Chapter 684
Compared with Austria, which wants to calm down public opinion, the Colombian government cannot afford to delay. The Panama region is still in the hands of the Austrian army. If it is not taken back as soon as possible, it may not be taken back.
Although the Austrian government has made a promise, it is only a promise. Whether it can be fulfilled in the end is up to others.
The bottom line of the major powers these days is very low, and it is common to break contracts. If the Vienna government doesn't acknowledge it later, the Colombian government doesn't have the strength to keep them going.
Similar things are not without precedent. If so, the Colombian government can do very little except verbally protest a few words.
After receiving the negotiating diplomatic note from the Austrian minister, President Rafael Nunes did not care so much, so he went into battle directly.
Now is not the time to avoid suspicion. If the Panama region cannot be taken back, he will be the president. It is useless to shirk responsibility.
Both sides want to quell the dispute as soon as possible and put an end to this not-so-beautiful "misunderstanding". Naturally, they must actively participate in the negotiation.
Even if the British cheer on the side, it doesn't work. The strength gap between the two sides is too great. The Colombian government has no hard-core capital.
President Rafael Nunes wants to get more benefits at the negotiating table, but he is more worried that if time drags on, the Vienna government may change.
After all, international reputation is something you need to be worth. If it has been corrupted and cannot be recovered in the short term, it is equivalent to temporarily useless.
Since it is useless, it can be broken. There are many similar precedents. If you look through the history books, you will find that the British are the most experienced, and they are not very good now.
The Vienna government is eager to calm down the storm of public opinion, mainly because it wants to make big things small and trivial, and clean up this stain as soon as possible, so as not to affect the subsequent diplomacy.
If it drags on for a long time, and after the public opinion ferments, the washing will be lost, and there will be no point in continuing to negotiate with the Colombian government.
Perhaps to the British it was more valuable to tarnish Austria's international reputation than a small area of Panama; but in the case of the Colombian government, the result was quite the opposite.
There is a powerful neighbor next to him, and the Colombian government still hopes that this is a good neighbor with integrity and bottom line.
If the Vienna government dropped the line, they were in real danger. It's not just a problem in the Panama region. Maybe the entire Republic of Colombia may lose it.
In the face of cruel reality, Rafael Nunes dared not gamble. No matter how much the British fan the flames and promise more benefits, the threat of a gun on the neck will not be effective.
In order to prevent the "misunderstanding" from deepening, President Rafael Nunes walked to the negotiating table with full sincerity.
Everyone was sincere, and their demands were not excessive, and the negotiation went very smoothly. In less than a month, the two countries reached a preliminary agreement.
On May 24, 1880, Lorella, the Austrian ambassador to Bogotá, signed the Agreement on the Aftermath of the Accidental Exchange of Fire in Panama with Colombian President Rafael Nunes.
The two countries agreed that this firefight incident was entirely accidental. The main reasons were: the foggy weather and the deliberate provocation of the roaming "tough bandits"; secondly, the two sides did not understand the language and communication was not in place, allowing the enemy to take advantage of it.
The culprit is the wandering "tough bandits", who have been wiped out by the coalition forces of the two countries, and there is no way to be held accountable.
Since this plan to destroy the "terrorist bandits" was organized by the Austrian side, the Colombian government was invited by the Austrian Central American colonial government to participate, and suffered heavy losses in the accidental exchange of fire, the Austrian government was willing to make humanitarian compensation.
According to the treaty, the Austrian government needs to pay the Colombian government a total of 3.426 million Aegis in compensation, including: 584,000 Aegis for casualties, and 2.842 million Aegis for economic and property losses.
(Remarks: After the signing of the treaty, the two countries will hand over the Panama area within one month, and the Austrian army will be evacuated before July 1, 1880. The compensation will be paid in five installments and will be charged in kind.)
Regardless of the amount of compensation, there is no need to be picky about the payment method, and it is the first time in Colombia's history to be able to get compensation from foreign powers.
As a small country, you can't expect too much. The truth of the matter, only a second-year teenager would want to find out.
President Rafael Nunez is smart enough to know that even figuring out what's going on doesn't make any sense.
With Colombia's strength, there is simply no ability to seek justice. Now that we can sit down and talk, that is why the Vienna government wants to solve the problem through diplomatic means.
If the lid is lifted, the Austrians are so embarrassed that they simply occupy the Panama area and do not leave. That would be a tragedy.
To be able to recover lost ground and get a certain amount of economic compensation is the greatest victory in diplomacy.
After the signing of the treaty, Rafael Nunes disclosed the good news to the people for the first time, and the people of Colombia were boiling.
Rafael Nunez's shaky presidency suddenly became firm. From the "idiot president" that everyone shouted and beat, he instantly became a "national hero".
Among the few newspapers in Colombia, Rafael Nunes has been praised as the greatest diplomat in South America.
But the "great diplomat" did not show a happy smile on his face.
"Victory" is still too early, there is no pie in the sky
. The great powers were not vegetarians, and Austrian money was not easy to get.
Even if the Vienna government temporarily made concessions in order to quell the storm of public opinion, it does not mean that they have given up their ambitions for the Panama region.
Studying the map carefully, looking at the green mark, Rafael Nunes sighed that the Panama Canal had not yet opened.
Deep down, he has greeted the entire family of the former senior administration who approved the construction of the Panama Canal.
Except for a few plains, the Panama region is mostly mountains and forests, and there are very few mineral resources discovered, so it is not worthy of Austrian peeping at all.
The only problem can only be on the Panama Canal. The Grand Canal that runs through the two oceans has very high economic value and strategic value.
There is a precedent for the Suez Canal, and everyone knows that once the Panama Canal opens, the money will flow in.
It is a pity that the Colombian government has limited strength, and occupying this golden waterway is like "children holding golden bricks in a busy city".
President Rafael Nunes is very clear that the blockade of Peru is only an incentive, and the main reason for Austria's action this time is to peep at this golden waterway.
It seems that Austria has withdrawn from the Panama region due to international pressure. In fact, this is just the beginning, or a test.
The defenders in Panama have not blocked the enemy's front, and no one can stop Austria's ambitions. Colombia's future is destined to be difficult.
Opening the window and taking a breath of fresh air, Rafael Nunes asked slowly, "How much intelligence has been collected by the Panama Independence Organization?"
The middle-aged man replied helplessly: "It's a pity, Mr. President. The time is too short for our people to get in.
The information collected now is only what they themselves have exposed.
We hadn't even heard of this group before. It is suspected to be related to the former Republic of Panama and is deeply involved with Austria.
Under the deliberate connivance of the Austrian army, this organization has replaced the original local government of Panama and formed its own army.
These troops all exist in the form of militias. These troops are mainly of German origin, and most of the officers are retired officers and soldiers of the Austrian army.
The total force is about 15,000 people. It is worth noting that there are several regiments among them, which were directly changed by civilian armed forces. These people are all colonial teams that have just immigrated. "
Knowing that the Austrian government is behind the Panama regional independence movement, Rafael Nunes can only pretend to be confused.
If this layer of window paper is not pierced, the Vienna government has to take into account the international influence and can only secretly provide support to the rebels, with limited support.
If this layer of window paper is torn open, the Vienna government, in addition to its ugly face, is more likely to be cheeky and directly recognize the legitimacy of the Panamanian regime.
The recognition of the great powers this year is also an important factor for a country to achieve independence and sovereignty.
Rafael Nunes is very clear that the recent policy of blocking Peru not only offended Austria, but also offended France, Peru, and Bolivia.
As long as someone takes the lead, these countries will recognize the independence of Panama. If the countries seriously affected by Fao are added, and they also recognize the independence of Panama, the number may exceed half.
The Republic of Panama originally existed in the Panama region, and it was later incorporated into Colombia. With this historical origin, if half of the countries in the world recognized Panama's independence, it would be truly independent.
In this way, the military operation to suppress the rebellion has evolved into a war between the two countries, and the nature is completely different.
Rafael Nunez: "Go ahead and find out the leaders of the Panama Independence Organization and how deep their ties to Austria are.
Better to find evidence of Austria's manipulation of Panamanian independence, otherwise the British would not have intervened. "
There is no way that Britain and Austria are still allies, and they must abide by the rules of the game.
During the South American War, John Bull sided with Chile, and the Vienna government was only doing things in secret. Except for a few protests on the issue of the arrest of ships, most of the time it was tacit.
Just like the previous "misunderstanding of accidental exchange of fire in Panama", the British are only doing things in secret, but the London government believes in the "misunderstanding" on the surface.
Through the constraints of the covenant, the scope of everyone's struggle is limited, and when necessary, they will cover each other up. This is the main reason why the British, French, and Austrian alliance can be maintained.
Colombia's desire to make the British stand out is actually wishful thinking. Even if the evidence is obtained, the London government will at best give a few words of condemnation.
This is determined by interests, but also determined by strength. The Panama Canal has not yet been navigable, and its strategic value has not yet been manifested. It is not worth their fight against Austria.
What's more, in the Panama region, the British did not compete with Austria's strength, and even the Republic of Colombia was reluctant.
Don't look at the poor performance of the Austrian Central American colonies, it also depends on who you compare with. Compared with European countries, it must be a little brother, and it is impossible to enter the top ten.
However, in the American continent, the military strength of the Austrian Central American colonies can definitely rank in the top five, and may even be in the top three if the sea route is smooth.
Everything has to rely on the opponent to set off, South America is an agricultural country, the population is pitiful, the racial conflicts are still very serious, and the combat effectiveness is naturally not good.
...
While the Colombian people celebrated this great victory, European public opinion also caused a major earthquake, and newspaper sales
It is rubbing upwards.
There are different opinions in the media, but the evaluation is mixed. The mainstream media is divided into two waves. Those who support it believe that the Austrian government's initiative to pay compensation is a manifestation of the courage to take responsibility and respect the sovereignty of other countries.
The opposition believes that this is a purely political "show", a concession made under international pressure, and a victory for international public opinion.
However, this victory was not complete, and the war of aggression was beautified as an "accidental conflict", and the aggressors were not punished as they should be. He pointed out that such "misunderstandings" will continue to emerge in future international struggles.
In addition to the mainstream views, there are all kinds of messy arguments.
For example: criticizing the cowardice of the Vienna government, making concessions to small Colombia, and losing the face of the European powers.
...
Standing on their respective positions, experts and scholars expressed their opinions and quarreled in the newspapers. No one knows how many sailors there are.
In short, arguing and arguing about the topic will be skewed by people. First from the "misunderstanding of the accidental exchange of fire in Panama" to the ongoing "guano war", then the game between Britain, France and Austria in South America, and finally back to the Prussian-Russian War.
The more topics were discussed, the situation changed. Compared with the ongoing war, the "misunderstanding" event that has settled down has gradually faded from everyone's attention from "news" to old news.