Chapter 1132: People's Will (Third update, please subscribe)
In 1883, although there were still some resistance forces in remote areas of Peru and Bolivia, with the signing of the surrender agreement, the Empire's occupation of Peru and Bolivia had become a foregone conclusion.
Whether people here accept it or not, they cannot change this reality.
The annexation of the Peru-Bolivia Federation also made the southern mainland area of the Ming Empire exceed 15 million square kilometers. However, even so, the Ming Empire was only the second largest country in the world - even if the 1.7 million square kilometers of the Royal Territory of Alaska, the 944,000 square kilometers of the North Sea Governorate, and the 1.17 million square kilometers of the Northwest Territories were added.
The Ming Dynasty is still the second largest country in the world... There's no way, Russia, no, the Roman Empire is too big.
Of course, if we add the 7 million square kilometers of African colonies, the 370,000 square kilometers of Japan Protectorate, as well as the Pacific territories and the Persian Gulf royal territories, the Ming Dynasty could still compete with the Roman Empire.
However, those places were just colonies, and even the three northern provinces were overseas provinces in the empire's administrative system, and the laws they implemented were completely different from those in the empire's mainland.
From this point of view, the three million European and European-Indian Indians in the Peruvian-Bolivia Federation are undoubtedly lucky. They are lucky because once the annexation is completed, they will become citizens of the empire. If the Japanese knew the news in advance, they would probably rush here in a hurry and wait for the annexation of the empire, and then transform themselves into citizens of the empire.
Such preferential treatment is simply a blessing from the previous generation.
But what?
The Peruvians and Bolivians today have no idea how lucky they are.
Time and reality will make many people compromise.
Especially under the pressure of life, many people will compromise and face reality.
What is the reality right now?
Peru-Bolivia is a thing of the past. Empires have come to rule the land.
No, in fact, the Peruvian-Bolivia Federation still exists today, and even after the surrender agreement was signed, a new government has been formed - a puppet government controlled by the Empire.
"Gentlemen, the future of the Federation is in the hands of all of us. Our destiny will be decided by us..."
In Tacna, Anicetto Arce, the interim president of the federation, stood on the balcony and appealed loudly to everyone on the day he arrived in Tacna.
As the earliest surrenderist, he chose to cooperate with the Empire. Why did he cooperate? As a silver mine owner, he hoped to keep his property through cooperation. He even began to choose a husband for his only daughter - he needed to be a colonel-level officer, preferably from an imperial aristocratic family. In a word, he surrendered to the Empire.
"I believe that under the rule of the Empire, the people of Peru and Bolivia will live happily forever! In the name of the Federation, please ask the Empire to allow us to join the Empire and become a member of the Empire..."
In his New Year's speech in 1883, Arce made this solemn statement to the officials of the Provisional Government.
"Damn it, this is just a show!"
Justice Guerra of the Supreme Court - he had signed the surrender agreement on behalf of Bolivia, and in return for the surrender, he was appointed as a justice of the Federal Supreme Court.
It can be said that the Empire has always been generous to its collaborators, and many of the surrenderers have been appointed as high-ranking officials of the provisional government, but they all know their responsibilities - to prepare for the merger. They will preside over the government and preside over the subsequent annexation.
No, it was not annexation, but joining the empire through voting at the request of the people of Peru and Bolivia. This was the final step in legal terms.
"What voting, what destiny is in our own hands, God can testify that all this is just a show. It is just to show the world that their annexation is based on the will of the people..."
These people know voting all too well; they have been voting since independence, sometimes twice a year.
They would send troops to a town at voting time, usually a few armed soldiers led by an officer, and once there, they would go door to door, confiscating hunting rifles, machetes, and even kitchen knives, and then distribute ballots to men over 21 years old: blue ballots with one candidate's name on them and red ballots with the other candidate's name on them.
The day before the election, the local chieftain personally read out an order: from midnight, within forty-eight hours, the sale of alcohol was prohibited, gatherings of more than three people were prohibited, and non-family members were prohibited from gathering together.
When the election came, a wooden ballot box would be set up in the town square, guarded by a few soldiers. The vote was absolutely free, and everyone would believe it, and even if they watched for a day, they would not see anyone vote more than once.
When the voting was finally announced, the local chief would seal the ballot box with his signature, and at night the sergeant would tear off the seal and count the votes. The red and blue votes were almost equal, but the sergeant would tear off some of the red votes and add a few more blue votes. Then they would put a new seal on the ballot box and send it to the provincial capital at dawn the next day.
They have been doing this for years. No matter if they are the ones who staged a coup or a military coup, they can always be successfully elected as president or a high-ranking official in this way.
"It's nothing but a complete lie!"
Faced with Arce's speech, almost all Peruvians and Bolivians - of course, mainly those pure white people who were pulled down from the high platform of power - complained that they did not believe that the so-called election was fair. After all, they have been doing this for more than half a century since independence.
"They are simply judging others by their own standards!"
In response to those people's complaints, Ren Huabang, the commander of the occupying forces, spoke directly.
“They don’t even know what the people’s will is!”
"That's right, Commander Ren. Those white people only think they are the people's will. In their eyes, apart from them, people including those mixed-race people are not considered human beings. Since they are not human beings, then of course they have no popular will. Bolivia has a population of over one million, but there are less than 20,000 people eligible to participate in the election. They are all white without exception. The same is true in Peru!"
While sneering, Yuan Tianxi looked at Ren Huabang and said.
"Once the land reform is completed, the people will be on our side, Chief Ren!"
(End of this chapter)
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