I Became The Crown Prince Of The Mexican Empire - Chapter 151



Only Noblemtl

Episode 151 South and North (5)

The United States government, which had been on high alert for movements in the North since independence, made no significant moves.

“You can’t just leave them to become independent like this, and you’re going to take care of the aftermath? How leisurely you are.”

Jefferson David said, lighting a cigarette.

“It’s a good thing. It will buy us time to persuade states that are hesitant to join.”

If the North does not attack, the South has no reason to attack first. The North is forcing the South to unilaterally surrender, not the South demanding something from the North.

after-

“Yeah. It would be helpful if there was an article that said, ‘The United States government is afraid of war.’”

As David muttered this, blowing out cigarette smoke, the aide took note.

There were many states that were reluctant to join. The border states that bordered the North were particularly reluctant, because they believed that their home states would be the first to suffer in the event of a military conflict.

“There is no need for neutrality. Neutrality means remaining in the Federation, and declaring that we will rob good citizens of their property.”

David actively utilized the media.

The South was the victim. The South was just a free-for-all from the United States, which imposed emancipation on slaves, just as the United States was a free-for-all from Britain, which imposed high taxes. If the North were to invade the South, it would be doing the same thing as Britain, the oppressor.

By publishing articles with such arguments every day, they stimulated the rebellious spirit that is characteristic of Americans.

By February, the Confederate States of America were rapidly expanding, with the addition of Alabama and Georgia.

Except in some border states where public opinion was split evenly, it was only a matter of time before other slave states joined in.

“It would be worth a fight, as long as the Mexicans don’t get involved.”

Some people uttered such a ridiculous statement. The number of slaves and freemen was exactly 14 to 14. At first glance, it seemed equal, but what mattered was the content.

“Population aside, the industrial zone is in the north, so it will be disadvantageous as time goes by.”

That was the cold hard reality. The industrialization of the South was at a child’s level compared to the North, and all the materials needed for the war were produced in the North.

Even though the South had an economy centered on agriculture, most of its crops were cash crops such as cotton, so it could not cause a food shortage in the North.

“The good news is that the North has no choice but to repay its enormous debts to Mexico and Britain starting this year. If it defaults, it will have to pay huge interest.”

“That’s right. Even in the South, the Mexicans did free some slaves and take them away, but compared to the damage suffered in the North, it was very small, so we can say that the financial situation was much more stable.”

“I don’t know how much time the Northerners will give us, but we need to subsidize them so that we can build factories that can produce military supplies.”

Southerners began to debate heatedly and map out the future of the South.

***

“It’s the National Veterans Affairs Administration···.”

If I had pushed further, I could have made it the ‘Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs’, but this was appropriate for the current situation.

“I hope that the goal is not to save money, but to give it to those who deserve it.”

“Yes, I will keep that in mind, Your Majesty.”

The duties of the National Veterans Affairs Administration, newly established in response to this war, were diverse.

The most important thing is to identify exactly who will benefit. Not everyone who served in the war will receive the same benefits.

Some only received training and the war ended, some went into battle, some received minor and major injuries in battle, some achieved significant achievements, and many died in battle.

It doesn’t make sense to give them all the same benefits. They should be given differentially. However, the types of benefits themselves are almost the same. They are pensions, land, loans, education, and medical treatment. The only difference is in their size and rank.

“As I said before, try to persuade many people to come to the city, but don’t force them.”

I had entrusted it to a capable person whom I had my eye on for a while, so I believed he would do well, but I continued to give him advice out of concern.

That is why the treatment of veterans is so important. They were the foundation of the nation.

***

The Mexican Empire was deploying troops to its borders and new territories, then gradually withdrawing them.

“Isaac. Are you going to the city?”

Now it was their turn.

“Yeah. You?”

“I’m going home.”

The house Dequan Torres speaks of is not the home of his Comanche bloodline. It is a village assigned to his family by the Mexican government. But he has lived there for almost four years. Except for the people he met in the military, all his connections were there.

Dequan had no intention of leaving.

“What about college?”

“Not really. I’ll send you to a school when you get married later, when the school opens in town. You?”

“I’m planning to go next year.”

“Okay. That’s worth losing two fingers.”

Isaac lost his left ring finger and little finger in battle.

“Haha, that’s right.”

“···”

There was a moment of silence. It was the last time with my comrades who had been with me for a year.

“I’ll be at Chihuahua University, so come visit me sometimes. You play in the winter, right?”

It was a story about farming. Isaac knew it well, having farmed before.

“Okay. It’s not that far if you take the train, so I’ll definitely go. Don’t be discouraged by the university.”

Dequan, who had been raised as a Comanche warrior as a child, was concerned about Isaac’s gentle side. In the military, everyone was forced to be friendly, but it was obvious that this would not be the case in society.

“Ha, you’ve been through war, so how can you be so intimidated? It’s not like I’m the only black person who went to college.”

It was the story of Tom Freeman that he sometimes told.

“Then that’s good.”

Now it was time to part ways. Isaac was to leave for Chihuahua City, Chihuahua, and DeQuan was to leave for a town in northeast Texas, so they didn’t get on the same train.

“how are you.”

“you also.”

The two shook hands warmly one last time and then parted ways.

***

The village I returned to after about a year and three months was almost the same, but almost all the villagers were there to greet me.

Not only Dekwan, but other young people in the village also volunteered.

“son!”

The mother checked to see if her son, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, was okay. She checked to see if he was hurt anywhere and if his limbs were in good condition.

My eyes almost burned with worry as I saw my mother caressing me here and there, but I held it in and spoke.

“Father, Mother. I came back safely.”

“Thank goodness. That’s fortunate.”

Similar things were happening here and there. Families without sons who had gone to war also welcomed them warmly.

Even the arrogant white man who used to be there patted me on the shoulder and said it was nice to come back.

“Welcome back safely.”

It was not a celebratory atmosphere, as some did not return. However, the Mexican Empire regularly sent news of the fallen soldiers, so the atmosphere was ambiguous, not one of tears.

“So, did the Americans kill a lot?”

My father, who wanted to go to war but couldn’t due to his family’s dissuasion, asked me that.

“Yes.···It’s a problem because we kill too many.”

At first, I felt like I was taking revenge. But as I watched countless young faces dying in front of the trenches, that thought gradually disappeared.

Looking at his son’s complicated face, the father seemed to have guessed his feelings and did not ask any more questions. Instead, he changed the subject.

“Ahem. So does that mean your family’s farm will expand?”

“Oh, that’s right. But since we can’t expand by attaching to the neighboring farms, we have to choose one of two things. Either create a second farm a little further away, or sell the farm to the government and merge it to create a new farm.”

“Hmm… I would like to attach it to the farm right now, but I can’t, so there’s nothing I can do. I don’t know if the government will pay a fair price. But it’s a farm I’ve been tending for four years.”

“The Patriots and Veterans Affairs official said they would buy it for a fair price.”

“Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs? I’ve never heard of it before. Well, if the government says so, then so be it.”

Four years ago, my father hated Mexico as much as he hated the United States, but his thoughts changed a lot over time.

The policies of the Mexican Empire were surprisingly conciliatory, and as they farmed, it became clear why the surrounding tribes and nations resented the Comanche tribe, who lived off of a predatory economy.

Now he was enjoying farming diligently on the land he owned.

“Then I’ll look into whether there’s any good land near the village.”

“Yes. There are other children in the village who participated in the war besides you, so the first one to find them is you.”

Soon, a major change occurred in the villagers’ land ownership situation, which had been similar for the past four years.

Those who participated in the war ended up with much larger land holdings.

***

“What? Literature? Literature?”

All the men at the construction site who heard Isaac’s thoughts stopped him.

All of them, mestizo, black, indigenous.

“They’re sending you to college, but you want to study literature?”

“Yes. Please think again. This is an opportunity that I got by blowing off my fingers, but literature is not really.”

Isaac got a job at a construction site to earn living expenses before going to college. The government subsidized his college tuition and he also received a pension, but it wasn’t a large sum, so he had to earn enough to cover living expenses.

He was building a multifamily home in Chihuahua City, and it just so happened that the building included a house that was to be given to him.

“In addition to the 24 square meters (7.2 pyeong) that I was originally supposed to receive for moving to the city, I was given an additional 48 square meters (14.5 pyeong) as compensation for my participation in the war, so wouldn’t it be perfect if I went to the Department of Chemistry and got a job at ‘Gaitan’?”

“Yeah, yeah. It’ll be perfect once I graduate and get married.”

Like a father giving advice to his child, they even mapped out what they thought was the best path for him to take.

“Still, I want to try writing a novel.”

“Oh my.”

“Hehe.”

When Isaac persisted, a sigh escaped.

“This house you’re building right now, it seems like it’s yours, but do you know it’s all a loan? It’s not like you’re giving away the house, it’s an interest-free loan.”

“Oh, I don’t have to pay compensation for the land, but I will receive support for part of the cost of building a house, so I only have to pay half.”

“···okay?”

Isaac had a dream. It wasn’t, as others say, to farm, or study engineering or science. It was to bring out the stories buried deep in his heart.

As Isaac’s resolve seemed firm, the adults also backed off.

“Well, even if the novel doesn’t do well, there’s no way there wouldn’t be jobs in Mexico.”

“That’s true. It’s half, but I also have a house.”

Even fellow blacks didn’t think that a novel written by a black person would do well. They thought that the best success a black person could have was to learn engineering and get a job at the prince’s company. That would be enough to live a life no less than that of a white person, but literature? Of the many black people on the construction site, not a single one understood Isaac.

Isaac’s determination grew stronger after seeing that sight.

‘Tom said black people should learn too.’

Recently, Tom Freeman, who is attending the Imperial University through the grace of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, gave an interview to the press.

Some black people, even though they had fought in the war and had the opportunity to learn, kicked away the opportunity, saying that studying was something only white people and mestizos could do. Of course, learning engineering or science is learning, but that was not what Tom was saying. ‘Don’t set limits for yourself.’ That was Tom’s message.

Isaac, who was born before Tom Freeman and came from a freed black family in Texas, knew the psychology of the Mexican blacks. They really set limits. Not just for themselves, but for their children. That’s why he wanted to take the harder path.

In that way, the seeds of unification that the Crown Prince had sown through Tom were sprouting safely.