I Became The Crown Prince Of The Mexican Empire - Chapter 53



Only Noblemtl

Texas (2)

After receiving detailed operational orders from His Highness the Crown Prince, he immediately set off for Texas and arrived at the port of Galveston.

‘Going straight to San Antonio.’

San Antonio is the largest city in Texas, but it also has my connections.

“Please go to San Antonio.”

As in Mexico City and Veracruz, Rios Express also provides transportation services here in Texas.

‘Wait a minute, is that the Rios Express?’

Although the operational objectives and plan were set, the camouflage identities were not prepared in advance. One of the key elements of this operation was to disguise one’s identity well.

If you’re an employee of Rios Express, which has a branch in every town of a certain size, this might be one way for outsiders to avoid being suspected.

He asked the staff.

“Is Rios Express hiring anyone?”

“We can’t hire anyone because there aren’t enough people. Everyone thinks it’s profitable to get land and farm it. Would you like to apply for an administrative position, a coachman, or a security guard?”

First of all, you can’t be a groom. You have to be able to stay in one place for at least a few months.

“Which department can be transferred to another village, the administrative staff or the security guards?”

“Moving? Administrative staff like me rarely have to move separately. There’s no separate system for security guards either, but if you request it, they can move you.”

The receptionist at Rios Express looked at me as if I was asking a strange question. But since he answered my question anyway, it seems like they really are short-staffed.

“Then I will apply to be a security guard.”

“Have you ever shot a gun? If not, you need to get some training.”

“Yes, I have shot it.”

“You’ve ever shot someone? You’re not a criminal, are you?”

The staff looked at Ricardo suspiciously.

The only people who would shoot a gun are hunters, criminals, and soldiers. I guess he was suspicious because he was wearing a hood.

“I am a former military man.”

“Hmm, I see. That’s good. Just wait a moment. There’s a procedure.”

“yes.”

The clerk shuffled through the stack of documents for a moment, then pulled out a piece of paper.

“Write this down.”

“yes.”

Although he was asked to fill out a lot of personal information, Ricardo filled in the disguise information he had thought of.

‘At least in Texas, I’m Alejandro Martinez.’

“···You’re not blind, are you? Are you a former military officer?”

“···yes.”

‘Oh. It’s not good when my real identity and fake identity are too similar, but there’s nothing I can do about it.’

After he filled out the paperwork, things went smoothly. He was assigned to the San Antonio Guard, where he had applied.

‘It seems like there’s a real shortage of workers. I can go wherever I want.’

Arrived in San Antonio on the Rio Express stagecoach. There’s work to do before starting work as an employee.

I went straight to a farm.

‘Is this the right place? It’s not easy to find just by looking at the text in the letter.’

dripping-

“Who are you!”

I hear a familiar voice.

“It’s Ricardo!”

I hear the voice of a comrade who has gone through long hardships with me.

Bam-

“captain!”

“Hahaha! Captain? Do you still call me that? Juan.”

Juan opened the door and came out, welcoming me warmly.

“Once you put it in your mouth, it won’t come off, Captain. Anyway, come on in. It’s a really pleasant surprise.”

‘Well, I kept calling him captain even though I was going through all that trouble, so it just got used to it.’

The sailors were surprised to hear about Texas’ immigration policy and wondered if it was true that they would be given land.

‘He wanted to settle in Texas, but he couldn’t settle without his family, so he stopped by Cuba and helped them settle in Texas by bringing his family there.’

I thought that I would never have this kind of relationship again in my life, so I continued to keep in touch through letters.

Juan, a Cuban mestizo, has successfully established himself in Texas.

“Are the other colleagues doing well?”

“Everyone is doing well here and there in Texas. We meet up in San Antonio once a year to see each other. By the way, it was nice to see you, Captain, but what brought you here?”

“You remember, I was in the Mexican Navy?”

“of course.”

“I need your help. But it won’t be easy.”

“Help? I don’t know what it is, but I’ll do anything the captain asks. The captain has already saved my life several times.”

“···Thank you. My request concerns the Mexican Empire. Before I give you the details, I need to hear a definite answer. Are you willing to work for the Mexican Empire?”

No matter how close you are, you can’t give out information carelessly.

The risk of information leaking is dangerous, but it could also threaten his life. That’s why I wanted to hire him formally.

‘His Majesty has also said that it is okay to hire informants locally.’

Even though I went undercover as an employee of Rios Express, Juan, who I’ve spent the past few years with, would have access to much more information than I, an outsider.

“It’s about the Mexican Empire… Actually, I’m Cuban and I live in Texas now, so I don’t have any patriotism towards the Mexican Empire. … But I do miss those days with the captain.”

Juan, who has a stable life but has also had great adventures, might find his life a bit boring.

Although he was now considered middle-aged, I felt that he was moved by my suggestion.

After much persuasion from me, he eventually gave in.

“Damn it! The kids are all grown up now, so there’s no need to worry too much. Just trust the captain and go.”

Finally, I took the first step.

It feels like the enormous burden has been slightly relieved.

“Thank you so much for making such a big decision, Juan.”

***

‘The Master of Texas’

The words left by the arms dealer warmed Stephen Austin’s heart.

I would feel good when I recalled those words, but it would soon cool down.

‘railway.’

Stephen Austin has been agonizing over the past few days. As his subordinates say, if the railroads are connected, central control will be strengthened.

I also thought about interfering with the construction of the railway. Every morning, I would steal the iron from the railway under construction and sell it.

‘That will only last a little while.’

After a few more times, the guard will become more and more strict and eventually it will be completed. Then what will happen?

Stephen Austin was a proud man who called himself the “Father of Texas,” but he was also aware that many of the things he did were not so honorable.

‘Even if I bribed the governor and public officials, it is impossible for me to avoid being caught distributing the land as I pleased.’

Even now, there are increasing numbers of immigrants from Europe, wandering around here and there.

We are constantly patrolling and blocking the area by mobilizing vigilante groups, but the moment the railway is connected, information control will end.

For Stephen Austin, it was a question with a clear answer: take a reckless challenge and become the owner of Texas, or sit back and lose everything.

There was no option for him to turn himself in to the Mexican government and ask for mercy.

“Call the arms dealer.”

“yes···.”

Stephen Austin waited, smoking a cigarette.

“Did you call?”

The bastard appeared as if he had been waiting.

Stephen Austin looked straight into her face and asked.

“Are you American?”

A look of surprise passed over him. In that moment, Stephen Austin was certain.

“It’s America.”

“···I am just an arms dealer.”

“Are you saying this wasn’t sent by the US government?”

“He’s an arms dealer, but he might have ties to the US government.”

A vague answer, effectively an admission.

“Let’s cut the nonsense out of the way and get to the point. How much support can the United States provide?”

Stephen Austin asked bluntly:

“···Support from the United States? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“If you’re going to keep talking nonsense, I’ll have to throw it all away and report you to the Mexican government. Maybe if you hand over the American spy, they’ll forgive me a little.”

Stephen Austin spat out coldly.

“···I am not a member of the U.S. government, but as a patriot who loves America, I think I can provide a lot of weapons if Texas joins the Union after independence.”

“Join the United States? Then wouldn’t that just mean changing from Mexico to the United States?”

“No. It is different from the Mexican Empire, which pursues centralization. The United States is a federal state and supports local autonomy. For example, even matters regarding the term of office and term limits of the governor can be determined by each state.”

“Oh. So what you’re saying is, if I can get the votes, I can still be governor?”

“Yes, as long as I can keep getting Texans to vote.”

“That’s not difficult.”

No matter what anyone says, the person who truly pioneered this place called Texas was Stephen Austin.

Every American who came to Texas went through his company.

Although Europeans have recently arrived, even they cannot deny that it was Stephen Austin who pioneered, developed, and protected Texas.

“Send me the weapons as soon as possible.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t send you the weapons first. You have to gather public opinion. That way, you can have legitimacy.”

‘A mere arms dealer weighing public opinion? Even a passing dog would laugh.’

“···Just wait a moment. I’ll show you the Texans who long for independence.”

“great.”

American Brian and Texan Steven shook hands and prepared for their next move.

***

Fortunately, it wasn’t just Juan.

Many colleagues who had gone through hardships together decided to join us.

“So, cities like San Antonio are completely dominated by Americans, right?”

“Yes, Captain. No, yes, Alejandro.”

Although they are still awkward spies, they are people who have put down roots in this area, so the information they have is of great help.

“I see. The ‘higher ups’ predicted that if the Americans were to use their numbers, they would definitely contact Stephen Austin. In that case, we should create an anti-Stephen Austin force.”

“Yes. And it would be good to infiltrate Stephen Austin’s forces to get information.”

Juan also came up with an idea.

“Let me go in. I know a guy in the Texas Vigilantes. He’ll let me in without question.”

One of my colleagues was Carlos. Unlike the others, who were mestizo Cubans, he was white.

“But what is the anti-Stephen Austin faction like?”

Another colleague asked.

“First, we will publicize the corruption and bribery that Stephen Austin is currently engaged in. And if Stephen Austin really succumbs to the temptation of the United States as predicted by the person above, he will try to incite the Texans to revolt against the Mexican Empire.”

“Well, then that would be a way to stifle the agitation by creating public opinion that he was sacrificing Texans for his own personal greed.”

“okay.”

“Well, it’s not as dangerous as I thought. And it’s effective.”

“It was all said by the person above. He is a great person.”

Major Ricardo and his colleagues drew up a detailed plan before the full-scale operation. They added a specific execution plan to the framework of the operation plan set by the ‘higher-ups’.

‘Stephen Austin, it won’t work out the way you think it will.’

The companions scattered to each village.