I Became The Crown Prince Of The Mexican Empire - Chapter 50



Only Noblemtl

Ports and Shipyards (6)

“The Mexicans turned down the offer to buy Texas again?”

Andrew Jackson.

He was the first Democratic president and the 7th president of the United States, who began his second term with the support of many Americans by successfully enacting the Indian Removal Act.

“Yeah, Andrew.”

The answer came from Martin Van Buren.

Although he was officially the Vice President, he was a long-time political ally and trusted friend of Andrew Jackson.

Andrews even considered Martin as his political successor and the next Democratic presidential candidate.

The two of them used to be comfortable with each other whenever no one else was around.

“Did you really offer to give that crown prince some extra money?”

“That’s what they said.”

“Damn it!”

The United States began in the northeastern part of North America and steadily advanced south and west.

Since the purchase of Louisiana from France, Americans had been claiming vast territories without difficulty, but Mexico stood in their way.

In particular, Texas, a place adjacent to the U.S. territory, was rumored to be a very successful agricultural region, and Americans were constantly moving there, so it was a thorn in their side.

What started out as a mild annoyance has grown in scale and is now drawing the ire of high-ranking U.S. government officials.

“Martin, is there really no way to bring Texas from Mexico?”

“The only excuse we have for Mexico is that they owe us a large debt, and they are paying it back with interest and principal, so I don’t think we can use that as an excuse to take territory.”

Mexico’s claim to the territory was so strong that there was no way to obtain it without resorting to force.

To be precise, it was a cause that Spain had, but for the United States, a nominally independent country with colonial origins, to not recognize that cause was like giving up its own cause.

Even after they became independent, they fought a war against Spain and won, and Britain did not recognize it.

“So you’re saying there’s no justification…. Can’t we just move the military?”

Andrew Jackson, famous for his hot temper, thought of mobilizing the army as soon as he heard that there was no right way.

As expected from someone who had fought 13 duels, his mindset was fiery.

Andrew’s wife, Rachel, had been married before, but she had completed her divorce before marrying Jackson. However, she was criticized for having an affair with Jackson before the divorce was officially finalized.

To protect his honor, Andrew would seek out those who spoke ill of him and engage them in duels, killing them.

“The military won’t do. Britain will intervene immediately. There’s also the Oregon issue, so we can’t afford to miss that opportunity.”

Oregon, like Texas, was a fatal weakness for the United States.

As long as Mexico has California, the United States cannot go to the Pacific unless it has Oregon.

“What the fuck. This isn’t working and that isn’t working. This is driving me crazy. Texas should belong to the United States.”

Andrew, who should have no problem taking over other countries’ territory.

Martin, who had been thinking for a moment while looking at him, came up with a number.

“If direct intervention is not possible, how about finding a way to bring it about indirectly?”

“By way? Tell me more, Martin.”

Andrew, who had been expressing his anger, seemed interested in Martin’s words and urged him on.

“What if Texas wants to be independent from Mexico, as we were independent from England, as Mexico was independent from Spain?”

Martin said with a sly smile.

“Ah! That’s what it was! It’s you, Martin. You’re saying that we should make Texas independent and then join the United States as a state.”

“Yes. If possible, it would be better if it were a ‘voluntary merger request’.”

“Okay! I need to come up with a detailed plan right now. Where should I start?”

“First, we need to infiltrate our agents into Texas.”

“That agent will recruit influential Texans of American descent?”

“Yeah. We need to support them so they can exert their power.”

The two, longtime political comrades and friends, had great chemistry together.

They began to lose track of time and become absorbed in their plans to bring Texas from Mexico.

***

The person who called did not come, and instead, the person who was thought to be missing came.

It was Major Ricardo, one of the spies who had been dispatched to Cuba. He was a captain at the time, but over time he was promoted to major.

“I remember that at the time, we sent someone to Cuba to look for him, but he wasn’t there, so we declared him missing. I’m glad he came back.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

It turned out that he had been caught in a storm and had gone through some difficult times before returning several years later.

“Major Esteban, who was on a mission with you in Cuba, is out on another mission right now?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I think I will be arriving next month.”

“Yeah. I’m glad you’re here. What on earth has been going on? Can you explain in detail?”

Major Ricardo began to describe in detail those difficult times.

***

Again in September 1828.

“Damn. Summer is almost over and here comes a hurricane.”

Captain Ricardo Vargas, who was working as an informant for the Mexican Empire in Cuba, encountered a hurricane while sailing to relay information to the Empire.

The sea was rolling like crazy. The huge waves looked like they would capsize the boat at any moment.

Kwarung-

There was constant thunder and lightning in the sky, and strong winds were blowing.

Captain Ricardo almost gave up for a moment at the apocalyptic sight of the hurricane, but soon came to his senses.

He was assigned to be a spy in the Mexican Imperial Navy, which did not even have a fleet, but he was still a naval officer.

You must persevere until the end and complete the mission.

The help of veteran sailors was also great. Their wages were a bit high and they were arrogant, but their skills were real.

Everyone was desperately trying to survive.

Kwarung-

Because I was desperate to survive, I didn’t know the direction.

A city that was reached on a partially destroyed ship after somehow escaping the hurricane.

It was New Orleans, USA.

“Hmm… No matter how I look at it, it’s impossible to return to Cuba on that ship. It’s not even Cuba, it’s a ship that can go anywhere.”

The American man who stood before them, claiming to speak Spanish, said so.

Captain Ricardo and his crew knew this, being sailors themselves. Trying to go anywhere on this was suicidal.

Since I lost my money, I don’t have any money for the boat fare.

“Mexican? There is a Mexican city far to the west, but it would be difficult to get there now. Winter will come halfway through. It will be hard to survive then.”

I lost everything but my life while surviving the hurricane. All I had was the clothes on my back and a few things in my pockets.

Fortunately, the Americans were not cold to Captain Ricardo and his crew, who were obviously in distress.

“You all look like castaways, but I’ll introduce you to people I know who can help you find work, and you can use the money to stay at my inn. It’ll be cheap.”

The friendly innkeeper in New Orleans offered him a job and a cheap room, but even so, he didn’t have much left over for food.

“Thank you.”

Captain Ricardo and his crew worked hard and survived even in the cold winter. This was possible because they had the goal of returning home to their families.

Time passed and spring came.

I took out all the money I had saved.

“···This amount of money will cover the fare for just one person.”

“···.”

Rationally speaking, it would have been right for Captain Ricardo to go to Mexico alone and take a boat to pick them up. But Captain Ricardo couldn’t do that.

‘It wasn’t money I saved on my own in the first place. That was just my greed.’

The sailors he hired in Cuba had already become his colleagues and comrades.

“Let’s just all walk together.”

They finished saving up all their money and prepared to leave for their trip, then said goodbye to the innkeeper.

“Thank you for everything, sir.”

“You guys must have had a hard time in a foreign land. Have a safe trip.”

Captain Ricardo and his crew set out from New Orleans to Texas.

Their ordeal is not over yet.

“Oh my god… It’s so fucking far.”

No matter how far west they went, there was no sign of a settlement. The settlement that Stephen Austin had established was about 511 miles (823 km) away.

“Hold it properly.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Phew!

Captain Ricardo stabbed the boar with a dagger.

Kkeueeek-

Since it’s a small knife that I bought with a small amount of money, it doesn’t die easily.

“Just die quietly!”

Phew!

The wild boar’s violent movements gradually became quiet.

“Huh. Please prepare dinner.”

“Yep. Hey! Get ready to light a fire!”

All the food we had prepared for the enormous distance of 511 miles was eaten early on. From the middle of the journey, we had to hunt for food.

“We have to get there before winter, so let’s leave quickly.”

511 miles (823 km).

If you walk 18 miles (30 km) a day, it may seem like a quick trip, but that’s only if you can walk in a straight line.

The map the innkeeper in New Orleans gave me only showed very rough directions.

Even where the location of the settlement was supposed to be, there was nothing there.

“Captain… isn’t this hopeless?”

There were also sailors who fell into despair. It was not anyone’s fault, but a natural disaster that caused this situation, so there was no one to blame.

“We can do it, Juan. Trust me.”

Captain Ricardo was having a hard time himself, but he encouraged his crew and moved on.

They arrived in the Mexican Empire’s Texas frontier in mid-August, the height of summer.

“We’ve arrived!”

We set off at the beginning of spring and arrived at the height of summer.

“Still, I’m glad we got there before fall… You all worked hard. I’ll make sure to compensate you properly when I return to Mexico City.”

“Well, Captain, I saved my life thanks to you, so you can just pay me back as originally promised.”

It is the territory of the Mexican Empire.

Ricardo, a naval captain, could probably get help from the local government.

Captain Ricardo felt a sense of unease. Stephen Austin’s settlement was huge.

“This is not a village, it is a city.”

“Haha, the total population of Texas is over 30,000.”

When word got out that Captain Ricardo had arrived in San Antonio, a man named Stephen Austin came out and personally guided him.

“But everyone here speaks English or German···?”

“Yes. Well, everyone is familiar with their native language.”

“I see, there seem to be very few Mexicans. Are they mostly Americans?”

“Haha. What are you talking about? We are all Mexicans living in the Mexican Empire.”

Captain Ricardo’s intuition began to send warning signals.

He did not know the specifics of the empresario contract between the imperial government and Stephen Austin, but it seemed problematic to allow such a heterogeneous city to be created.

He decided to report this fact to the Mexican government.

“···You don’t have a stomach?”

“Yes, there are temporary ports and small fishing boats, but there are no ships that can travel such long distances.”

There was still no ship in Texas to take Captain Ricardo and his crew to Mexico. They had to go overland again.

“Can you at least give me some verbal support?”

“Yes, but wouldn’t it be better to spend the winter before you go? Everyone seems to be in terrible condition…”

It was true.

Captain Ricardo and his crew had not eaten, washed, or slept properly for the past five months.

To travel by land again in this condition would be suicidal.

Fall will come again to recover.

“···It’s too dangerous to move when winter comes, so I’ll just stay here during the winter.”

“Yes, feel free to stay as long as you want and then go.”

‘I guess I’ll have to investigate this further.’

Captain Ricardo began his investigation while staying in San Antonio. He wanted to find out what was causing this discomfort.

‘Is everything suspicious because I did a little spy work? No. There’s definitely something fishy about this.’

He soon found a lot of strange things.

The population composition was the problem from the start.

‘The population is about 30,000. There are only about 3,000 Mexicans. Far from speaking Spanish, Mexicans are learning English and German.’

Most immigrants to the United States were of British and German descent.

There were other problems too.

‘The land for the settlers is too large. In California, the maximum given to the early settlers was 160 acres, and usually 80 to 120 acres were given. But this is…’

The settlers had an absurdly large amount of land. Captain Ricardo worked hard to find more and more land, his suspicions growing stronger as he dug deeper.

One day, Stephen Austin suddenly came to see me and asked how I was doing.

“I heard you’ve been going around a lot these days… It’s winter and cold, so I’m afraid you might get sick from going around like that.”

Captain Ricardo thought.

‘I’m asking how you’re doing, so why bring those big guys?’

Captain Ricardo considered just going for it, but there was no way to beat Stephen Austin in Texas.

‘I’ll endure it for now.’

“···I will rest quietly and go.”

Captain Ricardo was determined to convey his suspicions about these people to the Mexican government.

The royal family will punish them.

────────────────────────────────────

────────────────────────────────────