I Became The Crown Prince Of The Mexican Empire - Chapter 104



Only Noblemtl

Pacific Fleet (5)

When there was something important to announce, it was common practice to gather a splendid delegation and visit. Then, Joseon had to treat the delegation with great honor.

“You only sent one letter to inform me of this information···.”

“Look at the contents. Isn’t it worth it?”

Groan groan-

The royal meeting was noisy, unlike its usual quiet appearance. The contents of the letter sent from the Qing Dynasty were shocking.

Since it was a letter sent not in the name of the emperor but in the name of a high-ranking Qing official, cumbersome procedures such as the three-stepping and nine-kneeling ritual were omitted, and the letter was read aloud in front of all the high-ranking officials attending the imperial meeting.

The content was detailed, but considering the purpose of the speech, there were two main points.

The first was that the Qing Dynasty clearly confirmed to the Mexican Empire that Joseon’s internal and foreign affairs would be left to Joseon’s autonomy, and the second was that it urged Mexico to accept its demand to open its ports.

It was truly embarrassing for a high-ranking state to send to a vassal state. That was why it was even more miserable. Long ago, they had ignored it as a country founded by barbarians, but in the end, they lost the war, and their power was acknowledged and they were forced to surrender.

How could such a Qing dynasty be so miserably defeated by a foreign power and even be forced to send such a humiliating letter?

It was a shocking event for the high and low ranking officials of Joseon.

“Pressure through the Qing Dynasty… It seems that the country called Mokseo (Mexico) has been investigating our country a lot.”

“As written here, our Joseon nation’s foreign affairs are a matter for Joseon to decide. If we open our ports recklessly, we will not be able to handle the consequences.”

“Yes, that’s right. Because the sheep’s stuff and their peculiar culture will come in along with it.”

Even if the Qing Dynasty had recommended it, it was impossible to open the country. The high and low ranking officials gathered here were not only bureaucrats but also Confucian scholars. It was impossible to tolerate Western ideas and culture, which conflicted with Confucian ideas.

In particular, this change was not welcomed by those in power who held power in Joseon. What if impure thoughts spread among the people?

“But now that there is no excuse for diplomatic evasion, can’t those sheep pressure us as much as they want?”

“If we resist fiercely, they will have no choice but to retreat. I heard that the European countries and the Koreans are more than ten thousand li away, so they will not easily think of going to war.”

“Hmm···.”

There is already a precedent in the Opium War. However, everyone here had the same intention of not wanting to open the country, and since Joseon would not win if Mexico applied military pressure, they could not say that they should surrender immediately.

“Anyway, the contents of this letter will be kept secret. There will be no good to come from it being spread around.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Of course.”

The high and low ranking officials of the royal meeting agreed, regardless of faction, for the first time in a long while. They decided to leave the contents of this letter undisclosed. However, for some reason, the rumor began to spread quickly.

“What? Not only did the Qing lose the war, they also advised Joseon to open its ports?”

“I heard it somewhere too… I heard that a letter like that arrived.”

“What good could there be from opening our ports?”

“That’s not necessarily true. The crown prince of the Mokseo Kingdom, a country similar to the British that subdued the Qing Dynasty, sent a letter to our king, and after hearing its contents, I thought that it might be a good idea to open the country.”

The man explained in detail the contents of the letter, asking where on earth he had heard this information, but in short, the technological level of the East and the West was as different as heaven and earth.

The earlier a country opens its ports, the sooner it can accept the civilization. If it opens its ports later, it could end up as a ‘colony’ ruled by another country. In fact, Mexico was also a colony of a country called ‘Spain’ for a long time.

“Didn’t you say that Japan had already opened its ports?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm. Seeing as how the Qing Dynasty was destroyed in the Opium Wars, it doesn’t seem unreasonable… This is difficult.”

As the contents of the letter from the Qing Dynasty and the contents of the letter from the Mexican crown prince began to spread through the streets, the reactions of the Korean people were divided.

“Shouldn’t we really open the ports too?”

Those who have anxiety and fear of doing so.

“Aww, that’s just nonsense. What do you guys know? Tsk tsk.”

There were some who clicked their tongues at the voices of some who said that we should seriously open the ports.

The former were mostly commoners or people from weak yangban families, while the latter were mainly landowners or powerful yangban.

After Crown Prince Hyomyeong, who had once shown signs of becoming a reformist monarch, passed away, Park Gyu-su, who was heartbroken by the successive deaths of people around him and devoted himself to his studies in seclusion, heard these rumors.

“I will see and confirm it with my own eyes.”

***

“It is time to execute the operation.”

Admiral Navarro said.

“It’s finally running.”

“Yeah, I’ve been feeling pretty stiff lately.”

The Pacific Fleet, which had spent time gathering information on the unexpected appearance of the fleet, reported the situation to the Crown Prince and received further orders.

——

1. Remove former Philippine Governor-General Mariano Ricafort.

2. To help the Philippines establish an independent nation and have normal government functions, and to conclude treaties to enable trade.

——

The first order could have been carried out immediately, but considering the second order, it was not possible to take action right away.

It was good to destroy Ricafort’s ‘Philippine Kingdom’, but he needed allies to deal with the power vacuum and local sentiment that followed.

“There were many who wanted independence, but it was hard to find the right one.”

“That’s right. Even when they were offered help with independence, there were those who refused to cooperate, saying they were outsiders and couldn’t trust them. There were also those who believed them so easily that it was absurd, but didn’t have the ability to actually push for independence.”

“Yeah, he was just an idiot.”

After contacting several candidates, I found one.

The name was ‘Jose Garcia’. It was a very familiar name, as the Philippines, like Mexico, was under Spanish rule for over 300 years and Spanish names were common.

Jose Garcia did not believe the Pacific Fleet’s claim that “as fellow Spanish colonies, we will help the Philippines,” but he was neither so unrealistic nor so foolish as to refuse cooperation as to call it nonsense.

The Pacific Fleet was a ridiculous force, but Mariano Ricafort’s fleet was unrivaled in this region. Garcia also felt this fact deeply, and he concluded that it was impossible to achieve independence without the help of an outside power, and thus formed a strategic alliance.

With the support of the Pacific Fleet, Garcia gradually prepared his plan for independence and gathered many comrades.

Now you are ready.

Admiral Navarro gave his ship a boost and shouted loudly.

“Pacific Fleet, sortie! Target: Manila Bay!”

“Go!”

The adjutant shouted along, and the Pacific Fleet stationed in Japan sortied.

***

Ricafort’s Philippine Kingdom fleet realized that it was no match for the Pacific Fleet, but it could not escape.

This is because this is Manila Bay, where Manila, the capital of the Philippine Kingdom, is located.

Boom!···Boom!

Wedge-

Bam!

“Kwaaaaak!”

The Philippine fleet was in ruins, and the defenses of Manila Bay were in a state of ruin.

Boom! KWAANG! BAM! KWAANG! BAM!

“Land!”

As the 104-class battleships rained down shells, the Marines prepared to land.

The Marines landed in the Intramuros area and advanced on the Palacio del Gobernador, the palace where the governor resided, and local independence activists began an uprising along with the previously announced attack by the Mexican fleet.

“Independence! Let’s drive out the Spanish Ricafort and establish a country for the Filipinos!”

As Jose Garcia shouted, his comrades and the citizens of Manila responded.

“Wow!”

“Here, take the gun!”

The former colonial guard, now the Philippine Royal Army, laid down their arms.

The white soldiers, that is, the Spanish, could see right through them what was going on, and the native soldiers had no loyalty to begin with.

“Surrender! Surrender!”

“The King. No, the Governor is over there!”

There were even those who exposed Ricafort’s location in order to survive.

“Catch him!”

“Let go, let go!”

The King of the Philippines, Mariano Ricafort, was captured without even putting up a proper fight.

During his time as governor, he was a capable governor who led administrative reforms and economic development in the colonial Philippines, but the fall of Spain twisted his fate.

The opportunity to become a king, not a governor with a mere five-year term, had come. The lust for power had clouded his vision, and the end of one who had coveted what was beyond his means had come.

Brought before Admiral Navarro, he seemed to have no intention of waiting for a dignified end.

“Now, wait a minute! I, I am a Spanish citizen! Touching me as the governor means war with Spain!”

“When did you become the king of an independent country?”

There is no need to talk at length anyway. His Highness the Crown Prince’s order was not to bring them to Mexico or Spain, but to ‘eliminate them.’

“You idiot. You should at least say something useful.”

Admiral Navarro muttered and pulled out his revolver.

bang-

***

May 1842.

Protests came from Spain.

Since there had been no contact since the last war, it was clear that he had only just now learned of the events in the Philippines in February.

Unai Emery, a Spanish diplomat who entered the country only through British mediation due to the lack of diplomatic channels, naturally did not come out strongly.

“The Philippines is a colony of our Spain, recognized internationally. You have already removed our governor, and now you are claiming to be an independent nation. If you stop supporting independence now, I will forgive you for attacking the governor and the colonial army.”

after-

The words, “What can I do if it doesn’t go through?” were on the tip of my tongue, but I felt it was a bit odd to directly rebuke him in front of the British ambassador who had helped mediate.

“I am sorry to say that, as far as our Mexican Empire can confirm, the Philippines was not a Spanish colony. The governor of the Philippines whom you once appointed, Mariano Ricafort, called himself the king of the independent nation of the ‘Kingdom of the Philippines’. He even refused the order to send the fleet home, so you must be well aware of this fact.”

“···Even so, it is something that we, Spain, must punish. The Mexican Empire has no justification for the Philippines. The Philippines is a colony that we have nurtured for over 300 years.”

“Ha, there is no justification. Aren’t there other places that were colonies that you have nurtured for over 300 years? Our Mexico was also once a colony that was exploited by you. Isn’t this justification enough?”

As I taunted and retorted to Emery, the mediator who had been absent, British Ambassador Pakenham, intervened.

“Well, doesn’t Spain know that it is realistically impossible to reclaim the Philippines? Instead, why don’t you present what I have proposed?”

A British proposal?

Emery sighed softly.

“Ah. I understand. Your Majesty, I will make the proposal official. We will sell all our rights in the Philippines to the Spanish Republic for three million pesos. You will forgo the troublesome task of establishing an independent government and rule directly.”

‘That’s what it was.’

There was a reason why Britain suddenly intervened.

Spain declared bankruptcy after being defeated by us, but England would not accept her bankruptcy, and even took away Spain’s remaining fleet, paying a steep price for it, leaving her with a lot of debt.

The plan was to sell the Philippines to Mexico and have them pay off the debt. The calculation was that if they didn’t take all the money but left some, Spain would be able to breathe easier and it would help normalize the country.

It was not a tempting proposition for me. I had already concluded a secret agreement with Britain, which recognized my supremacy over the Philippines, so there was no need to buy rights from Spain. Furthermore, direct control of the Philippines was not an option in my plans from the beginning.

“I refuse. The Philippines is already independent. As a newly independent nation from Spain, we plan to sign a defense treaty with Mexico. Don’t think of anything ridiculous.”

Unai Emery looked disappointed at my firm words, but I wasn’t finished talking.

“Instead, I will buy Puerto Rico for 1.5 million pesos. We don’t have a fleet anyway, so we can’t manage it properly.”

Emery looked dismayed at my counteroffer, but Ambassador Pakenham’s expression brightened.

It didn’t matter if they sold the Philippines or Puerto Rico, as long as they paid back the money to Britain, that was the answer.

I smiled faintly at the sight.