Chapter 440 How Much Is the Face of France

Leisure time is always short, the Cuban crisis has just been settled, and Mexico is in trouble again. This time the Americans are not responsible, they are just smuggling arms to the rebels.

This kind of thing, even if they don't do it, someone else will do it. Good arms dealers sell weapons to the enemy.

As long as you have money, you don't have to worry about not being able to buy weapons. If you can't buy it, it must be that you are not rich enough.

The Mexican Civil War has been fought for many years. In the early stage, the government army pressed the rebels to fight. Now it is a turning point.

In the autumn of 1868, the Mexican government army and the French army jointly launched a large-scale encirclement and suppression of the rebels. It was a war that was sure to be won, but it was finally overturned by the rebels.

There is no need to delve into the detailed process. To sum up, the rebels took civilians as hostages, and Massimiliano I ordered the prohibition of the troops to shoot and kill civilians, and then they lost the battle magnificently.

The Mexican government army was timid, and by the way pitted an ally, the French army did not expect a threat to the flank, and the result was heavy losses.

About a thousand people have been linked, and now Napoleon III is claiming the Mexican government, making them responsible for it.

Franz has now received a letter of help from his brother Massimiliano, roughly complaining about how unreasonable the French are, and asking him for help.

Fortunately, this was a private letter, and it was not sent directly to the Vienna government, otherwise it would be a shame. It is estimated that Massimiliano also knew the reason, so he did not issue an official diplomatic document.

Franz wasn't worried at all about the reaction of the French. Napoleon III regretted it was too late now, and it was impossible to return it.

Since he was going to have a middle-aged teenager to be the emperor, he would naturally have to bear the corresponding consequences. Overall, their investment in Mexico is still at a loss.

Looting wealth sounds good, but the ongoing civil war in Mexico has severely disrupted production, and the country has long been deprived of its people.

Even if Mexico is turned into a source of raw materials and a market for commodities, production must be restored first. People have no money in their pockets, and naturally they have no purchasing power.

Now the benefits the French get in Mexico every year are not enough to pay for the military. Although this cost is ultimately borne by the Mexican government.

However, the Mexican government is now so poor that even Emperor Maximilian I owes the annuity. This hard-working child has never received a single salary for so many years after he ascended the throne.

Now the main source of income for the Mexican government is international loans, most of which are from France. In Franz's view, it's not too much, just one billion francs.

If Mexico can end the civil war, resume production, and then work hard, paying off the debt will not be a problem at all.

There is not much else in the Silver Empire, except that it produces more money. They still have the ability to pay off their debts before silver prices hit rock bottom.

Rubbing his forehead, Franz reluctantly wrote a reply. Borrowing money does not exist, how can one's own money be used to fill the bottomless pit?

The French have deep pockets now and don't care about such a small loss. It was Napoleon III who made it up, or let them be held accountable to the end.

It is very easy to suppress the rebellion, just outsource this business to the French. If there is no money, there are still mines, and the silver mines in Mexico are enough to cover this expense.

There is only one focus, to settle the French commander in Mexico. Whether it's bribery or cheating, just ask him to sign.

Franz has been instructing thousands of times, it is good to fool generals, don't talk to the French minister, diplomats are usually not good at fooling.

After the letter was sent, Franz decided to help his brother. Otherwise, with his ability to operate, even if a treaty is signed, the French may not be able to admit it.

There were many internal problems in Mexico, especially after the reform of Massimiliano I, later generations evaluated this war as a "reform war".

The emperor was a reformer, and so were the rebels. It's just that the emperor is a real reformer, while the rebels are reformers who are under the banner of reformers and seek their own interests.

The ideal finally gave way to reality, the rebels were victorious, and the emperor became the voice of the conservatives. In fact, if Massimiliano I really hooked up with conservatives, he would not have lost the civil war.

The victory of the rebels marked the beginning of warlord politics in Mexico. Until the 21st century, the situation in Mexico has not been peaceful.

"Taelen, send someone to build up momentum in France and let the French people know that their army can't even beat the native Indians.

It’s enough to stab the news out, and the French people will make up their own minds about the subsequent problems. Don’t participate too much, so as not to make people feel too deliberate. "

Franz is still very good at hyping public opinion. Right and wrong are black and white in an instant. Especially in this era, the right to speak is in the hands of a few elites, and it is easier to manipulate public opinion.

The French army was defeated by the rebels in Mexico. This is the truth. The more than 1,000 people who died in action are the best proof.

What happened is not the point, just skip it. The French people don't care why the army failed, it's not good to lose to the native Indians.

Despite the large number of whites in the rebels, the Mexicans were not much different from the natives in the eyes of the French, at least in Paris.

If you lose, you will naturally have to find your way back. If this is the case, how will the arrogant French people accept it?

Now there is no foreign interference. In the post-split America, neither the North nor the South has the strength to wrestle with the French, and the Paris government has no reason to cowardly.

Moreover, the capital invested by the Paris government has also increased a lot compared to the original time and space.

More, how to recover the cost without suppressing the rebels.

Whether he admits it or not, Maximilian I is now the spokesperson for their interests in Mexico, and their interests will be greatly affected if the emperor falls.

The economic crisis is not over, and there is not much fat like Mexico in the world. If nothing else, the tariffs and minerals mortgaged to them are worthy of the French.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Intelligence chief Tyron replied calmly

Just revealing a piece of information is not difficult at all. French newspapers are not as obedient as Austrian newspapers. As a beacon of the free world, freedom of speech has always been the insistence of the French people.

The book censorship system can be implemented in Austria, and everyone is used to it.

France is different. These binding systems are long gone. Napoleon III has no confidence to formulate such a law and implement it.

Without restrictions on speech, this kind of news naturally cannot be kept secret. It's only natural that what happened in Mexico was reported back to Paris to be published in the newspapers.

Newspapers in Paris can make news without news, so why not publish news when there is news?

It has always been the responsibility of journalists to deliver such genuine news. There are many such responsible people in Paris, and they will carry out this honorable mission.

...

Early morning in Paris is the most beautiful time of the day. This is the only time to breathe fresh air. After a while, the factory starts up and thick black smoke rises, and the feeling is not very good.

Of course, the weather in Paris is better every day than in London. Happiness depends on comparison. After London is at the bottom, the people of Paris will not feel that there is any problem.

In the winter of 1868, the weather in Paris was exceptionally better, probably the only benefit brought by the economic crisis.

A large number of factories closed down, and pollution sources were cut off. The sky has become bluer and the air has become fresher.

Unfortunately, these changes failed to attract Parkron's attention. As a member of the unemployed army, Parkron's only goal now is to find a job, and other issues are not worth mentioning.

Now he is going to receive unemployment benefits, although the money is not much, but it is enough for him to eat brown bread without worrying about starvation.

Don't you think it's very advanced that unemployment benefits were available in the 19th century. This is one of the achievements of Napoleon III, not only unemployment benefits, but also pensions.

Just think of another title of Napoleon III - "Emperor of Socialism".

Thanks to these good policies, even in the economic crisis, Napoleon III's prestige did not diminish.

This period was also the best era for French workers. After Napoleon III, they did not have this kind of treatment throughout the 19th century. It was not until the rise of the Soviet Union that they enjoyed this series of benefits again.

Parkron was quickly attracted to his attention, and he stepped forward and asked an acquaintance, "What's the matter, Cross?"

Cross complained incessantly: "Parkron, you know? Our army was defeated by a group of indigenous bandits in Mexico. It is said that more than a thousand people died and thousands were injured.

God, tens of thousands of French troops can't even beat a bunch of native bandits. Could it be that they all went to breastfeed the day before and spent all their strength on women?

These goddamn bastards, disgraced France. If this news spreads, our status as the world's No. 1 army power will be lost.

It just sucks..."

Parkron couldn't hear the content behind. He grabbed the newspaper with one hand and read it carefully.

The knowledge of forgiveness is not enough. He does not know many of the words above, but the most important casualties and defeats, he still knows these words.

Then, the whole person was immersed in the news that the French army was defeated, and the tens of thousands of French troops could not defeat a group of natives. Said to himself:

"This is impossible!"

"How can we fail?"

...

Well, if the news is not exaggerated, how can it attract everyone's attention?

After artistic processing by the editors of the newspaper, it has finally turned into tens of thousands of French troops who suffered heavy defeats in Mexico and suffered heavy casualties.

In fact, less than 10,000 French troops participated in the war. If there are tens of thousands of French troops, it is impossible for the Mexican rebels to win.

The absolute strength gap cannot be changed by some small calculations. The order of Maximilian I was only valid for the Mexican government army, and the French army would not care about the order of the Mexican emperor.

Seeing that the momentum was not right, the Paris government hurriedly came out to refute the rumor. But it's useless. The French army's defeat is always a fact, and the reason is that this is not what the French people care about.

In short, the French people are angry. Without any accident, the people of Paris started the most meaningful activity again - the parade.

You can march when you are happy, you can march when you are angry, you can march when you are empty and lonely, you can still march when you are dissatisfied with the government, and there is no problem in France.

This is a period of economic crisis, and many people are idle and have nothing to do, which makes the scale of the parade much larger, starting in Paris and spreading to the whole country.

Things got bigger and bigger, and the news that the French army had lost the battle in Mexico quickly spread throughout Europe after adding fuel to it in the newspapers.

At this time, the Paris government has no choice but to back down. If they don't retaliate quickly, the Mexican rebels will step on their shoulders and become famous.

Now the French have not defeated the Russians

The reputation established and lost to the Mexican rebels will not be regarded as an accident, and the countries will only add fuel to the flames of the French army's incompetence.

This is undoubtedly disastrous for the French government. Countries do not recognize their strength, which means that they will be at a disadvantage in the competition for international interests.

After the decline of the Russian Empire, the French hurriedly put on themselves the hat of the world's first army power. Don't they know that big trees attract wind?

Obviously, Napoleon III will not be so superficial, just a false name, not worth their lack of taste.

There are a lot of interests behind the false name. This is why the French are eager to seize power. They want to take over the European hegemony left by the Russians.

The cake is so big. When European countries divide the cake, they rely on strength. The stronger the strength, the greater the share.

It's enough for weak countries to watch, it has nothing to do with them. If you are unlucky, it will become a cake on the table.

Including the current battle for the Spanish throne, France can veto so many candidates, relying on its own strong strength.

If at this time, the outside world thinks that they are not strong enough, then maybe Spain will have another anti-French king.

At least both Britain and Austria want to support an anti-French king, which will happen once France's strength can't hold back.

To prove their own strength, the most convincing way is war. Wherever you fall, you must get up there.

The stability of France's future rear will depend on their next performance. Now France's face is priceless, and it's just a city.