Chapter 558 Unexpected
Not to mention the Gallic chicken whose face was swollen, Franz, who was in Vienna, did not feel that Austria had suffered much loss.
After all, after Mexico was hit hard, it was no longer able to manage northern affairs, and control of Nevada fell into the hands of Austria.
Although Nevada at this time was just a big desert in the eyes of France, the United States, and Mexico, it actually had gold mines that were not inferior to California, and in 1859, the world's largest silver mine was discovered.
In addition, Austria received a fleet of seventy ships and nearly 50,000 young and strong laborers.
At the same time, anti-French and anti-American sentiments are rising in Mexico, but it has not become as depressed as it has historically been, nor has there been an anarchic vacuum.
Rather, it is better to say that the Mexican government, which has lost New Mexico, can finally develop with peace of mind. Mexico's population is so small that only one person lives in the vast territory in the north, even more than ten kilometers away.
In fact, Mexico did not need to cede so much land, but the British backstabbing at the Paris Peace Conference made the situation extremely unfavorable to the Mexican side.
Franz didn't understand the British's motives at first, but after the troublemakers did this, although the U.S.-Mexican War was over, the situation in North America became more tense, and the British's purpose was naturally clear.
Originally, Franz only planned to cede half of New Mexico so as to leave a buffer zone. But this obviously cannot satisfy the appetite of the United States. After all, they have paid too much.
The opinions of Americans are not important and Austria can ignore them. But Louis Philippe himself was tempted. His reason was that Mexico was originally Spanish territory, and France sent troops to quell the rebellion.
Louis Philippe's little idea was winner-take-all. Not only did he want the entire New Mexico, he also didn't want to leave any food for the United States.
At this time, the United Kingdom suddenly changed its stance and began to support the United States. Finally, after some bargaining, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States formally recognized Mexico's independence in writing. The United States and France paid Mexico $30 million and 50 million francs respectively, immediately.
The OMM and the United States failed to reach an agreement on the return of prisoners. The former demanded that the latter pay a ransom of US$200 million, which was naturally impossible for the latter to agree.
Therefore, the O-M United Development Company stated that US military prisoners of war need to work in California to redeem themselves, and then they will no longer be controlled by the former.
In fact, after seeing the prosperity of California, many of these Americans chose to become Californians, and some even wrote letters to their families, asking them to "enjoy the blessings" together.
As for those US military warships, they were naturally used to pay off debts, and the Austrian side still released some senior US military generals.
However, this does not include John Fremont and a group of naval admirals. At this time, this former American hero has become a vanguard of anti-Americanism. This may be the so-called convert fanaticism.
The biggest problem facing California now is that it borders the French colony, and contact with the Americans is only a matter of time.
Therefore, the so-called Paris Agreement is just laying a time bomb for the future. Franz is not worried about this, because he knows very well that civil strife will occur in France in a few years, and there will be a power vacuum by then. It was the end of French rule in North America.
But what confused Franz was why the British would do this, because it would make France too powerful in North America, which was theoretically not conducive to the balance of forces among all parties, and would make the French dominate.
The good news was that John Tyler's approval ratings had plummeted due to his poor performance in the Mexican-American War, and it was James Knox Polk who was about to take office, although Martin Van Buren was ostensibly more popular.
But Franz knew that it was Polk who won the election in the end. The main reason why he came to power was to comply with the needs of American expansionism.
"Abandon 54 degrees 40 minutes north latitude, or go to war?" Polk received support from the people for this slogan and was elected as the 11th president of the United States.
Historically, James Knox Polk left the British diplomat at the time speechless, sweating profusely, and even nearly fainted when Polk left.
However, this time the British diplomat who confronted Polk was Palmerston. The first generation king just smiled and said disdainfully.
"Do you want to challenge the three major powers of Britain, France and Austria alone, or do you want to be beaten by the three major powers in a group?"
Polk said angrily, "What do you mean?"
Palmerston still looked at the former like an idiot and said, "See you off."
Although John Tyler won the Mexican-American War, it did not satisfy the American expansionists, so Polk's slogan still had strong enough appeal.
It's just that the latter himself was a little scared by Palmerston. After all, he was just strong and arrogant but not brainless.
No country in the world can withstand the joint attack of the great powers, let alone the United States, which is very difficult to face Austria alone.
However, there are some things that once you do, you can't stop.
Vienna, Schönbrunn Palace.
What Franz also did not expect was the outrage among the people of the Austrian Empire at this time. However, what he did not expect even more was that the anti-French sentiment he had incited would inadvertently lead to a new war.
Just as the French would suddenly send troops to support the United States, Austria was also looking for opportunities to weaken the former. Anti-French sentiment was a good tool in Franz's eyes, because it would give Austria an advantage in the competition with France and at the same time alleviate domestic conflicts.
After all, the easiest way to alleviate domestic conflicts is to transfer them, such as creating a strong enemy abroad.
Of course, this emotion must be guided in an orderly manner. It is enough to boycott French goods and criticize French culture and ideas. There is no need to beat French people on the street or even burn French goods in the street.
However, the people didn't care so much. Not only did they burn French goods and French flags in the streets, they even dragged French prostitutes from brothels to the streets and beat them. Even the French Bull Terrier was slapped twice.
"If the Poles can be like the Germans..." Adjani thought for a while and changed her words, "Austrians, then maybe Poland will not perish."
Franz shook his head: "You Poles have done much more than them."
The latter glanced at the former and chose to shut up. In fact, she knew very well how brutal and violent her compatriots were.
Franz still couldn't help but add: "Democracy is a good thing, but everything must be done in moderation, just like eating too much meat will make you gain weight, and eating too much sugar will cause tooth decay."
Franz didn't like the feeling of being led by public opinion, so the secret police and gendarmerie were dispatched to arrest people and focus on criticism and education to suppress the matter.
However, Franz soon received more explosive news. The Prussian army crossed the Saar River and had a fierce battle with the French army. The Baden army crossed the Rhine River and joined the battle.