After ensuring Maximilian’s safety, Franz immediately ordered that he be placed under house arrest to prevent any complications. There was no other choice—Franz simply didn’t trust his unreliable brother. As the saying goes, “If you don’t court death, you won’t die.” Don’t think that things are truly safe now. There are plenty of people who want Maximilian I dead—enough to encircle Mexico City several times over. As long as he stays within the Austrian camp, he’s relatively safe. It’s all their own people, and no one there wants him dead. But if he were to wander outside, there would undoubtedly be plenty of people ready to shoot him or throw bombs. Of course, keeping him from interfering with the negotiations was another important reason for the house arrest. Maximilian I’s status is a valuable bargaining chip in negotiations with the Republican government, something they can leverage to their advantage. As long as Maximilian I hasn’t officially abdicated, he remains the legitimate Emperor of Mexico, and any treaty signed with him still holds legal validity. ... Inside the Austrian Embassy, Mexico City. Ambassador Kompten threatened, “Mr. President, this is our final offer. For every day of delay, your country will need to pay an additional 100,000 guilders in military expenses. Prolonging this will do you no good.” President Juárez felt deeply anxious, but he kept a calm exterior, forcing himself to maintain composure. “Ambassador, your country’s demands are excessive. We’ve already compensated the victims. At most, we can offer an additional 1 million guilders for military expenses. That’s our absolute limit.” Ceding territory to cover the indemnity was the last resort. After losing several northern states to the United States, Mexico had grown much more protective of its remaining land. Juárez knew full well that the Austrians were extorting them. The more aggressive their threats, the more it indicated that Austria hadn’t prepared to completely destroy Mexico. Strategically, Mexico was an important counterbalance to the United States, even if it had been split into two countries. A stable Mexico was essential for stopping American expansion, which aligned with Austria’s interests. However, President Juárez overestimated Mexico’s importance. Franz never believed that Mexico could effectively counterbalance the United States. The current stability in North America was more a result of the mutual restraint between the United States and the Confederacy, as well as the suppression by the great powers. History has proven that those who tried to use Mexico to counterbalance the United States ended up being bitterly disappointed. The difference between the two was a matter of quality. Compared to the fertile lands of the United States and the Confederacy, Mexico’s land was comparatively poor. Of course, that’s not the worst of it. The United States was blessed with natural advantages. Compared to their fertile lands, resources, and climate, over 80% of the world’s land could be considered poor. Mexico, despite being mountainous, still had rich mineral resources and decent agricultural potential. With proper development, it could have become a strong middle-tier nation. Unfortunately, it had the misfortune of being next to the United States. Not only was there a significant difference in population size but also in the quality of the population. Even though both the Union and Confederacy had a majority of semi-literate people during this period, they were still far more advanced than Mexico’s tribal societies. This isn’t an exaggeration— a significant portion of Mexico’s population still lived in tribal communities, much like those in the Austrian colonies in Central America. However, Mexico was in a worse situation. The Austrian colonies in Central America had the backing of Austria, and just by selling agricultural products and industrial raw materials, their local economy was developing quite well. Who would support Mexico now? It’s safe to say that as soon as President Juárez is out of the picture, a civil war in Mexico will break out. This conflict would be even more severe than in the original timeline. The United States and the Confederate States were bitter enemies, each supporting different political factions in Mexico, with neither side’s financial backers behind the scenes willing to compromise. This doesn’t even take into account the roles that Britain, France, and Austria might play. Achieving a stable Mexico was challenging because none of the political factions within the country were strong enough to lead effectively. Including Juárez, none were qualified leaders. His prestige was based solely on his stance against imperialism and the establishment of a republican government, but his actual contributions to the country were minimal. Although he implemented social reforms, these reforms ended in failure. Compared to Maximilian I, the only difference was that Juárez’s reforms were somewhat more moderate, as he knew how to compromise with interest groups. The lack of convincing achievements was the root cause of Mexico’s unstable political situation. Many opposed the republican government not out of ambition or self-interest but simply because they believed it was incapable of governing. This judgment wasn’t wrong. If they had been capable, Mexico wouldn’t have plunged into civil war in the original timeline. It’s worth noting that after the fall of Maximilian I, Mexico didn’t immediately descend into full-blown civil war. The republican government under Juárez managed to hold on for a while. If there had been a competent governing team, they might have been able to navigate through the crisis instead of plunging the country into a century of chaos. Kompten smiled slightly and said, “It doesn’t matter. I believe in your country’s capacity to endure. Even if you refuse, it’s of no concern to us—we can just take matters into our own hands. But if it comes to that, everyone will lose face, and the price your country will pay will be much higher.” This wasn’t a threat. It was already in motion. The driving force behind this wasn’t the Mexican government but the rising class of plantation owners and ambitious young men who aspired to become plantation owners. The Austrian colonies in Central America were different from the United States. Fertile land was limited, and the number of plantations that could be established was no longer enough to satisfy demand. Expansion had become the only option, and there were only two neighbors: Colombia and Mexico. In this two-choice scenario, Mexico unfortunately became the target. If you flip through the history books, you’ll find that Mexico was once quite prosperous. Right after gaining independence from Spain, it was one of the largest countries in the world. But their good fortune ended there. First, Central America broke away, and then the United States bit off 2.3 million square kilometers of territory, ending Mexico’s imperial dreams. Everyone knows that gaining land at the negotiating table is nearly impossible. Almost all expansions are achieved through military force, creating facts on the ground before they are finalized. This time was no different. While Ambassador Kompten was negotiating, Governor Hümmel wasn’t idle. Only one division was stationed outside Mexico City, while the rest of the troops, apart from those securing logistics, were engaged in a war of expansion. The fighting had just begun, and with Mexico’s poor communication infrastructure and the lack of a widespread telegraph system, President Juárez had no way of receiving the news in advance. In a fit of rage, President Juárez slammed the table, stood up, and shouted angrily, “This is an invasion, a shameless act of…” Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly collapsed. Ambassador Kompten’s face instantly darkened, and the expressions of those present varied from tense to delighted to gloating. Kompten didn’t care about President Juárez’s life or death, but the problem was that he couldn’t allow Juárez to die in the Austrian embassy. Otherwise, it would severely undermine the ongoing negotiations. “Guards, get Dr. Rehl here, quickly!” Without any hesitation, Ambassador Kompten immediately ordered to save him. The Austrian government had a reputation to uphold, and if Juárez died here, who knows what stories might circulate outside. The people present probably wouldn’t refrain from embellishing the story. Kompten certainly didn’t expect them to say anything fair. One of them might even write in their memoirs that President Juárez was killed while valiantly standing his ground in negotiations with Austria. Soon, a middle-aged man in a white coat entered the conference room and immediately began resuscitating President Juárez. Suppressing his emotions, Ambassador Kompten said, “Mr. Kurd, President Juárez’s life is in danger, and the embassy’s medical staff is insufficient. You should send someone over.” Juárez was the leader of the Republican faction, and if he died at this moment, the Republicans would be left leaderless. Kurd was just as anxious as Kompten. “No problem, I’ll arrange it right away.” As soon as Kurd finished speaking, someone from the Mexican delegation jumped up and accused them, “You poisoned President Juárez and now you want to shirk responsibility!” Both Kompten and Kurd shot murderous glares at the man. Juárez wasn’t even dead yet, and this guy was already making such accusations. While it might benefit Mexico in the negotiations if President Juárez died now and they could blame the Austrians, Kurd couldn’t accept this outcome. Ignoring the ranting of the middle-aged man, Kurd continued to go out to find help. Given the gravity of the situation, Kurd couldn’t trust anyone else to handle it, especially since there were undoubtedly several people within the Mexican government who wanted Juárez dead. Ambassador Kompten mockingly ordered, “Guards, take this lunatic away. If anything happens to President Juárez, he’ll be the prime suspect.” Attempting to accuse Austria of poisoning a negotiator was a serious charge, and in Kompten’s mind, this foolish man had already signed his own death warrant. Even if someone wanted to spread rumors, they should at least wait until they were outside and do it secretly. Shouting accusations so openly was like asking for a swift death. The great powers of this era were not to be trifled with. If the situation had been different, and it had happened in another place, killing a person or two would have been a trivial matter. Soon, the bad news arrived. President Juárez, who was already at the last of his strength, had reached the end of his life. On January 21, 1872, President Juárez, after suffering severe stress, died in the Austrian embassy despite attempts to save him. His death occurred six months earlier than it had in the original timeline. This is understandable, considering that the situation he faced was much worse than in the original timeline. Not only had he endured several more years of civil war, but Austria had also come knocking on his door. After going through so much, his body simply couldn’t take it anymore, and once he collapsed, he couldn’t get back up. Even more tragically, due to his physical condition, President Juárez had been relying on drugs to forcibly support himself to have the energy to handle state affairs. This autopsy result left Ambassador Kompten in a difficult position. The Mexican doctors insisted that Juárez had died from poisoning. Doctors sent by the British and French also reached the same conclusion, though they remained impartial in their assessment by noting that the death was caused by long-term drug use. With such a major incident, Ambassador Kompten couldn’t handle it on his own. He immediately sent someone to inform the Austrian government. There was no other choice. Since Mexico didn’t have a direct telegraph connection to Austria, the message had to be sent via Austrian Central America. To be precise, it was more of a relay. Transmitting a message from the Americas to Vienna required several relay steps. That’s just how cumbersome wired telegraphs were.
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