I Became The Crown Prince Of The Mexican Empire Novel - Chapter 180
**Chapter 180**
(180/180)
**< Pacific Hegemony (1) >**
“The Mexican Empire’s Pacific territory, what in the world…”
George Nobbs desperately racked his brains.
‘The Mexican Empire… That’s the American country that gained independence from Spain. Are they already projecting their fleet to the Pacific like this?’
George Nobbs arrived in Pitcairn Island in 1828. As an educated man, he was somewhat aware of the state of the world.
‘Even so, they can’t be as strong as the British Empire or France in terms of naval power. So, are they being reckless because they’re an American country and it’s close?’
George Nobbs gathered his courage once again.
“Pitcairn Island is British territory, and I am a priest officially sent by the Church of England. Aren’t you afraid of the wrath of the British Empire?”
George Nobbs’ voice was a mixture of anger and despair. The Mexican Empire’s marine commander, hearing the priest’s words, which repeated the story he had already ignored once, chuckled and said.
“So, when was the last time a British ship visited here? It seems like they wouldn’t come to this remote island in the South Pacific very often.”
“…”
His point was true. Pitcairn Island wasn’t a neighborhood, and even the British Empire wouldn’t send a ship just for a simple patrol without any business.
The distance between Pitcairn Island and the British mainland is 14,900 km by straight line, and the actual distance by sea route is a whopping 32,000 km. Considering that it’s 8,000 km from the Mexican Empire’s west coast port, they have to travel four times that distance.
The British Empire would only send a ship to Pitcairn Island if they had a very specific reason. And that means that even if the Mexican Empire occupies Pitcairn Island right now, it would be years before the British Empire finds out.
The commander pressed Nobbs, who was speechless.
“Choose. Will you swear allegiance to our Emperor right here, or will you refuse and become a prisoner?”
George Nobbs looked at the residents standing behind him. Their faces were filled with fear. Fighting was practically out of the question. They would just die a pointless death if they fought.
So, what would it be like to be a prisoner? This man was treating the British Empire like an enemy. He said it would take years to be discovered, but on the other hand, that means they would eventually be discovered. And yet, he’s doing this.
‘What in the world happened in the world? Could it be… that the British Empire has fallen?’
Otherwise, there’s no way those Mexicans, who gained independence less than 30 years ago, would dare to commit such a reckless act. If we assume that, his country might not have the power to retrieve him and the residents who were captured by Mexico.
Thinking that far, Nobbs said in a gloomy tone.
“I… I’ll swear allegiance. Then we’ll be able to keep living here, right?”
“Yes. An official might be sent later, but you’ll be able to live as you have been for now.”
There was no need to explain the current situation to the residents. They all understood because they were speaking English. Some clenched their teeth and glared at the Mexican Empire’s army, but no one objected to Nobbs’ decision.
While the 150 residents of Pitcairn Island knelt and swore allegiance to the Emperor of the Mexican Empire, the naval captain on board the warship looked out at the fantastic natural scenery of Pitcairn Island from the deck.
Pitcairn Island in March was like a painting. The warm equatorial sun enveloped the island, and the clear sky met the deep blue tropical sea.
The transparent seawater surrounding the island sparkled emerald green, and the white sandy beach created by the coral reefs stretched out softly.
“I’m glad we can offer this to His Majesty.”
***
Antonio Marquez, the leader of the revolutionary army, and his advisor, Jose Hilario Lopez, were bewildered.
“You accepted all those demands?”
“This is definitely… a surprising event…”
Lopez looked as if he had been hit on the head. They thought the Emperor of Mexico was a man with absolute power, like an absolute monarch. Why would he accept such a reform?
It was a decision that made you think, ‘Is this the kind of decisive action that has made Mexico prosper?’ It was a completely different course of action from his teacher, Simon Bolivar, who had acted disgracefully in his later years and lost power.
“I told you it was possible. His Majesty truly loves his people.”
Santander beamed, praising the Emperor as expected.
Even though Santander had pushed for it, the conditions they had come up with were excessive, even in their opinion. They were prepared to engage in a long and difficult negotiation. But the Emperor accepted it, with the condition that it would be implemented gradually. He didn’t specify the specific time or plan for that gradual implementation, but considering that the Emperor had put his honor on the line, they had no choice but to believe him.
It was a surprising yet happy event.
They wanted to brag to the entire population right away that their choice was right. But the annexation demands were confidential. Reform inevitably leads to opposition from certain groups, and they couldn’t possibly disclose all the details of multiple reforms to the public.
Naturally, Marquez finally approved the annexation, and the merger of the two countries was realized.
The country called New Granada disappeared into history, and along with it, the ‘Free Citizen Union’ happily disbanded.
The landowners and clergymen who had clung to the last hope that the Emperor of the Mexican Empire might reject the annexation were disappointed.
“…It’s over.”
“Hey, was the Gutierrez group, who took their wealth and fled to Argentina, wise?”
“The clergymen were already busy packing up their possessions to move.”
The landowners of New Granada were depressed, but the clergymen, who were about to have all their property confiscated, didn’t even have time to be depressed.
“*Heh heh*, I’m saying this now, but can those clergymen do that? They have a parish and a church that was given to them, and they’re going to run away with their possessions. If you think about it, it’s actually church property.”
“Well, they can’t take the entire farm with them, so they’ll probably just take some valuables.”
“That’s true.”
There was no turning back now. The Mexican Empire’s army and officials were entering Colombia.
The implementation of the annexation was like a military operation.
The Mexican Empire sent a large number of troops and officials to three directions: the Panama region, the Atlantic ports of Cartagena and Santa Marta, and the Pacific ports of Buenaventura.
The Mexican central government’s bills were immediately applied to all of Colombia. There was no grace period.
“Immediately free all slaves in the Colombian region.”
In Mexico, there were very few black people, except for Texas, but the situation was a bit different in the Colombian region. There was a lot of black slave importation, mainly on the eastern coast. Ten percent of the total population were black slaves.
“All church property, except for pastoral buildings and land, belongs to the Mexican Empire government.”
The slave owners and clergymen felt like screaming. They were angry, but they didn’t feel like resisting. How could they, who had lost to the revolutionaries, possibly resist the Mexican Empire’s central government?
“The Mexican Empire’s army will soon arrive here.”
“Well, what can we do? We have no choice but to accept it.”
“No, if this is going to happen, I’d rather pack up my belongings and move to another country.”
Many tried to pack up their belongings and move to another country. Immigration isn’t that easy, but there were many countries in South America with similar cultures and languages. There were even Venezuela and Ecuador, which had recently become independent after being part of the same country.
“Where to?”
“Argentina.”
Venezuela and Ecuador, which were right next door, weren’t attractive options. They were countries in chaos due to political turmoil, just like New Granada. South America was all the same, except for Chile. Argentina was known to be economically prosperous.
“Ha, the port!”
The port they had gone to find a ship was sealed off by the Mexican Empire’s fleet. As if they had anticipated that they would do this.
The landowners and clergymen looked at each other with bewildered expressions. Fleeing to Argentina, a new country that was already unstable, was a huge gamble, and now even that wasn’t easy.
“It’s not easy to go by land either. The imperial army will block it before we arrive.”
The empire, with its immense power, seized all of Colombia at once.
***
“I told you so! What kind of warning? There’s no way those guys would listen to that!”
The British Conservative Party members attacked the Whig Party members, seizing the opportunity.
“You should have taken more decisive action.”
“Even the retired Duke of Wellington sent a letter of anger.”
The Duke of Wellington, a hardliner against Mexico, had retired from politics and was enjoying a leisurely old age, but the news that Mexico had annexed Colombia enraged even the 80-year-old retired man.
The Whig Party members didn’t just take it.
“No, this isn’t our fault! You guys agreed when we criticized them, so what’s the matter now!”
“That’s right! And decisive action? Are you saying we should have gone to war? Our allies are in a terrible state after last year’s revolution. You’re just talking nonsense with hindsight!”
“What? Nonsense?”
Prince Metternich, who had held power in the Austrian Empire for a long time, was now in England.
He wasn’t here for diplomacy. He had actually come to seek asylum.
Unlike Prussia, which had quickly crushed the revolution, Austria had been severely affected by the revolution that took place in Vienna in March 1848.
Metternich, who had established the Vienna System and defended absolute monarchy and conservative values, had been forced to step down, and the emperor had even been forced to enact a constitution, a humiliating experience.
With its internal situation in such a state, the Austrian Empire couldn’t help the Mexican Empire. If they had made that decision, even the emperor’s position would have been in jeopardy.
Austria and the United States couldn’t help, so Britain couldn’t take a hardline stance, and in the end, Mexico swallowed Colombia.
“…Let’s say we couldn’t help it this time. But we can’t let it happen anymore. Look at this map.”
The Mexican Empire’s territory was enormous. And all that vast territory wasn’t a colony, it was all mainland. It was a size that could threaten the British Empire’s hegemony. The members of parliament all looked serious.
“I agree. I think we need to contain them, now on par with Russia, if not more.”
“I agree.”
The Mexican Empire, which was already huge when it became independent, had swallowed the Caribbean, then the western United States, and now it had expanded its territory to the south.
The British people’s sense of crisis reached its peak. Almost everyone in the upper class, including members of parliament, the royal family, and capitalists, expressed their displeasure at seeing the Mexican Empire’s territory rapidly expanding.
***
The Venezuelan power holders, upon hearing the news of the Colombian annexation, felt a chill, beyond simple displeasure.
“It seems that the left and right have become the Mexican Empire’s territory.”
President José Tadeo Monagas of Venezuela said with a troubled expression.
The territory of the Mexican Empire, painted green, looked menacing, as if it was about to swallow Venezuela. It was already burdensome enough to share a border on the right, but now the left was theirs too. It was an impossible situation for a new country that had only recently gained independence.
He, who was maintaining his power relatively stably, was bewildered by this catastrophe that had occurred just as things seemed to be getting better domestically.
He hadn’t thought much of it when British Guiana, which Britain had owned, was transferred to the Mexican Empire.
In reality, the Mexican Empire didn’t care much about that land. There was almost no land development, and they only managed the port. But now that they’re sandwiched between the Mexican Empire’s territories, it’s clear to everyone that they’re coveting Venezuelan territory.
“They’re using Simon Bolivar’s justification. Is his ghost still lingering?”
The Emperor of the Mexican Empire was emphasizing the legitimacy of the annexation by bringing in Jose Hilario Lopez, who was known to be a disciple of Simon Bolivar, as part of his government.
“It’s just justification.”
Tadeo’s younger brother, José Gregorio Monagas, a senator, replied. Current Venezuela was under the rule of the Monagas brothers.
“The Mexican Empire has everything that Simon Bolivar wanted to achieve with the unification of Latin America, and yet they’re bringing up Simon Bolivar. What does that mean?”
“It’s justification for expanding into South America.”
“Yes. And it’s actually working. We’ve received reports that those who supported Simon Bolivar have already started moving.”
His brother handed him a report with some names on it.
As he read the names one by one, Tadeo’s face grew darker. Bolivar’s comrades, those who had dreamed of his ideals together, had begun to sympathize with the Mexican Empire one by one.
“These old men…”
Had they been swayed by their propaganda using the hero of the War of Independence, or were they trying to cling to a powerful force for safety? Either way, it was a difficult situation for Venezuela.
“Crush them all.”
***
While the world was shocked by the news of the Colombian annexation, a Mexican Empire expedition team, after wandering for days in the remote areas of the North Island of New Zealand, came into contact with the Maori people.
Their expressions and gazes weren’t kind, to put it mildly.
The Maori warriors glared at them with fierce eyes. Their appearance was filled with suspicion and hostility.
The expedition members flinched unconsciously whenever they met their eyes. But their mission was clear. It was to somehow make this unknown land in the South Pacific an ally of the empire.
**< Pacific Hegemony (1) > End**
English