I Became The Crown Prince Of The Mexican Empire - Chapter 105



Only Noblemtl

Pacific Fleet (6)

“It’s only 1.5 million pesos!”

Of course, it is a little cheaper.

You might say that Puerto Rico was willing to sell the Philippines for 3 million, so 1.5 million would have been more than enough, but that was because an independent nation had already been established in the Philippines, and there was no power to take it back.

In fact, in the original history, the United States was considering purchasing Cuba for $150 million in the 1850s, but a report was accidentally leaked stating that if Spain rejected the offer, it would be “justifiable to take it by force,” which became the seed of the Spanish-American War.

‘But land prices are very fluid during this time.’

Didn’t the United States buy half of Mexico’s territory for just $15 million? Of course, that was an amount that was possible only because it had started a war and destroyed Mexico.

Our Mexican Empire in this world was capable of that, and Spain has already made progress against us.

“One hundred and eighty million pesos. That is the limit. You would do well to sell it now while the opportunity presents itself. If you think that our Mexican Empire will ever tolerate Spain’s Caribbean and Pacific colonies, you are very mistaken.”

I pressed more directly.

“Ahem. To me, this doesn’t seem like a bad suggestion.”

Ambassador Pakenham also weighed in. It was an attitude they could take, as they were only concerned with getting the money.

Spanish Ambassador Emery looked at Ambassador Pakenham with a bewildered expression, but wasn’t that how the international community was?

“I will discuss it with my home country and then decide.”

“In that case, I’ll lend you our British high-speed ferry.”

“···Thank you for your kindness.”

There was unspoken pressure to get an answer quickly, but Ambassador Emery had no choice but to say so.

A month later, Ambassador Emery brought an unexpected answer.

“Are you going to sell all the islands in the Pacific at once?”

“Yes. Our Spanish Republic (República Española) has decided to get rid of all the colonies that are the remains of the past. We will sell you Puerto Rico, the Mariana Islands, Palau, the Caroline Islands, and the Marshall Islands, for a total of 3.5 million pesos, as you proposed.”

“···3.5 million pesos?”

Anyone can see that it is a justification to turn over a remnant of the past, and it seems like the Spanish government is just selling it because they need money, but they used their brains to make it worth considering.

They offered 1.8 million pesos for Puerto Rico, which would be 1.7 million pesos for the Pacific Islands combined, which is a bit expensive. But it’s unlikely that you’ll get a chance to buy them all at once without going to war.

It is a headache to think that other powers like Britain, the United States, and France are buying these islands. Although the islands are small, they are large enough to build military ports, which means that the Pacific is at stake.

‘It’s not an amount that I can’t live without···.’

As my worries grew longer, Ambassador Pakenham said:

“We in the UK are also interested in islands in the Pacific other than Puerto Rico. For example, Guam…”

“I see. If the Mexican Empire does not accept this offer, we will have to consider selling it separately to various countries.”

Ambassador Pakenham and Ambassador Emery were pressuring me by giving and receiving in front of me.

‘I got hit.’

My mention of the Caribbean and the Pacific as a means of pressuring Spain was poisonous. It seemed to let them know that I considered those two important.

If this happens, I have to buy it. But I can’t just let it go like this.

“Let’s sell them all together for 3.2 million pesos.”

“3.2 million···”

Ambassador Emery tried to protest to me for lowering the price by 300,000 pesos in an instant, but I cut him off and explained.

“Ambassador Emery, think carefully. Spain owes debts to Britain and France. How much cash can it get by selling the island? Even if it were to sell it to another country, how many countries would be willing to reach all the way to the Pacific?”

It’s not Africa, America, India, or Asia, but the Pacific. There probably aren’t many countries interested in this region.

The United States may be interested, but it will not be able to blindly purchase Pacific islands while the border dispute in Oregon, the only route to the Pacific, is not resolved.

Ambassador Emery seemed convinced by my words. After some more negotiation, the final outcome was as follows:

——

Article 1. Purchase of territory

– The Mexican Empire purchases Puerto Rico, the Mariana Islands, Palau, the Caroline Islands, and the Marshall Islands from the Spanish Republic for a total of 3,250,000 pesos.

Article 2. Establishment of diplomatic relations

– The Mexican Empire and the Spanish Republic agree to maintain continuous and stable diplomatic relations by mutually stationing diplomats in their respective capitals.

Article 3. Trade Permit

– Merchants from the Mexican Empire and the Spanish Republic may trade freely.

——

For the Spanish Republic, which had only recently succeeded in its revolution, it was important to be recognized as a proper nation, so it took a friendly stance, even adding diplomatic normalization and trade provisions.

Swish swish-

I signed the treaty and said to Ambassador Emery:

“I think a friendly atmosphere can be created between our two countries in the future. I ask for your cooperation.”

“Thank you. I am the one who needs to take good care of you, Your Majesty.”

It was decided that he would remain as Spain’s ambassador to Mexico.

This treaty will also give the Spanish Republic some breathing room.

***

The governor-general, who had declared himself King of the Philippines, died with a hole in his head, and the independent nation of the ‘Republic of the Philippines (República de Filipinas)’ was established in Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

“As planned, send half of the fleet to Joseon. The rest will stay here and help stabilize the Republic of the Philippines.”

“yes!”

They destroyed the governor’s fleet and killed the governor, but that was only the beginning, not the end.

The newly founded Philippine Republic had no debt, but it also had no money, the new government’s politicians had no political experience, and the provinces were unwilling to submit to central control.

If most independent nations fail to overcome these obstacles, they will not be able to function properly as a nation and will experience a long period of chaos. His Highness the Crown Prince has ordered that these obstacles be removed.

“Why are you helping me like this?”

The interim president of the Republic of the Philippines, Jose Garcia, asked with a mixture of gratitude and wariness in his eyes.

“Surely you wouldn’t say that we’re helping you just because we’re an independent country from the same Spanish colony. I’m not naive enough to believe that.”

It was too much help to be called a mere favor. Independence itself was like being spoon-fed by Mexico. Then how big a bill would they have to pay? President García was afraid of that.

Admiral Navarro also noticed that sentiment.

“Don’t worry. It’s not much help for the Mexican Empire. It’s also more convenient for our trading partners to be politically stable.”

These aids are a huge help to the Philippines, but not a huge investment to Mexico.

The Pacific Fleet’s current mission is to expand and protect the Mexican Empire’s influence in the Pacific region. It’s not a big deal, since it’s just a matter of ordering the fleets that are already there.

“···I can’t help but hope that’s true.”

The Republic of the Philippines, which currently controls only the Manila area, could not refuse Mexico’s offer of help.

Even if Mexico changes its mind, there is no way to resist. Until recently, the Philippines was not even able to escape Spain or the Spanish colonial governor’s fleet.

“First of all, we need to completely take control of this island of Luzon.”

The Philippines is a country made up of many islands. The largest and most important of these is Luzon, where Manila is located, followed by Mindanao.

Each island is 110,000 square kilometers and 90,000 square kilometers in size, and their populations are as large as their size. We must first take control of these two islands, which are the largest and most populous, before moving on to the smaller islands.

“I agree. If we just march the army and show our force, most provinces will express their intention to join the Republic, but if not, we will have no choice but to fight.”

“Yes, but the Pacific Fleet will support you, so only a lunatic would dare to rebel.”

Why was the Governor-General able to take control of the Philippines? He was able to take control of the Philippines with only this fleet without having to lead a large army because all the major cities in the Philippines, including Manila, were port cities.

President Garcia also nodded at the admiral’s opinion.

“I guess so.”

In this way, they began to take control of the Philippines. The Pacific Fleet, carrying Republican troops, went around each city, urging them to join the Republic.

Half of the fleet was sent to Joseon, but there was no force capable of opposing the remaining half of the fleet.

Ambitious men who raised armies and took control of the provinces in a short period of time were stripped of their command and sent back to the capital after only a few weeks of sweetness.

It took a month to take control of Luzon and another month to take control of Mindanao. Once the two islands had joined the Republic of the Philippines, other islands naturally began to request to join.

The major islands of Samar, Negros, Palawan, Panay, and Cebu joined the republic one after another.

“It seems like you’ve almost finished taking control of the province. I see that the security situation isn’t all that great, but I believe you can handle that.”

“Yes, we have to catch criminal organizations ourselves.”

Since they have taken over the weapons used by the Governor-General’s army, there will be no force that can defeat the Republican government, at least in this Philippines.

“Okay, then. It’s time to officially sign the treaty.”

It was a tense moment.

President Garcia was more nervous than on the day the uprising was launched.

He read down the document that Admiral Navarro had handed over.

—————

Treaty of Friendship and Commerce between the Mexican Empire and the Philippine Republic

Article 1. Diplomatic relations and cultural respect

– The Mexican Empire and the Philippine Republic shall maintain constant communication between themselves by posting diplomatic representatives resident in each other’s capitals.

– The two countries seek to promote mutual understanding through diplomatic communication based on respect for each other’s culture and traditions.

Article 2. Port Use Rights

– The Republic of the Philippines opens five ports to the Mexican Empire: Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Zamboanga, and Vigan.

– The above ports could be used as supply points for the Mexican Empire’s naval fleet and as a place for trade and exchange of goods for Mexican merchants.

Article 3. Fixed tariff policy

– The Republic of the Philippines shall impose a fixed tariff agreed upon between the two countries on goods imported from the Mexican Empire.

– Tariffs may be changed through agreement between the two countries.

Article 4. Resource Development Agreement

– The Republic of the Philippines authorizes Mexican companies to negotiate for the development of resources in the Philippines.

Article 5. Granting most-favored-nation treatment

– The Republic of the Philippines grants most-favored-nation treatment to the Mexican Empire, which applies to trade, investment and other economic activities.

Article 6. Non-interference in trade activities

– The officials of the Republic of the Philippines shall not interfere with the lawful trade activities of Mexican merchants and shall guarantee their commercial freedom.

Article 7. Recognition of the jurisdiction of Mexican consuls

– Within the Republic of the Philippines, Mexican consuls exercise jurisdiction over Mexican nationals and provide them with legal protection.

—————

“···Does Article 4 only need to proceed with ‘negotiations’ on resource development? If the negotiations break down, there won’t be any retaliation, right?”

“Of course not.”

“Then I will accept it.”

Although it was a typical unequal treaty, it was difficult to see these conditions as harsh when independence had been achieved through external forces.

President Garcia sighed in relief.

“Oh, and although it is unofficial, His Highness the Crown Prince has requested something.”

“What is it?”

“You asked that Spanish be used as one of the official languages ​​of the government, but not as the sole language.”

“All right.”

Anyway, Spanish had been the dominant language for a long time. In order to carry out administrative work, you had to use Spanish, even if you didn’t like it.

President Garcia signed the treaty.

It was the moment when the Pacific Fleet’s second mission was accomplished.