I Became The Crown Prince Of The Mexican Empire - Chapter 63



Only Noblemtl

Universities and Slavery (4)

Anthony Butler came to me after a month.

“I see you’ve come, so I guess the decision has been made. Is it approved?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. We, the United States, have decided to accept the terms of the deal Your Majesty has proposed.”

“Okay. Then, let’s sign the treaty right away without wasting any time.”

I took out the document I had written in advance.

The content was as follows.

———

1. The Mexican Empire agrees to admit into the Mexican Empire native individuals and families who have consented to voluntarily emigrate within the United States.

2. The United States Government, on humanitarian grounds, assumes the responsibility for the safe transportation of the natives to cities within the Mexican border.

3. In order to promote mutual cooperation in these measures and to strengthen friendly relations between the two countries, the Government of the United States of America will forgive the debt owed to the Imperial Government of Mexico in the amount of 4,000,000 pesos.

———

Anthony Butler frowned as he read the document I handed him.

“···Your Majesty, is clause 2 really necessary? Wouldn’t clauses 1 and 3 be sufficient?”

Anthony Butler asked:

“It is absolutely necessary.”

I answered firmly.

When I showed no intention of changing my mind, Anthony Butler sighed and said,

“If we sign this treaty, are you sure that you will return the weapons and the weapons seized from the arms dealers arrested in Texas?”

“That might be a bit difficult. I’ll return the weapons.”

“···Are you going to detain him in the Mexican Empire? He is an American.”

“There is no need to take him with you anyway, since there is no evidence if you return the weapons. He has already agreed to live as a citizen of our Mexican Empire. If you want, I can confirm it for you face to face. If you want to return to the United States, I can send you right away.”

Since he confessed, it is obvious what will happen if he goes to the United States. In addition, he is a member of the US military intelligence unit and can be of great help to us. If possible, it would be better to keep him alive rather than send him to the US and kill him.

When I said that, Anthony Butler surprisingly said it was no big deal.

“Well, that’s fine. He’s just a lunatic who has nothing to do with our American government anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”

He scribbled his signature as if he wanted to finish it quickly and get it over with.

The Treaty on the Resettlement of the Indigenous Peoples (El Tratado Sobre la Reubicación Indígena) was officially signed.

I don’t know how humanely the Americans will relocate the natives, but since it is an official treaty, they cannot completely ignore Article 2.

I hope the death toll will be lower than in the original history, but it won’t be drastically reduced.

The main causes of death on the Trail of Tears are disease, overwork, and starvation, since disease is beyond the reach of modern technology.

Natives who are in poor condition will be fully recovered in border towns and then sent to settlements.

***

The treaties between the United States and the indigenous peoples concerning their removal became a major issue in the United States, but were quickly buried in Mexican society.

Because there were hotter issues.

It has already been a month since the Republicans began their full-scale counterattack, and the Catholic Church has also been increasing the level of its criticism.

Padre Fausto Vasconcelos took up public speaking altogether, because he felt that speaking only in church had its limits.

Dressed in traditional Catholic priest’s attire, he stood at the podium and appeared to everyone like a devout priest.

“Dear believers,

Today, I would like to talk with you about our faith and traditions.

“We are now faced with the great question of establishing a secular university, and this question has been prompted by the arguments of the republicans.”

His speech, which began with “Fellow Citizens” rather than “Fellow Citizens,” addressed the issue of secular universities and republicans from the start.

“We all recognize the value of education. But education must go beyond the mere transmission of knowledge to instill moral values ​​that nurture the soul. We must carefully consider how secular universities can reflect this essence of education.

The Republicans’ proposals threaten to shake the very foundations of our society. They challenge traditional values ​​and the stability of the family, and they promote a secular and materialistic education that could lead to spiritual impoverishment for our young people and threaten to undermine our faith and moral foundations.”

It was a criticism that seemed plausible and had no concrete basis, but many citizens who were listening nodded. Father Vasconcelos continued his speech.

“We must grow spiritually and mature morally through education based on our faith. Our culture and identity come from the faith and traditions that have been passed down through generations. We need to think carefully about whether secular universities will move in a direction that respects and preserves our values ​​and identity.

I urge all of you to work to preserve our faith and traditions. We need to carefully consider the establishment of secular universities and carefully evaluate the potential impact of the Republican proposals on our society.

Following God’s wisdom and teachings, we must uphold our faith and values ​​and work for the unity of our society. We must unite and fight together to meet this challenge.

“May God bless you all. Amen.”

Although it was clearly a public speech, many people reflexively followed suit and said “Amen” as the priest concluded with “Amen.”

It was a clever way to emphasize the sincerity of the speech to the audience and get them to agree with the message.

The issue of establishing a secular university was becoming a hot potato not only in Mexico City but throughout Mexican society.

***

Reginald Greenfield sighed when he received a letter from the Mexican Crown Prince, the owner of his company.

“I thought it was quiet for a while, but now you’ve given me a lot of work to do. Let’s see.”

There were several names written in the letter.

“Francis Ronalds. How on earth did they find out?”

If you absolutely had to scout them, there was a brief description written under the name with an asterisk.

“Scientist, inventor, and the first electrical engineer? I don’t know what it is, but it seems important.”

That wasn’t the end.

There was also a request to research the names of professors working at famous European universities, and underneath that was a list of names of books that they were asking me to find and send them.

“Liam! Can you save this one?”

Reginald handed his colleague Liam Murphy a list of book titles.

“···This isn’t something I set out to do.”

“You’re an employee of our company too, what are you talking about? Your subordinates do all the work anyway, and you’re just playing around these days.”

It was exactly as he said.

Liam Murphy, head of Irish affairs at the immigration firm, has already hired dozens of agents.

At first, there was a lot of trial and error, so there was a lot to manage, but these days, there isn’t much of that, so all I have to do is go to work every day, compile the letters, and write a report on the results.

“Well, it’s not that difficult. Let’s try to find it.”

Liam packed his coat and went out, and Reginald set out to find the man named Francis Ronalds, who was written at the top.

***

Even in his mid-forties, Francis Ronalds’ passion for science and invention never waned.

Although his most important invention, the electric telegraph, was described as ‘wholly unnecessary’ by Lord Admiralty Sir John Barrow.

After the failure of the introduction of the electric telegraph, he turned his attention to other fields such as mechanics, civil engineering, and astronomy.

One day, while I was engrossed in my research, a man came to visit me.

“Um… So you’re saying that the Crown Prince of the Mexican Empire is interested in the electric telegraph that I created?”

Francis narrowed his eyes and looked at the man who introduced himself as Reginald.

“Hahaha, you won’t believe it. Even I wouldn’t believe it. Here, this is a letter written by His Highness the Crown Prince himself. Take a look.”

Francis wanted to tell this seemingly con man to get out of here, but he persevered and took the letter.

[To Francis Ronalds

···]

Francis skipped over the parts that didn’t really matter and read straight to the main point.

[Your revolutionary invention, the electric telegraph, has not been fully appreciated in England, but I am convinced that it has enormous potential. The Mexican Empire believes in the transformative power of this innovation, and is committed to supporting visionary minds like yours.

···]

After that, there was a detailed plan written on how to put the electric telegraph into practice. It was a content that showed understanding and consideration of electricity and the telegraph.

“···Is this really what His Highness the Crown Prince of the Mexican Empire wrote? It’s too technical for that to be true.”

“I don’t know the contents of the letter, but you are considered a genius within the Mexican Empire. You are known for giving preferential treatment to scientists and engineers. That is probably what is written in the letter.”

Reginald Greenfield said so.

Preferential treatment for scientists and engineers? Francis read the last part of the letter.

[In recognition of your pioneering efforts, we would like to propose to you a partnership. We wish to establish an electric and telegraph company within the Empire, and we would like to place you at the center of it.

This venture will not only give you the resources and freedom to further your research, but also give you a stake in the company. I am confident that your expertise will bring about a new era of connectivity and progress for our country.

If you are interested in this proposal, we are ready to provide all necessary facilities for your relocation and to give you the opportunity to get the respect and attention your work deserves.

Even for Francis Ronalds, who invented numerous inventions, the electric telegraph, which he invented in his late 20s, was a sore thumb.

He was so heartbroken when his invention, which he had proposed in 1816 as a possible means of communication, was deemed “entirely unnecessary” that he went on a two-year Grand Tour of Europe and the Middle East at the rather late age of 30.

‘Establish a company for the electric telegraph and even give it shares?’

It was certainly an attractive offer, but what Francis found even more appealing was what was written at the end of the letter.

[We are ready to provide you with the opportunity to give your work the respect and attention it deserves.]

He still believed in the potential of telegraphy. But if things continued this way, someone else would succeed in commercializing it and take its fame.

After several days of agonizing over the decision, Francis made it after talking to his family.

***

The telegraph was developed by several inventors in the early to mid-19th century, one of the most famous in telegraph history being Samuel Morse, who developed Morse code.

‘I feel a little sorry for him, but I guess I’ll have to invent and use Morse code first.’

There are still three or four years left until the university opens, but there is no reason not to bring in people with skills that can be used immediately.

Companies being created from now on will need to invest at least several hundred thousand pesos as initial capital, so we plan to pay only 5% of the company’s shares, but we plan to give them the same privilege regarding the company name.

Francis Ronalds in front of us was the beginning.

“How about the company name ‘Electrónicos Francis’?”