I Became The Crown Prince Of The Mexican Empire - Chapter 124
Only Noblemtl
The air of Mexico makes you free (3)
Having tested its durability with a variety of tools, I had to admit:
“It’s really sturdy.”
“Yes, durability is key for military uniforms. Of course, we also paid a lot of attention to their appearance.”
I couldn’t help but nod in agreement with Ramon’s words. The green, white, and red uniforms, the colors of the Mexican flag, looked pretty cool to me.
“The product is very good, so please focus on mass production. We will need at least hundreds of thousands of units, not thousands or tens of thousands.”
It was a hint that war was coming. Ramon answered in a heavy voice.
“···All right.”
I was concentrating on preparing for war, leaving all decisions about existing projects and various businesses to those in charge.
To be precise, it focuses on the development and stockpiling of military supplies such as uniforms, food, medical supplies, camping gear, and weapons.
‘Ramon can take care of the military uniforms and camping gear.’
I visited several companies and government departments, but the most important one was Vega Defense Industries, which produces weapons.
I stopped by the Vega Defense Industry Research Institute every other day.
It was to see with my own eyes all the weapons and military supplies that had been developed.
“Ready.”
Eduardo said in a slightly nervous voice.
Because the things we’re checking today are the most important ones.
Although it is important to introduce machine guns and barbed wire, the basics are rifles and cannons.
“Is this ER-45?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
It was an 1845 version of the Eduardo rifle.
“It looks okay.”
Although a magazine-fed, burst-fire rifle is in development, the ER-45 was the final refinement of a single-shot rifle that Vega Defense Industries had been developing for the past 18 years.
In peacetime, we would introduce it first and gradually improve it, but war is coming. We need to produce a huge number of guns, and we cannot take the risk of mass-producing unstable versions.
Clank-
bang!
Clank-
bang!
After shooting directly for a while, I smiled with satisfaction.
It was basically the same as a bolt-action, rear-loading rifle, but many things were improved.
“Gas leaks have been dramatically reduced.”
“Yes, we have focused on improving stability and performance based on your feedback so far.”
I thought that this was almost the best result possible with the current level of technology. It was a masterpiece that showed the efforts of technicians including Eduardo.
“I also really like that it only cocks when the bolt is pulled back. Alright, from today onwards, I’ll produce as many of these ER-45s as I can without limitation.”
Since the product had already passed the military personnel’s verification, I gave my approval for mass production without hesitation.
“yes!”
Eduardo looked as if he had overcome a great crisis.
“Haha, then let’s take a look at the field gun last.”
“Yes, let’s go to the outdoor shooting range.”
As before, the outdoor shooting range was already equipped with technicians and artillery to demonstrate the weapons.
“Let’s take a look right now.”
“yes.”
No further words were needed.
Although it was made of steel, unlike before, it was not new as we had already seen cannons mounted on ironclad ships.
The technicians quickly prepared to load the gun.
“Shoot!”
bang!
Wedge-
puck!
The flying shell hit the dirt floor hard.
“Steel certainly has strong destructive power.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. It is far superior not only in destructive power, but also in durability, stability, and range.”
This is natural, since steel is stronger and can withstand greater pressure than cast iron or bronze cannons.
Accuracy was also improved thanks to the rifling engraved on the barrel, so it was superior to the field guns currently used by the army in every way.
‘But the unit price is a bit···.’
Even though the Nielsen-Bessemer process reduced the cost of steel production by up to 80%, steel is fundamentally made by reprocessing primary processed pig iron. This structure is bound to be inherently expensive.
Even without that, there are many places where steel is used, such as machine guns, so it is impossible to produce enough to replace all the existing cannons. The ones that exist now are more than superior to the cannons that the United States currently has.
“We will calculate the production volume of artillery separately and notify you later.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
***
March 5, 1845.
President James Polk of the United States issued a statement the day after his inauguration.
‘I really wanted to have a grand inauguration day.’
However, due to the active dissuasion of aides who said that it would not look good to make a statement at the inauguration ceremony, the announcement was postponed by a day.
President James Polk cleared his throat and opened his mouth with a solemn expression.
“As President of the United States, I am making this statement to clarify the position of the United States Government in light of the recent tragic events in which American citizens and their property were exiled to Mexico and accepted by the Mexican government.
We seek to resolve this issue in the spirit of friendship and mutual respect between our two countries.
First, I would like to request an official apology from the Mexican government for this incident. This is a request based on the principle of mutual respect, and it would be an important first step toward resolving misunderstandings between the two countries and rebuilding future-oriented relations.
Second, we ask that the individuals involved in this incident be returned to the United States. This is a measure that respects the agreed legal principles and international law between our two countries. We believe that these principles should be the foundation of our bilateral relationship.
Third, we want to work with Mexico to find concrete and practical measures to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future, which are essential to maintaining the peace and stability that our two countries share.
We hope that this demand will not create unnecessary tension between the two countries, but rather serve as an opportunity to further strengthen our relationship and promote common understanding for the future. We hope that through continued dialogue and cooperation with Mexico, we can resolve this issue peacefully.
The relationship between our two countries is based on a long history and deep friendship. We hope that these events, rather than weakening our relationship, will serve as a catalyst for moving towards a stronger partnership based on mutual respect and understanding.
thank you.”
It was a statement wrapped in diplomatic rhetoric, but it contained only one-sided demands from the United States. It was quite rude, but his supporters were satisfied.
The Mexican government immediately issued a statement in response.
“Ha, how cheeky.”
James Polk, who was worried that they might just accept all the demands, laughed in vain when he received the statement released by Mexico.
The contents were as follows.
“The Government of the Empire of Mexico would like to formally respond to the recent statement of the Federal Government of the United States of America as follows:
Mexico is a country that sanctifies the dignity of every human being. These values are deeply rooted in our Constitution and laws, which clearly state the absence of slavery and the respect for the fundamental rights of all human beings throughout the Mexican Empire. Therefore, to all those who seek our protection beyond our borders, Mexico declares its obligation to receive them in accordance with its internal laws.
Accordingly, as the US federal government has stated, the immigration of individuals referred to as “property” to Mexico is not a problem at all under our laws. Every human being has the right to pursue freedom, a principle that Mexico firmly supports based on internationally respected values.
Therefore, we make it clear that the Mexican government cannot accept the apology or the return of the so-called “property” demanded by the United States Federal Government, or the measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents. The Mexican Empire places the highest priority on the protection of freedom and human rights, which are at the core of our national identity and international responsibility.
We also urge the U.S. federal government to focus on strengthening border control and internal policies to address domestic issues. Issues affecting the fate of those crossing the border are fundamentally determined by the internal policies of each country, and Mexico will act in accordance with these principles.
As a member of the international community, Mexico seeks peaceful and cooperative relations. We hope that all countries will focus on protecting and promoting the rights and well-being of their citizens, and we hope to continue our dialogue with the United States in this spirit.
“The Government of the Empire of Mexico, through this statement, makes clear our position and reaffirms our continued commitment to pursuing a relationship based on mutual respect and understanding with the Federal Government of the United States.”
Although it was expressed in diplomatic rhetoric, in short, it was saying, ‘I have no intention of accepting your demands, and if you don’t want slaves escaping, you better do a good job of policing your borders.’
“Heh heh heh···.”
President James Polk did not respond with a rebuttal. Mexico’s hardline response was like adding fuel to the fire, and public opinion in the United States was furious, but no action could be taken immediately.
Now, taking action could lead to war. But war requires preparation.
Instead, he made his long-held beliefs explicit. He openly stated the phrase that best describes his expansionist beliefs.
“Don’t you think it’s time to realize your manifest destiny?”
***
“No, does it make sense that agricultural product prices are only going down even though demand has increased this much?”
Now we have over a million immigrants, a huge birth rate, and a population that is much better off than before.
There were many factors that led to an increase in demand for food, and in fact, it increased tremendously.
The problem was that supply had increased even more than that. The introduction of efficient tools and machines, and the enormous increase in agricultural productivity due to dams and irrigation facilities, alone more than doubled production, and the implementation of land reclamation policies had nearly doubled the country’s agricultural land area compared to before independence.
Even the prices of agricultural products were standardized thanks to the railroads connecting the entire country.
Although all prices were rising, agricultural product prices were not rising but were gradually falling. Naturally, the landowners were dissatisfied, but they could not make the crazy idea of turning back the situation to the previous one, where most of the population was eating and living better than before.
“But the government has been buying up huge amounts of grain recently. Thanks to that, prices are being maintained to some extent, so that’s a relief.”
Even though the other landowner said so, the disgruntled landowner was not satisfied with even that.
“No, that’s true. Where on earth do they use all that grain? They pass this weird law called the Grain Reserve Act without any proper explanation.”
As the total number of seats increased with the revision of the Constitution, the landowners and republicans also increased their number of representatives for the first time in a long time, but in the end, the emperors surpassed the majority.
They passed a grain reserve law without any discussion and then started buying up massive amounts of grain.
“Well, given the recent situation, isn’t it because of the United States?”
“Yes. It’s good for us no matter where we use it, so let’s not tackle it unnecessarily.”
Although it was clearly a bill that would help the landowners, when they complained, other landowners did not agree.
“Ahem. I don’t mean to tackle you, I’m just curious.”
Since it was a job involving rice bowls, everyone was on edge.
But at this time they did not know.
The fact that the worst plague will soon come across the sea.