Chapter 304: How to End the War

"I understand what you mean, and I sympathize with the suffering of the people in Central America. But the main culprit of the civil unrest is their own elected leaders."

Archbishop Rauscher looked surprised by these remarks about a "born saint" in his own eyes. This is actually not surprising. The church and other parties have used their own interests to beautify and whitewash this stupid ruler.

"Archduke Franz, are you referring to President Morazan? But he is the only person who can save the Central American Federation. Only he can maintain the fragile balance between different groups with different interests and demands. What if there is a different rule? I am afraid that it is really impossible to coordinate the relationship between the indigenous people, the native white people, the European white people and the French.”

After hearing this, Franz shook his head repeatedly and said that he was helpless. He trusted his own intelligence network more than the archbishop's words.

"Then you should go find the great President Lamosan. And according to my estimation, the French only need to kill for a while to end this war. After all, they are taking the most efficient method now.

Archbishop Rauscher was shocked. He did not expect Franz to say such cruel words so calmly.

"Your Highness, the merciful God will not agree with the 'most efficient method' you call it."

Franz has always questioned the theological level of this magician. This discussion further confirmed the former's impression that the latter only took this position because of the family's protection.

"God is merciful, but He also needs to send down brimstone and fire from time to time to warn the world. The monarchs on earth also need to do the same, and how can mortals know God's thoughts?"

This can be regarded as Franz's ultimatum. He just can't find a substitute for the time being, but he does not intend to restore the church. At this time, he must express his attitude and let the archbishop in front of him realize who is the master.

Franz's wariness of the church began from the moment he had to decide to use its power.

But in the eyes of the archbishop, it was a different scene. He felt that Franz's understanding of the Bible was beyond ordinary people, and this was one of the characteristics of a born saint. He only needed to listen to the teachings.

"You are right. It is our duty to end the suffering of the people of Central America. Please rest assured that the Imperial Church will always be your strongest support."

Archbishop Rauscher was indeed a devout believer, but he was never loyal to the Pope from beginning to end.

After speaking, Archbishop Rauscher took out a box from his clothes and solemnly handed it to Franz.

"What's this?"

"This is a list of fighting brothers cultivated by the church, as well as relevant intelligence about our supporters in the Central American Federation."

In fact, these confidential documents are the result of many years of painstaking experience by Rauscher and his subordinates. It has been some time since the last internal meeting of the Austrian Church passed a resolution to expand to Central America, but it has never found the opportunity to intervene.

However, Franz did not pay much attention to the "capital" of the church. After all, after the Thirty Years' War, almost all European churches could no longer influence the politics of the country.

But after a brief glance, he still felt frightened. With ample funds as financial backing, the size of Astartes has expanded from 800 a few years ago to 5,000 people, more than six times the previous number, and its so-called supporters are spread throughout the Central American Federation.

"Great, you can use these two channels to influence the supporters of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and finally convince them to become independent and negotiate a separate peace with the French."

Franz's words puzzled Rauscher, because the reason for France's intervention in the Central American Civil War was to prevent the disintegration of the Central American Federation. How could the massive sacrifices and consumption it had paid for this cause it to change its course easily? After pondering for a while, he raised his objection.

"I have to remind you that this suggestion may not have any appeal to either the French or Lamosan. Even if both parties do make certain concessions, I am afraid that extremely harsh preconditions will be set."

Archbishop Rauscher's concerns are not unreasonable, but this is the case.

"You are wrong, Archbishop. It doesn't matter what Lamosan thinks. We just need to convince the French. As you said, this proposal did not interest them before, but now the situation has changed. It will do them no good to prolong this war any longer."

In fact, Rauscher was still worried that the ruler of the Central American Federation would lead his army to attack Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

At this time, these two pieces of land were recognized as out-and-out bad land, and could not satisfy the church's ambition to expand its power in Central America and the Caribbean.

Of course, Franz never intended to swallow up all of Central America. Even if conditions permit, the cost of doing so is too high.

In fact, not only would Franz not monopolize the entire Central American Federation, he would also drag Britain into the chaotic situation in Central America. After all, Britain has coveted Honduras’ gold and high-quality harbors for a long time. How could they let this opportunity pass?

At this time, the relatively developed areas of the Central American Federation were Guatemala and Honduras. The two places were famous for their rich production of gold, silver and high-quality timber, and had long been coveted by Western powers.

“But what good would the independence of Nicaragua and Costa Rica do to us?”

Nicaragua is not as famous for its gold production as it was later, but is portrayed as a cursed land; muddy swamps and flooded lakes are everywhere, and the various mosquitoes and poisonous snakes that breed as a result, as well as natural disasters and diseases, all of which confirm its name as a cursed land.

What's more fatal is that the local population has always been on a downward trend, and workers have to be imported from other countries. And its large number of rich gold veins were not discovered until the end of the 20th century because they were buried deep.

At the same time, Nicaragua's long wall with certain defensive capabilities built to resist invasions from El Salvador and Honduras has exacerbated its isolation from the world.

Costa Rica is even more of an undeveloped wasteland. At present, 80% of its population is concentrated near the eastern coast, and its economy is based on agriculture and fishing. The central part is separated by rugged mountains, and the west is almost uninhabited.

"At least we ended the war and saved those innocent people. That's the most important thing, isn't it?"

The "natural saint"'s eloquent and irrefutable truth made Rauscher feel a little ashamed.

A religious leader who always talks about saving the world actually talked about benefits, and another mortal who pursues efficiency actually doesn't ask for anything in return. The sun really rises from the west.

Of course, Franz is not a madman who only talks about dedication without asking for anything in return. It's just that there is no need to reveal everything as soon as possible. After all, it's always right to keep a trump card when dealing with people, otherwise it's not a pleasant feeling to be controlled.

After hesitating for a long time, Archbishop Rauscher couldn't help asking, "Do we still need to stay and continue to help those suffering people?"