I Became The Crown Prince Of The Mexican Empire Novel - Chapter 178
**Chapter 178**
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The Founding Party vehemently opposed the open proposal of the Annexation Party.
“Even if we make a big concession and include women and mestizos, giving voting rights to natives and even slaves! That’s ridiculous!”
“Right! What do those beasts know!”
“Ahem. Those words are a bit…”
“Oh, dear. I got carried away.”
“Anyway, we agree that we need to improve the treatment of natives and slaves. However, giving them voting rights right now is premature.”
While preparing for the vote that would decide the fate of the nation, the gap between the Founding Party and the Annexation Party widened.
There were many things to decide about the vote, and the two sides had different opinions. However, this issue was showing particularly sharp opposition.
José Hilario López, who had joined the Annexation Party, argued that all citizens of Nueva Granada, including women, natives, and slaves, should have voting rights.
It was natural for the Founding Party to oppose this, as it was unfavorable to them, but they should have been careful with their words. Reporters were stationed in the capital, writing articles about what was said in the meetings.
The Founding Party’s opposition offended all classes except whites.
“Beasts? These crazy bastards.”
“So, you’re saying half of us are beasts?”
López wanted exactly this reaction.
“See! As I said, the revolution advocated by the Founding Party is nothing but an empty shell. They are nothing but turncoats who want to gain power by conforming to the existing order!”
The Founding Party was taken aback.
“This is a cowardly political maneuver! Our country clearly recognizes the ownership of slaves, so how can they be considered citizens? If you’re going to argue that, then officially form a parliament and change the law.”
“Are you saying you recognize the voting rights of natives?”
“…”
Legally, slaves were considered property, not people, so it was difficult to call them citizens. But the native population was different. Even though many of them were practically slaves, peons, legally they were not slaves.
The fact that the Mexican Empire had emancipated over 4 million peons was already a well-known story within Nueva Granada. This was because they actively promoted it to secure troops since they were revolutionaries.
The native population, which accounted for 25% of the population.
Which side would they choose?
“Answer me. Natives are clearly citizens of Nueva Granada. There is no justification to exclude them from voting, who are not legally slaves. Do you also consider them ‘beasts’, Esteban?”
López, a skilled politician, pushed Esteban to the brink.
Esteban hated the conservative politician who had made a slip of the tongue, but it was Esteban’s choice to bring him in.
***
Nueva Granada was not a small country. As they prepared for the vote, the sun set.
January 11, 1849.
The vote to decide the fate of the nation began.
“Giving those things voting rights.”
The whites frowned and said it openly. They looked like they would beat them up if the revolutionary soldiers weren’t guarding the polling stations.
“Who the hell couldn’t control them? They’re crawling all the way to the polling station.”
It was true that the revolutionaries had taken over the country, and after capturing the capital, they had even absorbed the personnel of the Nueva Granada government, but there were still many difficulties in setting up polling stations in every corner of the country. This was because the Nueva Granada central government had never had the military or administrative power to control the entire country.
Polling stations were set up in cities and large villages in each region. It was easy for the wealthy whites and mestizos to participate, but it was difficult for the natives, who were under the control of the plantation owners, to participate in the vote.
The revolutionaries deployed troops to visit each plantation and order them to participate in the vote, but they couldn’t prevent the plantation owners from using tricks. The revolutionaries didn’t know exactly how many natives were on each plantation. Even if revolutionary soldiers came, they often hid half of them.
The natives who arrived at the polling stations could only look around nervously. This was because the whites, who were practically their masters, were gathered there, staring at them and putting silent pressure on them.
“The top is the Founding Party, the bottom is the Annexation Party! Don’t forget. The top is the Founding Party, the bottom is the Annexation Party!”
The soldiers explained repeatedly for those who couldn’t read.
The natives entered the polling station with their heads down, but they didn’t change their minds.
Swipe-
They checked the bottom.
“Tsk-tsk, look at those old fogeys making a fuss when it’s already over.”
Not all whites were part of the privileged class, and many were caught up in liberal ideology. City merchants also supported annexation for economic opportunities. Unlike the natives, who voted overwhelmingly for annexation, the whites were divided.
“What?”
“Yo, you little bastard. Which plantation do you work at!”
“I work in the city, you old fart.”
“Come on! Stop making a fuss! Anyone who makes a fuss will be sent to the back of the line.”
“…”
Those who were making a fuss shut their mouths when they saw the revolutionary soldiers shouting with guns in their hands.
***
“Your Majesty, a telegram has arrived from Veracruz!”
The moment we had all been waiting for.
Even I, who had been through a lot, was nervous when the time actually came.
I was confident of victory, but there was always a chance.
“Decode it immediately!”
I couldn’t wait and approached the telegraph operator. At my urging, the telegraph operator in the Imperial Palace, looking nervous, began to interpret each letter.
– Victory. 60% approval rating.
“Finally!”
I shouted in joy for a moment, but I wasn’t entirely happy. It was clear that the annexation of Nueva Granada was good for the empire. But on the other hand, a part of my heart ached. No matter what my intentions were, I couldn’t escape the criticism of being a radical expansionist. On top of that, there were many challenges to overcome, such as the unrest that would come with such rapid expansion, the integration of existing subjects, and the reorganization of local governance. I couldn’t forget the shadows lurking behind my achievements.
“You’ve worked hard. Go.”
“Your Majesty, congratulations.”
Ricardo, the Director, dismissed the telegraph operator and offered his congratulations.
“To bring such a large country in this way, it’s a tremendous achievement, Your Majesty.”
Diego also congratulated me happily.
“You both worked hard. I started with doubts, but the fact that things went so well is thanks to you.”
It was true. I hadn’t expected such results when I first deployed agents.
It wasn’t unheard of in history for a country to request annexation. In the original timeline, Texas requested annexation to the United States, and Hawaii also requested annexation to the United States due to foreign invasion. Without going that far, even in our Mexico, didn’t various regions of Central America request annexation?
‘But this is the first time a country this large has requested annexation through a national referendum.’
The total area of Nueva Granada is about 1.3 million square kilometers. That’s 13 times the size of South Korea.
It was a size that even our Mexican Empire couldn’t easily swallow, but it wasn’t impossible to handle.
“They’ll be requesting negotiations now.”
“Yes. There may be some disturbing movements from the Founding Party, but they’ve lost their legitimacy now that the results of the vote are out, so they won’t have many options.”
Diego said.
“Even if they start a second civil war, it’s obvious that the side supported by our Mexican Empire will win, so they’ll have no choice but to comply.”
Ricardo, the Director, agreed.
As he said, there was nothing the Founding Party could do. No matter how much people are moved by emotions, they were already a defeated privileged class. They wouldn’t think of fighting again unless they were truly crazy.
“Let’s guide them as much as possible to send us their demands as planned. We need to proceed with the next reform immediately.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
***
The results of the vote, which took almost a month, showed that the Annexation Party had won.
The landowners and the Church were devastated.
The results of the vote were worse than they had thought, so they were too discouraged to even protest.
While they were in despair, the Annexation Party moved quickly.
López advised Márquez.
“We don’t need to be submissive just because we’re being annexed. We’re not being annexed because we lost a war, we’re requesting a union between nations. Of course, we need to claim our rights.”
“Right. We need some degree of autonomy. Even though it’s a centralized nation, the current Mexican Empire is too focused on the capital.”
“Hmm? Th, that’s right. I didn’t think you’d say that, Santander.”
Márquez was surprised that even Santander, his friend and second-in-command, was saying they should demand various rights from the Mexican Empire, even though he had always sided with the Mexican Empire.
“We need to demand what we need.”
Santander was firm. López nodded in satisfaction at his attitude.
López and Santander, as if they had everything in their heads, quickly began to write down the demands to be sent to the Mexican Empire.
“It’s time to get rid of this outdated peon system.”
It was Santander’s words.
“I agree. And as you said, we need to expand the autonomy of each state. Right now, there’s not even a state parliament, and the governor appointed by the Emperor monopolizes the power.”
“Right. And we need to demand a bicameral system. The current unicameral parliament in the Mexican Empire has its advantages, but it lacks regional representation, and the problem of unilateral decision-making by the majority party is serious.”
“Wait, wait, Santander. That’s going too far, isn’t it? They might consider it excessive interference in internal affairs.”
Márquez hastily put the brakes on, hearing the conversation between López and Santander.
“No, we have the right to demand this much. Don’t you think so?”
Santander asked López. López thought for a moment and replied.
“Right. If they say it’s too much, we can negotiate, so don’t worry.”
The Mexican side had sent a message through diplomats welcoming the decision of the people of Nueva Granada and promising to cooperate actively. It was only natural. It was a chance to expand their territory without shedding a drop of blood.
“Hmm, if that’s the case, then good. Go ahead.”
***
February 1, 1849.
“I’m sorry, but we need to switch to a smaller boat from here.”
“It’s fine. It’s not a port, so there’s no other way. Don’t worry and go quickly. You have a long way to go, as you need to stop by Australia as well.”
A group of men landed on the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand.
It was a deserted coastline, not a formal port like nearby Port Waikato or Kawhia Harbour.
They had disembarked from a large ship and boarded a smaller boat to land on the mainland. They were explorers sent by the Mexican Empire.
“Is there a chance they’ll attack us out of the blue?”
It was a man with a gun. He looked more like a commander than an explorer, and he asked the scholar next to him.
“It’s very unlikely. The Maori have been in contact with Europeans for almost half a century. They’ve fought several times, so they’ll be wary of whites, but they won’t attack out of the blue.”
“I see.”
They were sent from the Mexican Empire to learn the language and culture of the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, and to interact with them.
The Maori, who still outnumbered the whites in New Zealand, which was still an early colony, had signed a treaty with Britain in 1840.
The Treaty of Waitangi.
The treaty, signed between British Governor William Hobson and about 500 Maori chiefs, stated that the Maori ceded sovereignty over New Zealand to the British Queen in exchange for Britain recognizing the Maori’s rights to their land and resources.
The problem was that there were differences in translation between the English and Maori versions of the treaty, which became a source of conflict over land ownership, and there had already been several armed conflicts, starting with the Flagstaff War in 1845.
“Hmm, if that’s the case, then I should go forward with you when we talk. I’m not white, so they’ll be less wary.”
He was a mestizo.
“Ahem. It’s not a bad idea.”
“I couldn’t say it on the ship, but isn’t it much easier for us? They say the number of natives and whites in Australia is almost the same, right?”
Delgado, the leader, asked, trying to lighten the mood.
“Ha, ha, well, it’s an assumption, but you could say that. Not only the population, but also the size of the land, so the native tribes are scattered over a wide area, so even if we support them, it won’t be easy to resist the British.”
“I see. But our Pacific Fleet will secretly support us, so we’ll have no choice but to win in the end.”
Delgado said, and the scholar, Peralta, nodded in agreement.
“We’ve been given a strict order to remove the British from the Pacific, so we have to make it happen.”
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