Chapter 683 Meat in the Pot
The "misunderstanding" in the Panama region is really too big. An accidental armed conflict can kill a division. No one dares to believe such a thing.
Explanation is a cover-up, and it doesn't do anything. Shortly after the incident, the colonial government of Austrian Central America claimed responsibility for the incident, which was actually the result of Franz's intervention.
Taking the initiative to stand up and take responsibility, you can also avoid the important, try your best to restore the international reputation, and minimize the adverse impact.
There is no such thing as accountability. There is nothing wrong with the actions of the colonial government of Austrian Central America. This is the style of colonial empires these days.
Similar things have not happened. It’s just that the impact is not so great. Colombia is not only an independent country, but more importantly, it is a white country.
European people have always been very sensitive to this kind of thing, especially many small countries, which are even more hurtful.
In the eyes of many people, if they don't stand up and speak for Colombia today, maybe something similar will happen to them tomorrow, and no one will come forward.
Just like the Anglo-Boers War in the original time and space, Austria was also sprayed with blood by public opinion, and there were crowds of demonstrators around the gates of foreign embassies.
Of course, taking the initiative to take responsibility is still useful, so that the international image of the Vienna government does not look so bad.
Just spray it, who has never been sprayed by the great powers these days! Anyway, everyone is talking about it, and it is impossible to actually take action.
Compared with the calmness of the Vienna government, Franz's reaction was much stronger. If Austria is also alone overseas, Franz can also not care about international reputation, which is obviously impossible.
The poor strategic position determines that Austria must have a good international image in order to obtain more options in diplomacy.
...
"How is the preparation of the Panama government, when will we be able to withdraw?" Franz asked with concern
Colonial Minister Stephen: "Your Majesty, the government of Panama has been formed and can declare independence at any time.
The problem now is that they lack the armed forces to protect themselves. Once we withdraw, it will be difficult for them to stop the counterattack of the Colombian government. "
It is not so easy for the Panama region to want independence. The original time and space was still the Americans who personally intervened. The Colombian government had no choice but to back down.
This is not without cost, the American will do whatever it takes, and that is the Panama Canal that is vital to him.
Austria is different. The main purpose of capturing the Panama region is to make trouble and prevent the smooth navigation of the Panama Canal.
The value is different, and the price that can be paid is different. For the sake of the Panama region, it will make the South American countries mourn, and boycott Austria together will not be worth the loss.
In this context, while instigating the independence movement of Panama, Austria must reduce its own presence as much as possible.
In other words, it is: when you become a bitch, you still want to set up a torii.
Franz asked in surprise: "Isn't there a plantation owner? Could it be that their strength has no way to resist the invasion of Colombia."
Before the Panama region declared independence, Franz first defined the Colombian government's military action to suppress the rebellion as an "invasion", and the political significance is self-evident.
Stephen frowned and explained: "Your Majesty, the situation in South America is very special. Most of the immigrants came from the immigrants during the Civil War, and they lacked the backbone of the nobles.
The Austrian Central America region has been operated by us for a long time, and the shortcomings in this area have been gradually made up, and the military strength is acceptable.
The Panama region is different. There are no big plantation owners or big colonial companies in the area, and they were not under our control before, so there is no way to organize military training there..."
Franz understood. Many immigrants during the Civil War ran away to avoid the war, which meant that the local people did not have a strong desire to fight.
"Lack of aristocratic backbone", in other words, lack of officers.
There is no "big plantation owner, big colonial company", which means that there is no strong local armed force.
There is no "organized military training", which means that the current recruits are farmers who have just put down their hoes or workers who have just walked out of the workshop, and they need a lot of time for training.
The combination of so many reasons means that the Panama region, which is about to become independent, has a very weak military force and is unable to compete with the Colombian government forces in a short period of time.
The actual situation may be even worse. The so-called brutal rule of the Colombian government, the exploitation and oppression of the local people, is itself a political necessity, and its authenticity remains to be verified.
The Panama Independence Organization was organized by Austria, and it is still unknown whether it can gain the support of the local people.
The information provided by the colonial government of Austrian Central America is also mixed with personal sentiments. They are not so bold if they fake it completely, and artistic processing is still indispensable.
This kind of thing belongs to the instinct of the bureaucratic group, and there is no way to prevent it. Not to mention that in this era of constant communication, even in the Internet era, it is also repeatedly prohibited.
"In the current international situation, we are not suitable to directly occupy the Panama region. It is a matter of time to withdraw our troops, and the sooner the better.
In response to this reality, what plans does the Colonial Ministry have? "
Colonial Secretary Stephen: "We are organizing immigration, and through the efforts of the colonial government, we have persuaded more than a dozen colonial teams to immigrate to Panama.
These civilian armed forces will become the main force against the Colombian government forces in the early stage.
to help the Panamanian government through its most difficult years. "
Franz nodded, this is not necessarily the best choice, but it is the most suitable choice for Austria at the moment.
It is better to have the fig leaf of "immigrants" than to go directly to mercenaries.
In any case, as long as these "armed immigrants" get the household registration in Panama, it is a contradiction between the people of Panama and the Colombian government.
Of course, everything has advantages and disadvantages, and the civilian colonial team also needs to be rewarded. Now relying on them to work their lives, the interests of the Panama region will be divided into a large share of them in the future.
Similar things have happened many times during the Austrian colonization process, and the Colonial Ministry has already had a wealth of experience.
It is by relying on large and small civilian armed teams that Austria was able to establish a huge colonial empire in just over twenty years.
Franz is still very generous in this regard. It is better for ambitious people to go overseas to grab land than to stay at home to grab land. The fiefdoms in the colonies, large and small, are the best among them.
The actual situation now is even better than Franz expected. Although there are many fief aristocrats, none of them are kings and hegemons, and none of them are independent.
This is enough, you must know that as expected, he is also prepared to wait for the princes to become big and allow them to establish a state.
Facts have proved that he thinks too much. What is popular in Europe is the theory of blood. There is no such thing as "the princes and generals have the same seed". Even if you want to be king or emperor, you must first see if the people support it.
The nobility of the nobles is not as powerful as he imagined, and after obtaining the fiefs, one by one started the road of farming, and they did not expand their territories and build a country to become kings all the way.
Of course, lack of money and no one is also the most important factor limiting ambition.
It is very expensive to expand the territory. Colonial operation also requires a lot of capital investment in the early stage. No matter how thick the family is, it cannot withstand the toss of war, and the money in the pocket is exhausted.
Not to mention no one, no matter how big the nobles are, the number of immigrants they can mobilize is limited. At most, there are only ten or two hundred thousand people, with such a small population, and they are not honestly farming the land. To be king and hegemony is completely tired of living.
Fools may exist, but the nobles who can lay a foundation are definitely not fools. If you don't have enough strength, how can you negotiate conditions with the central government?
"On the Panama issue, proceed according to your plan. Except for the bottom line that active-duty soldiers cannot appear on the battlefield, the other colonial ministries will be arranged according to the actual situation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should negotiate with the Colombian government as soon as possible to reach a compensation agreement as soon as possible, and then hand over the prisoners to the local government of Panama. "
The bottom line has to be followed, it's the rules of the game. It is not only to take into account the international influence, but also to protect its own interests.
The current rules of the international political game are themselves established by Britain, France, and Austria. The purpose of the establishment is to safeguard the interests of the three countries. If the chessboard is blindly overturned, Austria's losses will only be greater.
If nothing else, the maintenance cost of light colonies will increase significantly, and some remote colonies will even change hands.
Choosing to deal with it as soon as possible is actually to calm down the storm of public opinion. The current public opinion is very unfavorable to the Vienna government, and it will only get worse if it continues to drag on.
The payment of "compensation" is only for the Colombian government to admit that this is a "misunderstanding". The parties all said that it was a misunderstanding, and if the others chattered, it would be framed.
Franz still has a lot of experience in guiding public opinion. In this era of constant communication, newspapers control public opinion. It is too simple to reverse black and white.
To a certain extent, when the British provoked an offensive of public opinion at this time, it was actually an assist from God, as long as the problem was directed to the London government.
"The British government framed and framed Austria, deliberately exaggerating and distorting the truth." Franz himself is about to believe this statement, let alone ordinary people?
Foreign Secretary Wesenberg: "Your Majesty, if the British do not intervene, it will not be difficult to persuade the Colombian government.
However, judging from the current situation, the London government wants to take the opportunity to make a fuss and attack our international reputation.
I'm worried that the Colombian government will come up with an exorbitant compensation to deliberately embarrass us. "
This kind of worry is not superfluous. People are always easy to get lost in the face of interests. As long as the British people fool around, it is almost inevitable that the Colombian government will propose a "high price compensation".
If it agrees, Austria will be taken advantage of; if it does not agree, it will be difficult for public opinion, which is not in line with the strategy of quelling disputes as soon as possible and quietly swallowing up the Panama region.
After thinking for a while, Franz sneered: "If we can't agree on the total number, then we will take the initiative to offer a sky-high price. For example: the pension for each fallen soldier is increased to one thousand Aegis, but the Colombian government is required to provide a death certificate. .
As for property damage, we don't have to worry too much, we can make appropriate concessions. Whether the money will be given or not, and who will be given it in the end, is still uncertain. "
The "death certificate" is a joke. The Panama region is in the hands of the Austrian army. It is not easy to destroy the corpses.
The Colombian government could not produce evidence, and the Vienna government had the final say on the number of people who needed to pay pensions.
If the total number of people goes down, no matter how high the payment standard is, it will actually be the same.
Since this incident was characterized as a "misunderstanding", it would be unconvincing if too many people were killed.
In contrast, compensation for property damage is more negotiable. This
Some money can be paid to the Colombian government, as well as to the local government of Panama, or the government of Panama after independence.
If the Panama region wants independence, the Colombian government will certainly not agree to it, and war is inevitable.
After the war, the local area was in shambles, and it was bound to require a lot of money for reconstruction. The Panama government would definitely not be able to get this money, and the Austrian government had to pay for it in the end.
Anyway, the money has to be paid, and Franz doesn't mind taking it out in advance to buy fame. These investments were recovered when the Panama region was annexed in the future.
Of course, the Colombian government also needs to be appeased. It still needs to give some money in the early stage, otherwise people will not cooperate.
...