Chapter 1229: Mixed Joys and Sadness
When the bell rang, the ambassadors of various countries immediately returned to their original positions. Except for a few "seriously injured", the worst one was Prussian Foreign Minister Franz Eichmann. At his age, a live fish was stuffed into his mouth, and his eyes rolled back.
The injured were immediately carried away for treatment. The doctors on standby at the Confederation headquarters were no longer surprised by these strange injuries.
"The French don't count. Diplomacy always requires negotiations. Except for principled issues, Louis Napoleon wants to protect the people and property of the immigrants, so he must give us some compensation.
If the French can't afford the price, that's their problem. Why should we worry? And those Texans want to be members of the Second French Republic, or something else, they should have this freedom."
Franz's words were simply to kick the ball back and turn the passive into the active. What he didn't say clearly was that Texans could be members of the Second French Republic, or Alsace-Lorraine, or Fribourg.
Louis Napoleon wanted to disgust Franz, and Franz could also disgust Louis Napoleon.
Prince Metternich was very good at negotiation. After receiving his country's reply, he immediately summoned the French ambassador.
"Your country wants to extradite the Texas survivors and return them to the country. We can understand and are willing to provide humanitarian support."
French Foreign Minister Alexis de Tocqueville immediately said happily.
"So when can our country extradite?"
Prince Metternich smiled.
"Don't worry. We are willing to provide humanitarian assistance, but we still have to settle the account. There are nearly 200,000 French people in Texas, and the property in their hands should have belonged here.
But we are willing to negotiate with your country. As long as your country's compensation is in place and people and property are taken away, we will never stop it."
Tocqueville wanted to bang his head against the wall at this time. At this time, the Second French Republic was simply an empty shell. Where would there be money to deal with these overseas survivors.
And that was not compensation, it was obviously a ransom!
Although Tocqueville kept complaining in his heart, he really didn't dare to get angry on the spot.
Let's not talk about the actual situation faced by both sides. The theory of the French Revolution is simply not feasible in front of a monarchy. In the eyes of the other party, he is the unreasonable one.
As a member of the Order Party, Tocqueville himself was not favored by Louis Napoleon. The former did not want to be the latter's accomplice in destroying the Order Party.
"I have received your request. I will pass it on to Mr. President for decision."
Metternich also smiled. The "young man" in front of him was very smart.
"Then I wish you a safe journey."
Tocqueville saluted and left. Metternich looked at the scenery outside the window, and he still had an unreal feeling.
In the storm of 1848, no one knew the scenery in the center of the storm better than Metternich. Even a sophisticated diplomat like him was still ruthlessly overturned to the ground.
It is hard to imagine how His Majesty survived. All internal and external troubles broke out at the same time, and even the original allies came to stab him.
Will there be sunny days after the storm? But why did the dark clouds in the sky still not dissipate? What was coming?
Metternich shook his head and waved away his chaotic thoughts. He once thought that everything was over after he was exiled to North America.
Unexpectedly, this was just a kind of protection from His Majesty the Emperor. Here he could still continue to be his prime minister and give full play to his light and heat.
The situation in America was also very complicated, but the opponents were more than one level lower than those in Europe. The diplomats from Mexico and the United States could not be called diplomats at all. It was more appropriate to call them small vendors.
At this time, the Austrian Empire occupied the entire California and Nevada. There were also a large number of farms, mines, and fisheries in Mexico, and hundreds of thousands of Mexicans served the empire.
The development speed of the Central American colonies was also very gratifying, with population growth rate and return on investment increasing year by year.
Texas was even more of a treasure land. The agriculture here would greatly alleviate the shortage of cotton in Austria and even the whole of Germany.
The vast pastures and countless bison made it completely free of meat. If it could be transported back to the mainland, it would greatly improve the living standards of the mainland.
However, behind this prosperity are all hidden dangers. Tasan Anna's rule in Mexico is not stable, and the Austrian Empire is just a tenant after all.
If the Mexicans want to take back their land one day, will hundreds of thousands of Austrians go to Texas to seek asylum?
And Tasan Anna is undoubtedly a fool. Although he relies on the Austrian Empire, he always wants to weaken Austria's power in Mexico.
In addition, Franz's several decisions have offended the Americans. Not only have the Americans' ambitions not been satisfied, but they have become more greedy because of jealousy.
In the past, when France, a powerful enemy, was there, the three parties could still unite. Now that this powerful enemy is gone, can the two outsiders, Austria and the German Confederation, really stand firm?
Will the United States and Mexico join hands to deal with themselves like they did with the French?
Metternich didn't know. He was just a politician and didn't know much about war. He only knew that it was better to fight two against one than one against two.
Of the two countries, Mexico is poor and weak, so it is naturally easier to win over, but he did not choose to overly stimulate the United States. After all, businessmen will be more rational during negotiations.
The problem with the Central American colonies was that the population was too mixed and there were too few Austrians. Although the natives were driven into the mountains, it was not easy to exterminate or drive them out of the country with the support and information of the local white people.
Franz had tried to send the natives to Mexico as laborers before, but the Mexicans were unwilling to accept them, and the natives were unwilling to go. The cost of forcibly sending the natives to Mexico was too high, so it ended up in vain.
Texas is indeed a Feng Shui treasure land with a vast territory, rich resources, developed agriculture, and a high degree of development.
The French really put a lot of effort into this land. Judging from the logs left by the French Governor's Office, every governor except Guizot was a doer.
Their policies were effective, and even the indigenous problems that plagued the entire American continent were solved by the French. They really wanted to turn this place into a new France.
The problem of indigenous peoples in America is not how strong the Indians are, but that the land in North America is too vast, and the time and energy required for security wars will increase exponentially.
To give an inappropriate example, Franz mobilized more than half of the country's troops to eliminate the Hungarian horse bandits, which took nearly a year.
The area of Texas is 7.5 times that of Hungary, and the energy and money spent by the French can be imagined.
At this point, Metternich had to mention the hidden dangers facing Texas, that is, how could France, which paid such a huge price, easily give up here.
At this time, the hundreds of thousands of French in Texas are the biggest hidden danger. If the French can really take them away, it is not a bad thing.
Thanks to the book friend Zhan Wuliang for the reward.