I Became The Crown Prince Of The Mexican Empire - Chapter 91



Only Noblemtl

Mexican-French War (6)

Even those who opposed war with the Mexican Empire did so because it was obvious that the king and government were trying to turn internal discontent externally; they could not have imagined that France would be defeated by Mexico.

Even among those who opposed the government, none considered the possibility of France’s defeat.

When the expedition fleet, which consisted of 10 ships of the line and a total fleet of 42 ships, returned to Brest in half, the citizens were shocked, but they did not think that they had been defeated.

‘It looks like there was quite a bit of damage.’

That was all I could think. Admiral Armand and the French government tried to hide the fact of defeat, but they could not completely silence the soldiers.

Journalists became suspicious of the military and government’s strange silence despite the clear fighting that had taken place. They paid soldiers who were threatened by the military and government to keep quiet about the outcome of the battle and forced information out of them.

-France! Shocking defeat in a fleet battle with the Mexican Empire!

-Baron Macau loses half of his expedition fleet! A stain on his once brilliant career!

Articles about the defeat in the fleet battle began to pour in.

“What? We lost? No way! That reporter is crazy about money!”

“Not only there, but other media outlets are all the same?”

The man’s hopes that it was a false report were shattered.

“How on earth could our country, France, lose to a country that has been independent for 17 years?”

Those who denied that it was true began to express their anger when faced with the cold reality.

In this unprecedented situation, media outlets also churned out new articles every day.

—

-You didn’t misjudge the enemy’s strength? You didn’t even investigate it!

A senior Navy official who requested anonymity said France had no idea what its opponent’s capabilities were when it decided to go to war with Mexico.

He argued that it was arrogant of the French to mobilize only a third of the fleet without properly investigating the situation, and that those involved should be held accountable.

—

The article added fuel to the public’s anger.

“Fuck like this!”

“Take responsibility! Take responsibility for the lives that were lost in vain because of your incompetence and arrogance!”

In Paris, protests continued daily against government incompetence.

“That’s why I said this war was wrong from the start!”

“This war is nothing more than an excuse for the king and the privileged class to divert our attention, and the lives being spent on it are those of our citizens. The war must stop now!”

The minority opinion that had opposed the war from the beginning gained strength again. Their voices had been completely ignored before the war, but they gradually gained support after the defeat as the government’s shameful behavior was revealed.

The atmosphere in Paris grew more tense by the day, with soldiers stationed around the royal palace and parliament buildings.

Meanwhile, Louis Philippe, who had been furious at the news of defeat, soon began to accept and acknowledge the reality.

“Sigh… So what should I do?”

“The war is not over yet, Your Majesty. We can still win.”

Louis Philippe almost lost his temper again with his Minister of War, Antoine Virgil Schneider, who said so, but barely held himself back.

“No! That’s obvious. I’m asking you to tell me how to appease the citizens protesting outside.”

Foreign Minister François Guizot sensed the King’s discomfort and answered in place of the War Minister.

“This war was one they all agreed to from the beginning. This defeat was simply a result of underestimating the enemy. We still have more fleets left, and we can win. We are actively informing the citizens of this.”

The French king and his high officials had no intention of ending the war here. To end it here would be considered a defeat. The prestige of the royal family would be ruined, and the citizens would be dissatisfied.

If there was no chance of winning, then why would you call it crazy when you could win? For now, you had to appease the citizens’ discontent and prepare for the next battle.

“Hmm. Do you think that alone will convince them?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. As the Minister of War said, the war is not over yet. Even if we overthrow the government as they claim, the situation will not change. Rather, it will only put France at a disadvantage. If we are defeated as a result, wouldn’t that be no different from helping the enemy?”

“···So that’s how you’re going to influence public opinion. Good. Give it a try. In the end, everything will be resolved if you win.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

So, the French government, which had been silent, began to move.

Pro-government media claimed that attacking the government now, during a war, was tantamount to treason, and that if they just waited a little longer, they would win.

The article explicitly mentioned the size of the Mexican fleet, as revealed in this battle, and claimed that France had a much larger fleet. This was clearly a government leak, but surprisingly, it was effective.

Although the anti-war forces are gaining strength, the war itself was supported by most of the people. The logic that overthrowing the government now would be ruining a war that could be won has sapped the momentum of the protesters.

“It’s too bad. I thought something would finally start this time.”

“It was just a temporary reprieve, but my resentment toward the King has not disappeared. I must wait for the next opportunity.”

“Okay, let’s cheer.”

Lucien Dupont secretly handed over the money.

“···Thank you always.”

Louis Blanc could not help but be suspicious of the intentions of a well-to-do bourgeois named Lucien Dupont, who recently offered to sponsor him.

A capitalist would support him, who usually advocates for voting rights, improved working conditions, and expanded political freedom? It would seem strange to anyone. But now, I completely considered him a comrade.

His own investigation revealed that Lucien’s business treated its workers quite humanely.

Louis Blanc, who learned of this fact, believed in his sincerity, and for two years he had been secretly gathering comrades with the funds he provided.

‘It would be nice if the working conditions at least at his business could improve.’

Louis Blanc thought so.

***

Kwakwakwakwang!

Mexican ships of the line bombarded Pointe-à-Pitre, the main port on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe.

“I think we can land at this point.”

Point à Pitre’s poor coastal defenses were devastated by the constant bombardment of the Mexican fleet.

The enemy batteries were completely crushed, and the enemies who had initially resisted were nowhere to be seen.

“Okay. Let’s prepare for landing.”

Mexican Empire troops landed at Point à Pitre.

The Mexican Imperial Army, armed with modern weapons such as AR-38 rifles and revolvers, never got to use them.

“Surrender! I surrender!”

A man walked out of the harbor with his hand raised.

It would be a waste of time to fight those who could destroy coastal defenses like this, the garrison officer thought.

He could not speak Spanish so he shouted for surrender in French, but fortunately the Mexican army did not shoot him as he walked out with both hands raised.

A French-speaking officer from the Mexican army stepped forward.

“How many defenders are there?”

“There are about 250 of us. We have all decided to surrender, so please spare our lives.”

“As long as you don’t do anything stupid, you won’t get hurt. Go back, disarm yourself, and come out.”

“yes.”

The French officer returned to base with both hands raised and led the soldiers out.

He was equally unarmed, with both hands raised.

“Didn’t you say there were 250? I only see 220.”

“These are the people who were killed or injured by the shelling.”

“···I see. I will let you rest soon, so prepare for the funeral.”

Mexican imperial forces soon began to take control of the entire island of Guadeloupe.

This also happened in another French Caribbean colony, Martinique, where its capital and main port, Fort-de-France, was renamed Fort-de-Mexico.

***

December 1839.

“You succeeded in taking the city without any casualties? It looks like the defenders have surrendered? That’s a good thing.”

My father seemed to be in a very good mood. In fact, not only my father, but also I and the subjects of the Mexican Empire were in a very good mood.

This was only natural, as they had won a large-scale naval battle and taken control of France’s Caribbean colonies without casualties.

The value of these islands is not small. Guadeloupe and Martinique, which are among the many islands in the Caribbean, look small on the map, but they are islands with an area of ​​about 1,630 square kilometers and 1,120 square kilometers, respectively, which is 88% and 60% of the area of ​​Jeju Island.

Although it was a tiny country compared to Cuba, it was a major colony that had been developed since the early 17th century, so the farms were well-developed and sugar was the main product.

“Yes, Father. If we make it widely known that we have safely taken over the islands, I think the people’s support will increase even more.”

“Hmm? Public support? Isn’t that high right now? Are you trying to do something that requires public support?”

Now, even my father was just pretending.

“Yes, there is something that I would like to clarify right now. It is the law regarding conscription.”

In the early to mid-19th century, most European countries were introducing mass conscription.

“···Certainly, it is a topic that would be difficult to pass if not now.”

Five months into the war, the war between Mexico and France had brought little change to Mexican society other than a small increase in taxes.

This is because they had been preparing for war for a long time, and most importantly, there was no large-scale conscription.

This mass conscription is the main reason why war destroys national economies, but it is still a necessary institution.

As various technologies such as railroads developed and the distribution of materials became smoother, it also became easier to supply the military, but ironically, this led to the birth of ‘total war’ in which the country fought by mobilizing all available resources and means.

‘In the history of the original world, the Civil War was the beginning of a full-scale all-out war. But is it the same in this world?’

The Mexican-American War in the original history was a relatively small war in terms of the size of the country, and was closer to a traditional war than an all-out war, but that was because Mexico was so weak compared to the United States that the United States only mobilized a small number of troops.

That is why this problem must be resolved right now.

“Yes, there is a sense of crisis as we are at war with a powerful enemy, France, but the approval rating is also high. On top of that, there are articles coming out every day about the influx of volunteers, so I don’t think there could be a better time than now.”

“Okay. Let’s proceed.”

“Yes, father.”

***

As expected by the Mexican Empire, which believed that France would not give up the war just like this, news was received that France was calling in fleets from all over the world to prepare for a second war.

This information was leaked to the press unchecked, which was the Crown Prince’s intention.

“France is bringing more than twice the fleet?”

The sense of crisis that had eased slightly after winning the first game has become tense again.

In this situation, the leader of the imperial faction, Senator Robert, proposed the ‘Law on Military Mobilization and Compulsory Military Service in Time of War (Ley de Movilización Militar y Servicio Militar en Tiempos de Guerra)’.