Chapter 685

Time passed quickly, and the Austrian army quickly withdrew from the Panama area, but the transfer object was not the Colombian government, but the Panama local government.

To be precise, it should be an independent organization of Panama. The original local government of Panama has been replaced long ago, and now the independent organization is in charge.

The Colombian government troops were blocked by the local militia halfway along the way, and they were not allowed to enter the country.

The two sides are in confrontation. The Panama Independence Organization has not issued a declaration of independence. The reason for refusing the entry of government troops is that the military discipline is not good.

Although Colombia is not an American-style federal system, the rights of local governments are also not small, and it is not without precedent for refusing government troops to enter.

Knowing that the Panama region is about to become independent, President Rafael Nunes could only resort to political means before the independence began.

Repression, does not exist! Whoever fires the first shot now bears the responsibility for starting the civil war.

This is what the Vienna government wants to see most. The Austrian army just evacuated and a civil war broke out. No matter how you look at it, it feels awkward.

Moreover, the longer the delay, the more fully prepared the independent organization. It also takes time to control the territory. The independent organization has only been established in just a few months. It is good to be able to put up a shelf, and it is too late to clear up the internal affairs.

...

Foreign Minister Wesenberg: "Your Majesty, the Colombian government once again urged us to pay compensation. According to the information from the embassy, ​​they have been surrounded by the families of the fallen soldiers for three days.

Some even stormed the embassy area, demanding pensions. Now it is difficult to even go out to buy daily necessities, so the Colombian government can only send them in. "

Hearing this news, Franz smiled slightly. Isn't it just being protested? It's not a matter of any foreign power that has not experienced it a few times these days, and has encountered many.

"Tell the Colombian government and ask them to provide identification of the family members of the fallen soldiers, and as soon as the identification is verified, we will pay the pension immediately.

Property losses are concentrated in the Panama region, and only the local people need to be compensated. In order to avoid the funds being misappropriated for other purposes, we will directly distribute the funds to the local government. "

"For the local government", to fight the civil war?

Given the choice, it is estimated that the Colombian government would rather not have this compensation. This is not just a hot issue, it is clearly fatal.

Revenge, that's the real revenge. Compared with this, the previous conflict "misunderstanding" can only be regarded as pediatrics.

Foreign Secretary Wesenberg reminded: "Your Majesty, the Colombian government has relaxed trade controls on the Peruvian border in order to show us goodwill.

Now that we do this, I'm afraid they will block the border again, the smuggling will not continue, Peru and Bolivia will..."

Franz waved his hand: "This is just a small problem, Peru is a French boy, and most of the materials purchased now are French goods. Even if it is blocked, what does it matter to us?

As for Bolivia, haven't we opened up the Argentine trade line? Although the materials smuggled in the past are not many, if they save a little, it is estimated that it is barely enough. "

The "misunderstanding" of Panama that just passed was not only beaten by Colombia, Argentina, which is also a neighbor of Austria, was also frightened, and even the Chilean government, which was holding the British thigh tightly, was frightened.

No one is much better than the other in the South American countries these days. All of them are weak chickens, and none of the top three in South America has stood out.

It was just a "misunderstanding" that Colombia's lost troops caught up with all the losses in the "guano war" for more than a year, so everyone should not panic.

Seeing the strength of Austria, Argentina, as a neighbor, naturally has to adjust its foreign policy. It is not enough to directly lift the trade blockade, it will offend the British.

However, this is not difficult for the shrewd Argentine government bureaucrats. It is impossible to trade on the surface, and it can also be smuggled secretly.

This is a multi-pronged effort. Not only is Austria satisfied, but even the British have nothing to say. The bureaucrats can also take the opportunity to make a fortune.

...

Austria is not idle while the French are in action, and the current French Empire is much more powerful than the original time and space. Huwei has not been punctured, and there is French Guiana, and it is not easy to deter several South American countries.

The Vienna government can persuade the Argentine government to ease the blockade, and the French can also turn a blind eye to the Brazilian government.

In a sense, the "blockade" created by the British had a lot of loopholes from the very beginning.

The so-called "blockade" only blocks ordinary businessmen. The real effect is probably to reduce the inflow of materials and raise the cost of purchasing materials between Peru and Bolivia.

A business group with strength and background has never cared about the blockade. As long as there are enough interests, there is no blockade that the capitalists cannot cross.

Even on the coastline that the Royal Navy personally guards, there are also merchant ships. As long as the backstage is big enough, there is no fear of being caught.

What the British can't do, let alone other countries. In addition to the domestic dignitaries, there are also a bunch of daring business groups with the background of foreign powers.

If they are caught, they will be persuaded to return at most. Accountability exists, otherwise what if it causes diplomatic conflict?

The country that has really implemented a strict blockade is probably Chile. It involves vital interests, not strict.

...

Perhaps the South American region is too rich, or perhaps the South American countries are too weak. In conclusion, the South American region successfully attracted the interest of Napoleon IV.

Seeing Austria's idea of ​​attacking the Panama region, Napoleon IV also wanted to expand

Look at the French colonies of South America.

France hasn't expanded outside for years, which is too bad for trying to surpass his father, Napoleon IV.

The high-level French government is both excited and helpless about the emperor's great plan. Everyone wants to make a contribution and make a name for it. The problem is that the conditions do not allow it!

Foreign Secretary Dumbledore persuaded: "Your Majesty, the current international situation is not suitable for external expansion. The Russian-Prussian War has reached a critical moment, and we cannot spread our strength.

Judging from the current situation, once the Russian-Prussian war is decided, the European continent will undergo another reshuffle. This is the best opportunity for us to expand our influence in Europe.

If it weren't for the impending changes in Europe, the Vienna government would not have given up the Panama region it had acquired, and international public opinion was not enough to make them give in. "

No problem, the most popular this year is "Eurocentrism". According to this principle, both the Fao and the continental countries must concentrate on dealing with the post-war changes.

Napoleon IV shook his head: "Your Excellency Count, this does not contradict my plan. Colonial expansion is a long-term national policy, and it is not about to be launched immediately.

All we need to do now is the preliminary work, and it will not be too late to take action when the dust settles on the European continent.

The world has been divided up, the most annoying British people have got the most prosperous areas; even the gang of southern European barbarians have also taken a big piece of the cake.

What's left for France is the scraps. We are the third colonial empire in the world in name, but in fact we all know that it is a pile of sand.

Step by step, step by step, and now there is not much room for us to choose. In addition to East Asia and South America, relatively speaking, there are many small countries in South America, which is easier to succeed. "

Expand, expand, expand again, this is not the personal desire of Napoleon IV, but the urgent need of French domestic industry and commerce.

This is the price that the industrial powers must bear. Without the blow of the Franco-Prussian War, and the annexation of the Italian region, the French industrial production capacity has increased too much compared to the same period in history.

The increase in industrial production capacity is not necessarily a good thing, and it is accompanied by an urgent demand for raw materials and commodity sales markets.

Affected by the large amount of imported raw materials, the cost of French industrial and commercial products is high, and its international competitiveness is limited.

To solve this problem, the best way is to expand. No raw materials - rob; no commodity market - rob. In short, there is nothing that the word "grab" cannot solve.

After hearing this explanation, Dumbledore hesitated. He wanted to say that the South American countries are not weak, but when the words came to his mouth, he couldn't say it.

Strength and weakness need to be compared. Compared with France, South American countries are too weak. Even if all these countries were added together, they could not be a match for France.

The emperor's stance was firm, and the colonial expansionists in the country were strong. Seeing that the situation was not right, in order not to form a decision immediately, Roy, the finance minister who was also anti-war, hurriedly changed the subject:

"The South American issue is not in a hurry for the time being, and the most important thing at the moment is the Russian-Prussian war. There are indications that Austria has plans to annex the German Federal Empire.

The British are unreliable. If the Commonwealth of Pope is defeated and the Russians just win, then we will be the only ones with the strength to stop the merger of Oder.

If the Viennese government goes its own way, and we have to stop it, then war will be inevitable.

Everyone has seen the tragicness of the Russian-Prussian War. If we go to war with Austria, I am afraid it will be even more tragic than this.

To ensure victory, we must prepare in advance. This requires a lot of money that our finances cannot afford. "

This is not pure bluff, Austria has always had plans to annex the German Confederation, and it has changed over time.

Once the international situation changes, maybe the plan will become a reality. The Russian-Prussian War just happened to be an opportunity.

If the Pope Federation wins, then there is no need to say that even if the losses are heavy, the Berlin government can only choose to die with Austria. This is a matter of principle, and there is no possibility of compromise.

If the tsarist government had won and suffered heavy losses, the situation would have been different.

Although the Russians did not want to see Austria annex the German Confederation, the tsarist government would not rush to the top in order to stop Austria.

This is determined by interests. Even if Austria unifies Central Europe, the Russian Empire is still the Russian Empire, and at most it will lose the way to expand into Europe. The threat is not fatal.

So many loans from Austria are not for nothing, and they can still influence the decision-making of the tsarist government at a critical moment.

If some benefits are promised, the possibility of compromise between the two countries is very high.

In this context, the Vienna government has the ability to persuade most European countries to be neutral, and the final outcome is mostly a one-on-one match between Fao and an unreliable British ally at most.

After Napoleon IV succeeded to the throne, he basically continued his father's economic policy. Although the domestic economic development speed has slowed down, it is still very good in general.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer said "no money", and he was really taken aback. Immediately relieved, the debt of the Paris government has always been heavy, which is an indisputable fact.

The most money owed in the world is not the arrogant John Bull, nor the revived Austria, nor the warring Prussia and Russia, but the dominating France in Western Europe.

There is no way, rebuilding Paris, building infrastructure, revitalizing armaments, colonial expansion, annexation of Italian regions, these all cost money.

The legacy of the Orleans dynasty

It's a debt-ridden mess. Although Napoleon III revived the French economy, he failed to change the situation of the government's high debt, and the debt increased even more.

It is not that this economic model is not good. In fact, the government investment in many countries in later generations to stimulate the economy is the same concept.

Only in this way, the government's debt will continue to rise. In the era of the credit standard, it is also possible to make up for this hole by issuing additional currency, but in the era of the gold standard, it can only be resisted.

Under this economic model, while the French economy is developing greatly, the government's debt is also increasing day by day.

The total debt of the Paris government has exceeded 28 billion francs, which is more than the sum of the debts of Prussia and Russia, making it the largest debtor country in the world.

Of course, more debt does not mean that the Paris government is really poor. Not all government investment is public welfare, and many investments have become assets that can generate income, but these assets cannot be realized in a short period of time.

After pondering for a while, Napoleon IV shook his head: "The situation in Europe is not that serious, and the Austrians have not started to prepare for war, which means that the Vienna government is also not prepared.

Your guess is actually only possible. There are too many assumptions here, and the war has to be ended with a tragic Russian victory.

In fact, the Russian-Prussian War has been going on until now, and no one can prepare to grasp this degree.

The Russians do have a better chance of winning, but not necessarily a crushing one. Even if the Pope Federation loses, it does not necessarily lose all its capital.

The British are really unreliable, have we not counted on them?

Besides, why do we have to go to war with Austria? Carving up the German Confederation is also a good choice.

Don't tell me, the Austrians just want a full-scale war with us? If there is a fight, it will only be the British who are cheap. "

The three-legged confrontation is the most stable structure, and the main reason is that everyone is worried that "the snipe and the clam will compete, and the fisherman will benefit".

Compared with the British who are alone overseas, whether Austria or France, their strategic position is much worse.