Chapter 509: Chapter 82: The Teammate Who Can’t Be Carried
 

Longing for the stars, and longing for the moon, they finally had a pretext to intervene. Without any hesitation, Governor Hummel immediately ordered the military to march to Mexico, under the pretext of “investigating the causes of Austrian soldiers’ deaths”.

To use tens of thousands of troops for an investigation, the outcome was predetermined from the start. The ultimate answer would undoubtedly be what Austria desired, a fact in which Governor Hummel had unwavering belief.

“The Austrians have dispatched troops,” by the time this news reached Mexico City, the Austrian army had already landed in Veracruz.

The Mexican Republic Government was already in disarray; whether to resist or not was a question worth contemplating.

Barski, the leader of the Radical faction, said indignantly, “Your Excellency, Mr. President, Austria has gone too far. They are blatantly trampling on our sovereignty, and we absolutely cannot let this go without retaliation.

I suggest that we immediately disarm the Austrian Embassy and take them hostage. At the same time, we should order the troops along the way to intercept the Austrian army, delay their speed, and buy time to gather the nation’s army for a decisive battle to the death.”

Vice President Anakin immediately retorted, “Barsky, you brute. If we do this, there will be no room for easing the situation.

Going to war with Austria at this time, we have no chance of winning. You are destroying Mexico!”

The Conservative leader Cristal spoke up, “You can’t say it like that. Mr. Barski does have a point.

The Austrians are knocking on our door. Vice President Anakin, you surely don’t think these tens of thousands of Austrian troops have come here just for a mountain excursion, do you? What kind of case requires tens of thousands of troops to investigate?

The Austrians clearly have ill intentions, and if we don’t send troops to intercept them, I’m afraid it won’t be long before they’ll be attacking Mexico.

I know the Austrians are not easy to deal with, and going to war with them will surely lead to heavy losses. But we cannot disregard the national interest just to preserve our strength!”

Archbishop Lulanka chimed in, “Exactly, we must show the Austrians a bit of color, let them know our mettle.

Your Excellency, Mr. President, give the order! If we wait any longer, the enemy will be at the gates of Mexico City. We cannot abandon the capital once again to let Maximilian I be restored to the throne!”

…

The voices calling for war grew louder and louder, increasing the pressure on President Juarez.

Under normal circumstances, everyone would be opposed to war with Austria. However, this time was an exception, as the internal struggle within the Mexican Republic Government had escalated to a fever pitch.

The faction currently gaining the upper hand was naturally the Republicans led by President Juarez. Their armed forces were the strongest, and the surrounding areas of Mexico City were within their sphere of influence.

If war with Austria broke out, the Republicans would be the first to bear the brunt. The other political forces, unwilling to lose out in the power struggle, naturally wouldn’t miss the opportunity to use this situation to their advantage.

For many, the threat of Austria was but a minor inconvenience, not endangering their core interests. Instead, it was the Republicans who were a threat to their lives.

When overturning the reign of Maximilian I, the Conservatives, Constitutionalists, Catholic factions, Republicans, and Radicals could unify, but when it came to power distribution, they parted ways.

During his presidency, President Juarez initiated reform plans that had already offended the Catholic Church and the Conservatives. It was for their own interests that these people supported the Constitutionalists and conspired with the French to bring in Maximilian I from Europe.

However, they did not anticipate that the Emperor they had supported was also an idealist who adopted even more radical reforms than Juarez had.

Left with no choice, they could no longer bear it and eventually rebelled, overthrowing the rule of Maximilian I.

Now with the Republicans in power, to preserve their own interests, the Conservatives and the Catholic Church also aimed to bring down President Juarez. The fight was a matter of life and death, with no possibility for reconciliation.

The Republicans’ advantages in military strength were not substantial; mainly, they were the first to occupy Mexico City, and Juarez, being the president, had the moral high ground.

In normal times, this was an advantage, but now, with the Austrian army at the gates, the advantage had turned into a disadvantage.

Not resisting would be denounced as traitorous, but resistance would deplete one’s precious military forces. If we win, the prestige can make up for the lack of strength, and maintaining power won’t be a big problem.

But if we lose, then the Republicans will be doomed. A defeated government has no right to continue governing, and it will be inevitable for new political forces to take the stage.

Aside from the Radicals, who are quite simplistic as genuine patriots, the rest became the War Party to realize their own political ambitions.

Seeing his party outnumbered, President Juarez slammed the table and roared, “Enough! This is not a marketplace.

You want war, is that it? Fine, I’ll lead the team myself, and we’ll all be part of a Death Squad.

In this war where the odds of victory are slim, since it’s a suicide mission, let us old men go, no need for the young to sacrifice themselves in vain.

If you want to fight, sign up with me, otherwise, shut up. We’re here to discuss strategies, not to watch your grandstanding. Disgusting!”

The expressions of everyone changed drastically; letting others risk their lives was one thing, but to take to the battlefield themselves, that was out of the question—they still had lives to live!

No one doubted that Juarez was a ruthless man. It was not by mere words, but through fighting with a knife and a gun, that he, an Indian, had become President of Mexico.

Those who understood Juarez knew that his background was not prominent. He had lost his parents at the age of three and was raised by his uncle.

In his early years, he even served as a servant, and his ascent from servitude to the presidency was achieved by trampling over the bones of countless others.

Moreover, President Juarez was well into his sixties. In that era, this was considered a long life, and his health was already very poor due to injuries sustained in his youth.

With his life hanging by a thread, President Juarez might well be capable of dragging everyone down with him in a mass burial.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became awkward, and after a long silence, the Foreign Minister spoke up to break it.

“Not everyone wants to see the Austrians expand in Mexico, and we can invite England and France to mediate.

The Vienna Government’s focus on colonial expansion is the African Continent; America is not their target for expansion, and they have never reached out to Mexico over these years.

Austria has not sent additional troops to America, so we can tentatively conclude that the Vienna Government is not prepared for war with us.

The deployment of Austrian soldiers is likely at Franz’s instigation, in preparation to retrieve Maximilian I. A while back, the Austrian diplomat had negotiated with us regarding this issue.

If it weren’t for Maximilian I’s refusal to abdicate, we would have let him leave long ago.

This shooting incident is just an accident, providing the Austrians with an excuse. The current situation is probably that the Governor of Austria in Central America is overstepping his authority, using this opportunity for political blackmail.

As long as we handle things well and don’t give the Austrians any leverage, and then invite England and France to mediate, this matter can still be resolved peacefully.”

It must be said that the Mexican Foreign Ministry had done its homework. They had basically guessed the truth, as the Vienna Government indeed had not issued orders for expansion, nor had it prohibited the colonial government from expanding.

The choice of mediators had also been carefully considered. The great powers were not philanthropic; to request their mediation, interests had to be offered in exchange for their support. Why else would they back you?

In this situation, it is not better to have more participating countries in the mediation. Inviting numerous small countries without much say to mediate, at a great cost, would only result in a waste of benefits and no gains.

Aside from Austria, there are five other countries with say in Mexico: besides England and France, there are Spain, the United States of America, and the United States.

Spain is mired in civil strife and lacks the energy to get involved in these issues. Although the United States of America and the United States are just around the corner, their threat to Mexico is too great, and the two sides harbor deep-seated hatred.

Inviting them to mediate would be like throwing ourselves into the tiger’s mouth. The Mexican Republic Government remains extremely vigilant against these restless neighbors.

Eliminating these options leaves only England and France. As difficult as their relations with the French may be, the debtor is always the lord. If Austria were to expand its influence in Mexico, how would they repay the French?

Barski, the leader of the Radical faction, questioned: “England, France, and Austria are allies; if we let the diplomats from England and France intervene, will they take our side?”

Foreign Minister Apt explained: “It’s true that England, France, and Austria are allies, but their relationship isn’t that harmonious.

The recent Anglo-Ebura war was a struggle for control over the African Continent between Anglo-Austria. Going back further, there were disputes over the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal.

In short, there are many points of contention between England, France, and Austria. Even though the three countries have formed an alliance, their international positions are not always the same.

When it comes to diplomatic levels, the Governor of Austria in Central America doesn’t have the power to coordinate relations between England and France. Unless the Vienna Government intervenes and communicates with London and Paris at a high level, the English and French diplomats should be on our side.”

After a pause, Apt added less assuredly, “Of course, the precondition for England and France to support us is that we must be in the right. If the Austrians get a handle on us, England and France won’t confront Austria for our sake.”

The great powers play by these rules: Reason with the powerful, and play with bayonets with the weak.

President Juarez nodded his head; this was how you solve problems. Those incessantly clamoring for war were clearly just trying to stir up trouble.

If it were winnable, President Juarez too would like to be resolute once. But there was no way around it, the gap in strength was too large, and they simply could not defeat Austria.

President Juarez sternly warned, “I believe you all understand the gravity of the situation. Deal with the shooting incident promptly and do not leave any leverage to the Austrians.

If anyone deliberately causes trouble over this issue, it’s treason, and for such a traitor – death without mercy!”

Leading a team of incompetent allies, President Juarez was weary. Deep down, he had a sinister premonition that something significant was about to happen.

His weary body prevented him from thinking further. Age takes its toll; just holding a meeting to suppress various forces was enough to make Juarez feel overwhelmed.

The political struggle was too complex, giving him no peace of mind. The fact that the real culprit behind the shooting had not been captured cast a shadow over the incident.

If a traditional Chinese doctor were to see Juarez, they would conclude – the oil is drained, and the lamp dying. Now only a single breath sustained him, and once that breath was gone, his life would reach its end.