I Became The Crown Prince Of The Mexican Empire - Chapter 106



Only Noblemtl

Pacific Fleet (7)

February 1842.

Part of the Mexican Empire’s Pacific Fleet appeared off the coast of Ganghwa Island in Joseon.

They demanded the opening of ports and blocked the sea in front of Ganghwa Island.

Joseon was already in the midst of a heated debate over whether or not it should open its ports due to a letter allegedly sent by the Crown Prince of Mexico and a letter allegedly sent by the Qing Dynasty.

Joseon rejected it outright because those in power opposed the opening of the country, but it could not make excuses about the Qing Dynasty as before.

“What should I do with that… It doesn’t look like it’s going to attempt to land, it’s just sitting there….”

“This is clearly an invasion of our national territory, so shouldn’t we attack by firing cannons?”

“You bastard. Do you think those ships will even flinch at these cannons? If they were wooden ships with all those cannons attached, they would probably get dented, but those armored ships wouldn’t even get a scratch. And since we attacked first, they’re going to fight back. How are you going to handle that?”

He rebuked his subordinate officer who insisted on attacking rashly. I understand that he is hot-blooded when young, but that is not an opponent that can be dealt with with hot-bloodedness.

If they had at least let us land, we could have the courage to fight, but they blocked the sea in front of Ganghwa Island and did not move.

In this state, firing a cannon would only result in a few scratches. It was a truly frustrating situation, as it gave the impression of attacking first without causing any real damage.

“···Then what should we do? If things continue like this, the Segok Line will not be able to enter the port.”

It was exactly as he said.

Unlike Japan or the Qing Dynasty, there was no immediate concern about starvation due to a blockage in shipping. This was because Hanyang and its surrounding areas were able to produce a lot of food, but it was not something that could be endured indefinitely.

If there were no food on the Segok Line that starts from Naju in South Jeolla Province and goes through Ganghwa Island and Gimpo to Hanyang, it would take a long time, but eventually food would run out.

Given the poor road conditions and many mountain passes in Joseon, transport by land takes time and costs money.

“···”

He could not help but think that there was no way out. To be honest, he thought that the government had to make a decision, but as a military officer, he could not say that.

“For now, we have no choice but to maintain military discipline and ask Hanyang to send more reinforcement troops.”

April 1842.

Two months have passed.

The manager came to see me.

The manager said something completely different from what he had expected.

“Pass the three curves immediately.”

“Can’t you see that the warships are blocking the path right now?”

Behind Ganghwa Island, which was blocked by the Mexican fleet, several Segok ships were waiting, unable to pass.

“It’s not like we’re completely blocking the sea route! Hanyang is starving, so do whatever it takes to let us through!”

There is a gap. The size of the three curves is incomparably smaller than those ships, so it should be able to pass through.

“There’s no way we can let them pass. It’s just a waste of precious officials’ lives.”

“Hanyang’s life depends on it. Are you saying you won’t even try something like that?”

It was forced. But it couldn’t be ignored. The official in front of him didn’t know about the Mexican fleet, but he had the authority to cut off one or two military officers.

“···Then, let’s try passing an empty boat instead of the three curves.”

There was no way it could happen.

As a ship tried to pass by without any fear, the Mexican fleet’s cannons opened fire.

Boom!

“Ha, but it was a warning shot so no one died. You see? You can’t get through.”

The manager went away without even apologizing for his outrageous actions.

May 1842.

The remaining ships of the Pacific Fleet, having completed their work in the Philippines, joined in.

“The Mokseo said that the fleet has not only increased but has also increased. Didn’t they say that if we hold out, they will retreat! Explain how this is happening!”

The young king came out strong for the first time in a long while.

The other high and low ranking officials in the royal meeting had similar thoughts. They were determined not to back down unless the country opened. However, the two leaders of the two major powerful families, Kim Jo-geun and Jo Man-young, opposed the opening of the country, so they simply remained quiet.

Now that too has its limits.

In Joseon, even the powerful Sedoga who could bring down birds from the sky were powerless against the Mexican Empire’s fleet.

***

“You’ve finished it well up to Joseon. Good work.”

I commended the Pacific Fleet for its achievements and gave them the following assignments, after consulting with my father and the Minister of the Navy.

“We will send you plenty of materials and technicians, so you can build a naval base in Guam and maintain your influence.”

“Yes, I will convey that!”

As we sent out the naval liaison officer, Diego opened his mouth.

“There are some issues that need to be resolved here.”

The Pacific Fleet brought back two issues along with its mission completion report.

“Let’s start with the immigration issue.”

As Korea, Japan, China, and the Philippines opened their ports and began to trade and accept immigrants, many special inquiries were received.

“They asked if they would like to settle down in the area they want to live in since they won’t receive any benefits… Isn’t this the same inquiry they’ve made in Europe and South America before? I think they should just grant permission like before.”

“Diego. What do you think is most important to me when it comes to immigration?”

Diego thought for a moment at my sudden question and then said.

“Wouldn’t it be better to live well assimilated into Mexican society?”

“Yes. However, immigrants from Europe and South America, although there are differences by country, are not very different from our Mexican culture, which is strongly influenced by Spain. They learn the language quickly, and after one or two generations, they will naturally assimilate into Mexican culture. However, it is not easy for Asians to do so.”

“I guess it’s because there are so many differences between their culture and our Mexican culture.”

“Yes. I heard that many Chinese people, especially, maintain their national identity even when they settle overseas.”

“···Come to think of it, you said that inquiries like this were particularly frequent in China. It certainly seems risky to just give permission.”

The working class, which makes up 99.9% of immigrants, is not particularly worried, as our immigration office has instructed them to pay special attention and disperse them across the country.

The land in the frontier or the house in the city that we give them as an immigration benefit is their greatest asset, and since we have attached a condition that they cannot sell it for 15 years, they have no choice but to learn Spanish and communicate in order to survive.

If those who are not commoners and can support themselves without immigration benefits say they want to live in the area they want because they won’t receive such benefits, then if we accept them, there is a very high possibility that a Chinese community will form. Does that mean that only Chinese people will not be accepted?

It is not a problem that can be solved like that. Because Korea, Japan, and countries that will receive immigration in the future could have similar problems. If we look at past lives, there were not only Chinatowns but also Koreatowns and Japantowns. This is a problem that is bound to occur because Asian culture and Western culture are so different.

Because in Mexico, a country so different from their own culture, they cannot help but want to live in a place where they have neighbors who share their culture and language.

“I think it would be a good idea to take this opportunity to reorganize our immigration policy. In addition to the existing pioneer immigration, urban immigration, administrative immigration, and technical immigration, we will create a new category called ‘business immigration.’ Specifically, we will set limits on certain nationalities for each city of settlement and require them to reside in that city for a certain period of time.”

Although it is a method that goes against the concept of human rights, there is no choice but to impose restrictions on residence. If implemented in the Republic of Korea, it would be unconstitutional, but our constitution does not yet have a provision guaranteeing individuals’ “freedom of residence and movement.”

In the past, in places like Canada and Australia, there were immigration programs that required people to reside in a certain region for a certain period of time when immigrating to that region, so it’s not an unreasonable policy.

“We will also have to control secret changes of residence.”

“That’s right. We also need to be wary of people from certain countries crowding together.”

Even if it may be later, it is dangerous to allow people with different cultures to live together in the current situation where the identity of Mexicans has not yet been firmly established as a nation. In fact, didn’t immigrants from the United States in Texas even fight for independence?

Multiculturalism is only possible when the country has a firm focal point, but it is an absurd idea in Mexico, which is now in its 20th year of independence.

“Then I will pass on the immigration matter to you. Would you like to handle the study abroad matter today as well?”

As I was working, it was already getting dark outside the window.

“Studying abroad… I think studying abroad itself can be permitted, but I wonder what you can learn if you come without even knowing Spanish.”

Surprisingly, there was already someone who said he would pay to study in Mexico.

Studying abroad itself is good.

It is a perfect way to create pro-Mexican people in each country, and it also has the effect of naturally passing on knowledge to the country, so it is in line with my intention to foster Joseon and Japan. So it is good to accept some number of foreign students.

I could just tell them to figure out the language barrier after they arrive, but that would be a disappointing way to go about it, as I want to train international students to be pro-Mexican.

“First, let’s think more about how to resolve the language issue regarding international students and then decide. You worked hard today.”

“Yes, I understand, Your Majesty.”

The next day.

The solution came to me on my own two feet.

“Archbishop Manuel Posada, nice to meet you.”

Archbishop Mirabete of Mexico, who had hosted my wedding and negotiated the secular university, has finished his term and returned to Madrid, Spain.

It was my first time seeing the new archbishop.

“Your Majesty, it is an honor to meet you. I have heard much about you since I came to Mexico, but it is only now that I finally get to meet you.”

After a bit of small talk as a courtesy, he got to the main point.

“I heard that you have recently begun trading with several Asian countries. The Philippines was originally a Spanish colony, so there are people there who are spreading the word of God, but I heard that there is still no proper missionary work being done in Korea and Japan.”

“Yes, I heard that. Are you saying that you want to go to Korea and Japan as a missionary?”

“Yes, that’s right. I heard there were many persecutions against the Catholic Church, but even so, we can’t give up.”

“There is no one in our country who knows Korean or Japanese, so when you go there, you will have to learn the language from scratch. Is that okay?”

“Of course. It is natural to learn the language of the country you are going to do missionary work in. It makes no sense to do missionary work without showing even that level of sincerity.”

“Then that’s good.”

The right talents emerged.

Missionaries will learn the local language from students who want to study abroad, and students will learn Spanish, so they can teach each other, which will be very efficient.

I explained my plan to Archbishop Manuel.

“Okay. Teaching languages ​​and various other subjects is a common task during missionary work, so I guess you can think of it as a dual-purpose job.”

Missionaries need our government’s help to safely carry out their missionary work locally, so this is not a unilateral request, but a transaction.

The foreign student body was notified to learn Spanish, and with this, all current issues in the Asia-Pacific region were taken care of.

The archbishop left and said to Diego:

“The Asia-Pacific region work took longer than expected. It was necessary, but it was started to secure funds to invest in industrial development.”

“But since you have been working with senior architects on the design of key cities, it seems like the timing is perfect for you to start construction right away.”

As Diego said, it ended at just the right time.

We’ve been focusing on external affairs for a while, so now is the time to turn our attention back to internal affairs.