I Became The Crown Prince Of The Mexican Empire - Chapter 112



Only Noblemtl

Rebellion and Revolution (1)

The desire for independence among the people of eastern Hispaniola was growing stronger.

Political unrest in Haiti was growing worse by the day, and President Jean-Pierre Boyer was losing control of the eastern part of the island he had conquered 21 years earlier.

“Now! Right now is the chance for independence!”

Everyone who had been involved in the independence movement thought so. But there were still issues that had to be resolved before that.

“We fought and shed blood for our independence, so of course we should establish an independent nation!”

That’s what Juan Pablo Duarte shouted. He had long been promoting independence for the east from Haitian rule through a secret society called ‘La Trinidad’.

Why would they suddenly join the Mexican Empire at this golden opportunity? He couldn’t understand it, but it was true that public opinion was stronger than he had thought.

He came here to talk because there is no way independence can be achieved if divisions begin even before a full-scale independence movement can begin.

He argued passionately.

“No one knows how Mexico will treat us. If they want to exploit us like Haiti, how can we stop them? And to us, the eastern part of the island is all we have, but to Mexico, we are treated as if we were a finger. And yet, do you want to join Mexico?”

“If we declare independence? Are we going to go to war with Haiti again? Even if we are lucky enough to win and not be conquered as before, you will admit that there will be enormous sacrifices.”

It was Alvaro Fuentes, a man who had recently gained fame as an intellectual in the eastern part of the island and who was the first to advocate joining the Mexican Empire.

Born to a merchant’s family and studying in the Mexican Empire, similar to Juan Pablo, who studied in Europe as the son of a merchant, this man was renowned for his accurate insight into the current international situation.

Unlike Haiti, the western part of the island, which was the first in history to successfully carry out a slave revolution and establish a black-led nation, the eastern part of the island was still dominated by whites and mestizos, and most of those gathered here were also whites and mestizos.

“If it’s for independence, then you have to take it. Did you think you could rebel against Haiti without that kind of determination? If we were to gain independence with the territory that was originally a Spanish colony, it would be over half of the island. There’s no way the Haitians would just leave it alone, right?”

Pablo shouted proudly, but Fuentes immediately retorted.

“So, if we join the Mexican Empire, we won’t have to make that sacrifice. We’re not a single people who originally founded and lived in this land, so what practical benefit would we gain by forming an independent government? No matter how I look at it, all I can see is that we can each take a place in the newly established nation.”

“What?”

The conference room filled with dozens of people became noisy at those words. Like public opinion split in half, the conference room was divided into two sides.

“Are you saying that we fought for independence because we wanted power?”

“Take that back immediately!”

In the tense atmosphere that threatened to break up the meeting at any moment, Fuentes shouted without giving in.

“If that is not what you want, then why do you insist on forming an independent government? Are you willing to risk so much blood just to gain the honor of having founded an independent nation? If you ask to join the Mexican Empire, you can achieve your desired goals without any sacrifices?”

There were two main reasons why the people of the eastern part of the island of Hispaniola wanted independence from Haitian rule.

For cultural and economic reasons.

The western and eastern parts of the island were colonies of France and Spain respectively for a very long time, and there are of course great cultural and linguistic differences between the two regions. However, the Haitian government has attempted to unify the entire island into a single political unit, and in the process has implemented a policy of forced assimilation of the culture, language, and economic policies of the eastern region.

This would not have happened in the Mexican Empire, which had a similar cultural background as a Spanish colony and spoke Spanish.

There are also economic reasons. The enormous taxes that the Haitian government imposes to pay its foreign debts and to run the country would be considerably reduced by joining the Mexican Empire, and there would be no need to take away farms in the east in the name of redistribution of farmland.

These two are the biggest reasons why the eastern people want independence, and if they join the Mexican Empire, Haiti will not think of fighting Mexico, so it can be achieved just like that.

“···Who says that the Mexican Empire will accept us unconditionally? Even if they do, they can confiscate all the farms and turn them into government property, as they did in Cuba and other islands. Are you saying that you will tolerate that?”

The merging faction began to murmur at the attack of conversion that Pablo had launched. Those here were at least middle class. They had property, and most of that property was land. And the Mexican Empire could take it away? It was a deadly danger.

Groan groan-

Fuentes countered before things got any weirder.

“This is sedition! Everything the Mexican Empire has recovered was the property of the enemy. The Mexican Empire is making every effort to secure its dominion over the Caribbean. You have heard that all the islands around here have become Mexican. Mexico will welcome us and will not do such absurd things as take away our property, which we have joined of our own accord, without any justification!”

Fuentes’s words were persuasive. Moreover, hadn’t he repeatedly proven that he was well informed about international affairs?

In the end, the discussion went against the founding faction, as the merger faction emphasized that they could obtain ‘overwhelming benefits without any sacrifice,’ but the founding faction had quite a weak argument to make.

Usually, these discussions are decided in the direction of establishing an independent nation without any need for discussion, because there is something called ‘national identity and pride.’ However, the residents of the eastern part of the island had little idea of ​​such a concept. This was because it was not an independent nation to begin with.

The island’s native population had long since been decimated by disease, and although it declared self-government in 1821, it was conquered by the Haitian government before it could exercise any real control.

In the end, the only advantage that the founding faction could claim was the ability to achieve ‘autonomy’, but Fuentes and the joining faction pressed them, saying that what they wanted to achieve through ‘autonomy’ could be achieved by joining the Mexican Empire, so why make such enormous sacrifices?

It was not an unreasonable attack, as they did have some intention of taking a place in the newly established country, but the pro-establishment faction became angry and stopped the discussion.

The discussion was interrupted and no conclusion was reached, but its contents were spread among the residents of the eastern region.

***

As I work tirelessly to build Chihuahua City, teach urban design, make investment decisions, and deal with important business and national issues, bad news comes from Mexico City.

My father collapsed.

“Why on earth did you collapse?”

“Thank goodness the test results show that it’s not a serious illness. We believe he collapsed from fatigue that had built up over a long period of time.”

“Are you overworked?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. As you age, excessive work like this can have a negative impact on your health.”

“···I see. I understand. I’ll keep that in mind.”

‘I’m overworked…’

My father is already 60 years old. It is an age when his physical strength declines significantly.

Looking at my father’s face lying in bed, I felt bitter. My father had once been a strong soldier. Seeing the giant who had made his country independent and ascended to the throne as the emperor, I felt the transience of time.

Some may belittle the achievements made after independence by saying that they were all made by the Crown Prince, but I don’t think so.

How many kings were there who were jealous of their own sons and suppressed them, or even killed them? Such cases piled up to the point that the saying, “Power is not shared even between father and son,” was born. However, Augustine I did not do that.

Rather, he listened to what I had to say with an open mind, and if he judged it worthy, he actively pushed for it.

He did not commit any illicit accumulation of wealth or extramarital affairs, which a dictator with great power would do, and he faithfully handled various affairs of the empire for a long time and really helped the empire develop. Didn’t he collapse from overwork? The fact that I was able to accomplish many things is largely thanks to my father who helped me focus on them.

“Heronimo, you’re here.”

I heard my mother’s voice behind me.

“Yes, Mother.”

“Don’t worry too much. It happened because your father’s health is not what it used to be, so you just need to reduce your workload a little.”

“Yes. Fortunately, it’s not something serious.”

“Father is also thinking of handing over the throne to you soon, so you should also prepare to inherit it soon.”

Mother suddenly dropped a bombshell in the bedroom while Father was asleep.

“···You have collapsed this time, but you are not seriously ill and are still in good health, so how can you hand over the throne to me?”

“Your father can’t just work until he dies, right? The emperor is human too. The crown prince is the same.”

As my mother spoke, she placed her hand on my shoulder as I sat on the chair.

“I’ve never said anything before, but 21 years ago, when you came to my room for the first time in a long time, I was happy because it seemed like you had finally come to your senses, but now I feel a little sorry for you who only looks forward without any time to look back.”

I’m talking about the day I went to my mother’s room right after the ice ceremony.

“···You say it’s a pity?”

“Yes. When you look at it from the outside, it sometimes seems like you’re obsessed with the idea of ​​developing the Mexican Empire. Your father had that tendency too, but it’s worse in you, perhaps because you inherited it from your father.”

It is true that I have been running tirelessly for the development of the Mexican Empire since I was possessed when I was 15 years old. Except for my wedding, I have never had two consecutive days off, so my mother must have felt sorry for me.

My mother probably thinks I’m just a naturally workaholic like my father, but I have a duty to be one.

It was a divine being who sent me here.

Didn’t I spend all night in a seedy bar in Mexico City arguing to that divine being about what Mexico should have done after independence?

“···”

But when I saw my father’s face asleep and my mother asking me, my heart weakened. They weren’t my real parents, but to them, I was their real son. In this royal family, they were rare parents who loved their children.

“Now that the Mexican Empire is stable enough that you don’t have to run around so busy, I hope you can live while paying more attention to your family and those around you.”

It is true that I come down to Mexico City on weekends to see my family, but the biggest reason is that I think my children’s education is important. Other than that, I often have work to do when I come, so my parents and Cecilia might be disappointed.

“Yes, I understand, Mother.”

Although I had mixed feelings, I said that I understood.

***

For the first time since my wedding, I took an entire weekday off to spend time with my family, then threw a party that weekend.

The people I invited were my closest associates: executives from my company, people I personally scouted, members of the imperialist party, and people with connections in the military.

Even though they are his closest associates, he rarely sees their faces except for Diego, but he held a party to see them for the first time in a long while because he felt something after hearing his mother’s words.

‘There are many people I’m seeing for the first time since the wedding, even though they are my closest associates. I’ve definitely not been able to pay attention to the people around me.’

It turned out to be an urgent invitation, but now that the Mexican Empire had a well-developed railroad network throughout the country, there was plenty of time to get to Mexico City.

Guests are beginning to arrive at the Hotel Solis, Mexico City’s first luxury hotel.