I Became The Crown Prince Of The Mexican Empire - Chapter 116



Only Noblemtl

Rebellion and Revolution (5)

April 1843.

“teacher!”

The disciples were happy to see their teacher whom they had not seen in a long time, but Gerard Simon’s reaction was not that of seeing a happy person.

“Why are you here! This is a battlefield. This is not your place! Go back immediately!”

The teacher got angry and told me to go back instead of welcoming me. But if I was going to go back quietly, I wouldn’t have come all the way here.

“Teacher, we are now eighteen years old. That means we are adults. We came here to help achieve ‘true liberation’, so we cannot go back like this!”

“That’s right! It was you who showed us that this country is only for the government and the big landowners!”

Ironically, the people leading the current revolution are not the peasants who have suffered greatly for a long time, but rather the relatively well-off middle class, mainly merchants, landowners, intellectuals, and professionals.

Gerard Simon looked into the eyes of his former students, Emile and Jerome. Their eyes were filled with conviction. He could see in their eyes the determination to never go back.

“···Okay. If you really want to help, I’ll give you a mission to help with supplies, so don’t even think about going to the battlefield. The situation isn’t so bad that even you guys with such bright futures have to go to the battlefield.”

“But we···”

Although the two hot-blooded young men could not have been satisfied with carrying supplies or other duties in the rear, Simon cut them off and spoke in a cold voice.

“Stop! Do I still look like a school teacher to you? The Revolutionary Army is an army. If you want to join, follow the orders. If you don’t, go back.”

“···All right.”

Emile and Jerome were dissatisfied, but they could not ignore the words of their old teacher, who was now one of the leaders of the revolutionary army.

Émile and Jérôme, who had officially joined the revolutionary army, worked hard to transport supplies from the port of Gonaïves.

“Oh my, my back. Where on earth are you going to get all these supplies?”

Isn’t it common knowledge that revolutionary armies are usually poor and under-supplied? However, weapons and supplies were constantly coming into Gon-Aib.

“Haven’t you heard? I heard that a businessman who supports the revolutionary army is using all his wealth to buy it from abroad.”

“A man this rich would give up all his fortune for the revolution?”

“Yeah. Isn’t it touching?”

“···That’s right.”

The weapons and supplies piled up in the harbor felt different than before. It was all provided by people supporting the revolutionary army.

Emil, who suddenly felt pride in the revolutionary army, wanted to go to the battlefield right away, but his teacher would not allow him to do so.

All teenage boys, including them, were ordered to take charge of supply missions. Thanks to this, the port was filled with boys.

“Still, it seems like the situation is good, so that’s fortunate.”

“okay.”

There was no need for boys to go to the battlefield.

***

The revolutionary forces that took control of northern Haiti showed no signs of slowing down. As they conquered more and more areas, more and more people joined the revolutionary forces.

After one defeat, government forces were concentrating their forces in the south, in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and all that remained in the north were the private armies of some large landowners.

“Free the peasants!”

Wherever the revolutionary army arrived, the peasants responded enthusiastically, as if to say, ‘The time has finally come!’

“Those worms have taken over the entire North.”

“You’re crazy.”

“Hey, if this continues, isn’t something really big going to happen?”

Attempts to seize power by organizing an army have happened before in Haiti, but this time it was of a completely different nature.

Both President Jean-Pierre, who held office for more than 20 years, and President Erard, who ousted him, ultimately colluded with various elites in Haiti to seize power from other elites.

The center of power had shifted, but most of the elites still held their positions. But this ‘revolution’ was not that kind of conflict.

“We can’t even make contact with the leadership of the revolutionary army!”

“Does it make sense for you to fight us without support? Isn’t it because someone betrayed you!”

“Now is not the time for us to fight amongst ourselves. If we lose like this, we’re all finished!”

“That’s right. I’ve clearly expressed my intention not to leave us alone, so I hope that no one will be complacent and think that nothing bad will happen to them and refuse to support them.”

The revolutionary army is not supported by any of the existing political forces in Haiti. This has scared the Haitian elite. If they win, they might actually try to realize their slogan of “real liberation.”

The ‘true liberation’ they are talking about is none other than ‘land reform’. Aren’t they even advocating the terrifying method of free confiscation and free distribution?

To prevent this, President Erard went into exile. It was a natural choice for someone who was once called a general.

“There are so many things I can’t understand. All the officers of Haiti are here, so how can they organize an army like that? Even if the supplies are procured by merchants who support the revolutionary army, how can these ignorant people who know nothing about the army oppose the government army?”

“Isn’t this all the soldiers’ fault? Didn’t there get reports that our soldiers’ firing speed wasn’t much different from that of the enemy?”

The adjutant naturally blamed the soldiers. In reality, the training of the Haitian government forces was not much different from that of the revolutionary forces. The government had no money, so it could not operate a standing army or train it properly.

It was nothing more or less than giving guns to the government forces, revolutionary forces, and peasants who had been farming their entire lives.

May 1843.

The final battle began between the revolutionary forces that took control of the north and the government forces that had gathered the power of the Haiti establishment in the south.

***

Congressman Robert Mendoza gave a passionate speech in the plenary hall of Congress on the need for a military intelligence agency.

The idea is to strengthen national security by creating a military intelligence agency to collect and analyze various security-related information, detect external threats in advance, and establish response plans.

“In fact, our Mexican Empire was taken aback by France’s sudden declaration of war. I remember being quite taken aback at that time. I knew that the mood with France was not good, but I never imagined that we would suddenly enter into a full-scale war.”

Several members of Congress nodded in agreement, but in fact, the Mexican Imperial Family, Senator Robert, and top military commanders, as well as other close associates, knew in advance that war was coming and were preparing for it.

Most Mexicans, except for a very small minority, were shocked by the declaration of war, so he said that to elicit sympathy.

“Um, everyone was really surprised back then···.”

“It would certainly be nice to know that information in advance.”

Rep. Robert also argued that improved intelligence gathering capabilities, both domestic and foreign, could help deal with not only military operations but also diplomacy, domestic rebellions, and large-scale crime.

“Other countries have been operating such intelligence agencies for a long time. A typical example is the Napoleonic Wars, when Napoleon was well aware of the importance of intelligence and used spies at an unprecedented level. In order to defend against the activities of such spies, a military intelligence agency is necessary.”

After Representative Robert finished his speech in the plenary session, in which he mentioned the importance of counterintelligence as the most important function, debate on the bill began.

“I recognize the need for an intelligence agency. But is it really necessary for an intelligence agency to be part of the military?”

When a member of the ruling party pointed this out, many members nodded. The military is where the emperor has the strongest influence. Wouldn’t placing an intelligence agency there only serve to increase the emperor’s power?

“The Military Intelligence Agency is an agency that collects and analyzes information related to ‘security,’ so isn’t it strange for it to be located within the military?”

Congressman Roberto refuted that, but this time it was Republican leader Congressman Pedro Gonzalez who spoke.

“Gathering security-related information does not necessarily have to be within the military, or more precisely, the ‘Army.’ Doesn’t the Army itself belong to the Ministry of National Defense, which is an executive branch? It’s not like the intelligence agency only collects information related to land warfare, so there’s no reason to necessarily place it within the Army. The Army’s authority is also becoming too large.”

Although the Mexican Empire now had a vast navy, the term “military” usually meant “army,” as the Mexican Empire once had no ships.

Moving it to the Ministry of Defense instead of the Army would not free it from the Emperor’s influence, but at least the Minister of Defense would be a neutral figure decided by the Prime Minister and the National Assembly. The calculation was that it would be better than having it belong to the Army Headquarters, which was loyal only to the Emperor.

Congressman Robert had no choice but to agree with the unexpectedly sharp remark.

“Okay, it would be fine if it was under the Department of Defense instead of the Army. What do you think?”

In any case, from the perspective of the imperialists, there was no need to distinguish between the army, navy, and the Ministry of National Defense. The constitution clearly states that the emperor holds the ‘military power’, and the only exception to this is the ‘declaration of war’. Declaring war requires the consent of more than 2/3 of the members of the National Assembly.

Since there wasn’t much that could change, I could compromise on this much. Let’s wrap it up like that, and once again, the landlords came up with a tackle.

“For a start-up organization, its initial budget is 700,000 pesos. Isn’t that excessive? This amount is enough to build two battleships. Please explain why this amount is needed.”

The Republicans also agreed.

“That’s right. It says that because it’s an organization where confidentiality is important, detailed information cannot be disclosed, but even if confidentiality is important, can’t we just give a general idea?”

“Well, I see. I’ll give you a rough idea. For effective intelligence gathering or counterintelligence work, it’s essential to establish a local base and build trust rather than a one-time mission. Without trust, you won’t be able to access high-level information.”

Congressman Robert took a sip of water and continued speaking.

“It takes a lot of money to build this foundation. You have to find a place to live locally, find a decent job, or if not, create a business. This is where a lot of money starts. But settling down in the local area is not the goal. You have to get information. You have to build connections…”

Congressman Robert’s explanation of why he had requested such a large budget continued, and it was a reasonable reason that even the landowners and Republicans nodded their heads indifferently.

“I see. However, since this agenda item is so important and expensive, it is not something that can be decided right away. Let’s all think about it some more and then vote.”

After Rep. Robert finished answering and there were no more questions, the chairman said so.

It was only natural that there would be time to exchange opinions.

“I agree.”

The landlords and the republicans shouted their agreement as if they had been waiting for it, and that was how the plenary session ended that day.

Even if it seems like a law that is truly necessary for the country, it cannot be passed without any consideration if it affects those in power.

Senator Robert waited, knowing full well the nature of such a parliament.

‘I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of card you’ll bring.’