks Franz’s assistance.

Luckily, this is a private letter and not sent directly to the Vienna Government; otherwise, it would have been a major embarrassment. Presumably, Maximilian also realized he was in the wrong, which is why he didn’t send an official diplomatic document.

Franz is not the least bit worried about the French reaction. For Napoleon III, it is already too late for regrets, and returning the item is out of the question.

If one intends to make a naive young man the emperor, then naturally one must face the corresponding consequences. All in all, their investment in Mexico is still at a loss.

Looting wealth sounds good, but the continuous Mexican Civil War has severely damaged production, leaving the country and its people impoverished.

Even if you turn Mexico into a raw material producing area and a goods market, production must be restored first. If people don’t have money in their pockets, they naturally lack purchasing power.

The profits that the French currently gain from Mexico each year aren’t even enough to cover the cost of their military expenses—expenses that, in the end, are borne by the Mexican Government.

However, the Mexican Government is now so poor that it’s making a loud noise, even Francois’ annuity has been in arrears. This unfortunate child, having been on the throne for so many years, has never once received his full salary.

The Mexican Government’s main revenue now comes from international loans, most of which are borrowed from France. In Franz’s view, that sum isn’t too much, just about a billion and a half Francs.

If Mexico could end the civil war and resume production, then with some hard work, repaying the debt wouldn’t be an issue at all.

The Silver Empire doesn’t have a lot, but they do have abundant currency production. Taking advantage of the silver prices before they plummet, they still have the ability to clear their debts.

Rubbing his forehead, Franz reluctantly wrote a reply. Lending money was out of the question; how could one’s own money be used to fill an insatiable pit?

The French now have deep pockets and don’t care about such a minor loss. The situation was created by Napoleon III, so it would be best to let them take full responsibility to the end.

Suppressing a rebellion is very easy—just outsource the job to the French. Without money, aren’t there mines? The Mexican silver mines are sufficient to bear this expense.

There’s only one focus—settle things with the French Commander in Mexico. Whether it’s through bribes or deception, just make sure he signs off on it.

Franz repeatedly emphasized to his generals to be cautious when dealing with the military commanders and not to waste time with the French Ambassador, as those involved in diplomacy were usually not easy to cheat.

After sending the letter, Franz decided he still needed to help his brother. Otherwise, with his level of competency, even if a treaty were to be signed, France might not even acknowledge it.

There were many internal issues in Mexico, especially after the reforms made by Maximilian I. Future generations would come to call this conflict the “Reform War.”

The Emperor was a reformist, and so was the rebel army. The difference was that the Emperor genuinely supported reform, while the rebel army used the banner of reformism to pursue their own interests.

In the end, ideals had to succumb to reality. The victory of the rebel army turned the Emperor into a symbol for the Conservative cause. In fact, if Maximilian I had really allied with the Conservatives, he might not have lost the civil war.

The triumph of the rebel army marked the beginning of the era of Mexican warlord politics which persisted into the 21st century, leaving Mexico never truly at peace.

“Tyren, send someone to create momentum in France, letting the French public know that their army can’t even defeat the indigenous Indians.”

Simply leaking the news would suffice, the rest would be left to the imaginations of the Parisians, without interfering too much to avoid seeming overly deliberate.”

When it came to manipulating public opinion, Franz was quite adept. Truths and falsehoods could be twisted in an instant, especially in this era when the power of discourse was held by a select few elites, making it even easier to sway public opinion.

The French Army’s defeat in Mexico by the rebel army was the truth, and the more than a thousand casualties were the proof.

What happened during the event is not the focus, it’s better to skip that part. The French public wouldn’t care about why the army failed, simply losing to the indigenous Indians was unacceptable.

Although there were many white people in the rebel army, in the eyes of the French, Mexicans were no different from the indigenous people, at least that’s how the Parisians saw it.

After a defeat, it was natural to seek redemption. How could the proud French public accept it if nothing was done in response?

Now, with no foreign powers intervening and the divided United States lacking the strength to contend with France, the Paris Government had no reason to be timid.

Moreover, the current investment by the Paris Government was much greater than in the original timeline. They couldn’t suppress the rebellion without recuperating their costs.

Whether they admitted it or not, Maximilian I was now their spokesperson for interests in Mexico. If the Emperor were to fall, their interests would undoubtedly be greatly impacted.

The economic crisis was not over, and rich targets like Mexico were rare in the world. Not to mention the tariffs and mineral resources mortgaged to them, those alone were worth the French intervention.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the intelligence chief Tyren calmly replied.

Revealing a piece of news was hardly a challenge. French newspapers were not as compliant as those in Austria; as a beacon of the free world, freedom of speech had always been a tenet of the French people.

The press censorship system could be enforced in Austria because people were accustomed to it.

It was different in France. Such restrictive measures had long disappeared; Napoleon III did not have the confidence to establish and enforce such a law.

Without constraints on speech, this kind of news naturally could not be kept secret. Events occurring in Mexico being reported back to Paris and published in newspapers was completely normal.

Parisian newspapers, lacking news, could fabricate stories, so why not publish when there was actual news?

Delivering such genuine news has always been the responsibility of journalists. In Paris, there are many such responsible individuals who will fulfill this honorable mission.

…

The morning in Paris is the most beautiful time of the day. It is the only moment one can breathe fresh air; a little later when the factories start up, thick black smoke rises and the sentiment is not quite as wonderful.

Of course, compared to London, every day in Paris is a good weather day. Happiness is relative, and with London setting the baseline, Parisians don’t see much to complain about.

During the winter of 1868, Paris’s weather was exceptionally nicer, probably the only benefit brought about by the economic crisis.

A large number of factories closed down, cutting off the sources of pollution. The sky became bluer, the air fresher.

Unfortunately, these changes did not catch the attention of Parker. As a member of the unemployed masses, his sole goal was to find a job; other issues were of no concern.

He was now on his way to collect unemployment benefits. Although not much, the money was enough for him to buy black bread and not worry about starving.

Isn’t it quite advanced that unemployment benefits already existed in the 19th century? It was one of Napoleon III’s achievements, not to mention old-age pensions had also appeared.

It is not surprising when one considers another title of Napoleon III—the “Socialist Emperor.”

Thanks to these good policies, even during the economic crisis, Napoleon III’s popularity did not decrease.

This period was also the best for French workers. After Napoleon III, they did not receive such treatment for the rest of the 19th century, only enjoying similar benefits again after the rise of the Soviet Union.

Suddenly, Parker’s attention was caught and he quickly stepped forward to ask an acquaintance, “What’s the matter, Cross?”

Chattering incessantly, Cross complained, “Parker, do you know? Our troops in Mexico have been beaten by a bunch of natives and bandits. It’s said that more than a thousand have died and several thousand are injured.

My God, tens of thousands of French troops can’t beat a bunch of native bandits?

Those damned fools have disgraced the face of France. If this news gets out, our position as the world’s number one land army power might be gone.

It’s utterly terrible…”

Parker wasn’t listening anymore. He snatched the newspaper and began to read seriously.

Forgive his lack of knowledge; he didn’t recognize many words, but he could understand the most important ones like casualties, defeat—those he recognized.

Then, he became entirely absorbed by the news of the French Army’s defeat, muttering to himself:

“This can’t be possible!”

“How could we possibly fail?”

…

News, after all, if not exaggerated, how could it attract everyone’s attention?

After the artistic embellishment by newspaper editors, the story became tens of thousands of French troops suffering a crushing defeat in Mexico with heavy casualties.

In actuality, the French forces involved were less than ten thousand. If there were tens of thousands of French troops, it would have been impossible for the Mexican rebels to win.

Absolute differences in strength cannot be changed by a few tricks. Maximilian I’s orders were only effective for the Mexican government army; the French Army did not care about the Emperor of Mexico’s commands.

Seeing how the situation was developing unfavorably, the Paris Government quickly stepped in to debunk the rumors. But it was no use; the French Army’s defeat was a fact, and the rationale was not of interest to the French public.

In short, the French people were outraged. Without any surprise, Parisians started their routine activity—protests.

People protest when they are happy, when they are angry, when they feel lonely, and when they are dissatisfied with the government. In France, there is no problem that cannot be protested.

Now, during the economic crisis, many people had nothing to do, which made the scale of the protests much larger, starting in Paris and then spreading nationwide.

The more the situation escalated, the news of the French Army’s defeat in Mexico, after being sensationalized by newspapers, spread rapidly through Europe.

At this point, the Paris Government could no longer back down. If they did not retaliate quickly, the Mexican rebels would rise to fame on their shoulders.

Now the French Army did not have the reputation established by defeating the Russians; losing to the Mexican rebels would not be seen as an accident, and other countries would only push the narrative of the French Army’s lack of combat effectiveness.

This was undoubtedly a disaster for the French Government. Not being recognized for their strength meant they would be at a disadvantage when competing for international interests.

After the decline of the Russian Empire, the French hastily crowned themselves as the world’s number one land army power. Did they not know that a tall tree catches much wind?

Clearly, Napoleon III was not so superficial. It wasn’t just for an empty title that they showed such eagerness without dignity.

Behind the empty title lay a wealth of interests—that was the real reason why the French were so anxious to usurp power. They wanted to take over the position of European hegemon left by the Russians.

The cake is only so big. When the European countries divide it, they rely on strength: the stronger the country, the larger the share they obtain.

Weaker countries can only watch from the sidelines; it has nothing to do with them. If they’re unlucky, they might even end up as part of the cake on the table.

Take the current dispute over the Spanish throne, for example. France’s ability to veto so many candidates rests on their formidable strength.

If at this time, outsiders perceive their power as insufficient, perhaps another king opposed to France might ascend in Spain.

At the very least, both the Anglo-Austrian two countries would like to support a king opposed to France; if France’s strength cannot hold sway, such a scenario might occur.

The most persuasive way to prove national power is through war. Where they fall, that’s where they must rise again.

Whether the future stability of France is assured depends on their upcoming performance. France’s reputation is now worth its weight in gold, and not just that of a single city.