Chapter 1486 The Prince's California (Second update, please subscribe)
Mexico!
In this world war, the Mexican Empire was a very special existence. As an ally of the Ming Empire, Mexico was the ironclad support of the empire - there were naval bases of the empire on its east and west coasts. As for the investment of the empire, it also penetrated into every aspect of Mexico.
From railway transportation to oil extraction, from mines to factories, Mexico can be said to be a country where all aspects except agriculture have been controlled by the empire.
Moreover, compared with the domestic dignitaries, the Mexican royal family from the Habsburg family was also extremely dependent on the empire. After all, without the support of the empire, the Mexican Empire would not have been able to exist.
But such a die-hard supporter unexpectedly expressed his neutrality after the war broke out, and immediately stated that "Mexico has no intention of intervening in the Ming-US war."
The Mexicans were extremely...dissatisfied with the decision of Emperor Maximilian I!
That’s right, they are dissatisfied. The reason for their dissatisfaction is that in the eyes of Mexicans, the United States is Mexico’s enemy - they once occupied Mexico City and forced Mexico to cede 2.3 million square kilometers of land.
Are all the Mexicans who experienced the Mexican-American War still alive?
"Has His Majesty forgotten the shame of the American invasion? No, he has not forgotten, he just has no experience. However, His Majesty the Emperor defeated the Republicans with the help of the Ming Empire, but now... he has even forgotten the most basic responsibility of an ally..."
Looking at the sarcastic words in the newspaper, Crown Princess Sofia immediately said angrily, "How can they say that about my father? Don't those people know the current situation in Mexico? Don't they know that 80% of the land in Mexico is controlled by those local nobles?"
Looking at his wife's angry look, Zhu Youyang, the King of Gold of the Ming Empire, smiled lightly and said.
"It's not like they don't know that these inflammatory texts were actually published at the behest of the local nobles."
What are the so-called local nobility?
They are local powerful groups that control local militias and land, such as the Terrazas family in Chihuahua, the Diaz Gutierrez brothers in San Luis Potosí, the Molina-Montes family in Yucatán, and the Labasas family in Chiapas. They not only own local militias, but also a large amount of land in their own states.
"Did they authorize the publication?"
Sophia asked, looking at her husband in surprise.
"How could they do this?"
"Because it will make the empire shift its focus from the inside to the outside. You know, the dissatisfaction with your majesty's families has a long history, not only because they once supported the Republicans, but also because they used the so-called "land survey" to usurp a large amount of civilian land. More importantly, land is the most important source of their power and wealth. Because they control the land, they have the ability to fight against the central government of the empire."
When mentioning "land surveying", Zhu Youyang raised the corners of his lips, his tone full of contempt. As a prince of the empire, he may have known about the shamelessness of the "Caudillos", but he underestimated their shamelessness. In Mexico, those Caudillos - the big landowners before and after independence, local militia commanders and military generals after independence, their shamelessness is beyond people's imagination.
After Mexico's independence, the authorities set up a "private land survey company" to "survey and determine the ownership of the land", confiscating hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of "undocumented" Indian village land, small farmers' farmland, and land under the name of the church as unowned wasteland, and then auctioned or gave it to the rich and powerful. Who bought the land? The rich and powerful also bought a lot of land at extremely low prices.
Are those lands really ownerless?
Many of the lands were owned by someone, but what if they were owned? Even though there were land documents issued by the Spanish colonial authorities, the Mexican authorities refused to recognize their validity. The land in the town was judged to belong to the new owner of the estate, and all residents had to pay rent to the new owner. As for those who complained, it didn't matter, they were just taken away and sent to the army. If you don't want to be a soldier, you are a deserter, and if you are caught, you will be sentenced to death by hanging.
You see, they have created a perfect closed loop.
This is how the Mexican caudillos eat, and it is extremely ugly. It is not ugly, but it is completely shameless.
"In recent years, by recognizing colonial land documents in a new round of land surveys, we have recovered a large amount of land from local powerful groups, such as the Terrazas family in Chihuahua. Five years ago, they owned 28,000 square kilometers of land, but now they only have 14,000 square kilometers. They lost half of their land in the empire's land reform. Their hostility towards the empire is naturally imaginable..."
Picking up the teacup, Zhu Youyang drank a cup of tea and then said.
"Perhaps they dare not kill me, but, dear, they can encourage Mexico to join the war. Once the war breaks out, in order to maintain internal stability, His Majesty will naturally instruct to stop land surveying in exchange for the support of local nobles, and their goal will be achieved."
When mentioning "kill me", Zhu Youyang's tone seemed very calm. The reason why someone wanted to kill him was because he was in charge of the Land Survey Committee. The new round of land survey was carried out under his leadership. Under his leadership, more than 400,000 square meters returned to their real owners.
It is precisely because of this that those local dignitaries are eager to get rid of him as soon as possible.
But they didn't dare... because behind Zhu Youyang was the Ming Empire. The Ming Empire not only had troops stationed in Mexico, but also had 3.5 million Chinese immigrants. Faced with such strength, those powerful people were frustrated.
In fact, he was also very upset because... those people didn't dare to take action.
"Honey,"
Sophia once again looked at her husband with eyes full of gratitude. He had taken too many risks for her.
"I don't know what I would do without you."
Looking at the gratitude, love and concern in his wife's eyes, Zhu Youyang said with a smile.
"Sofia, I do all this for our future. I hope you can become the true emperor of Mexico. I hope our children can inherit a real empire, a normal country, not a country that is torn apart, with its people displaced and controlled by a very small number of people."
Of course, the reason why he personally did this was not only for Mexico, but also for... himself. He was the husband of the crown prince. If he wanted to become the "double king" of Mexico in the future, he had to win the support of the people, not only the support of the Chinese, but also the support of the vast majority of Mexicans. Those big landowners and their lands were his tools to win the support of the people.
Sometimes Zhu Youyang even hoped that someone would assassinate him, so that he could solve some problems fundamentally.
Looking at her husband in front of her, Sophia nodded vigorously and said.
"I believe that with your efforts, Mexico will surely become a normal country, and the people here will live happily like the people of the Ming Dynasty..."
For Sofia, who grew up in the Ming Dynasty, the future of Mexico she imagined should be like that of the Ming Dynasty, where everyone can live happily. That is what a normal country should be like, instead of what it is now - controlled by big landowners.
“That’s what we’re working towards,”
Zhu Youyang cast his gaze into the distance.
"In the past, when we worked hard to change all this, we were always cautious and worried that something might go wrong, especially since we had a neighbor in the north with ill intentions, but now..."
After a pause, Zhu Youyang continued.
"After the outbreak of this war, our northern neighbors will no longer have the energy to care about Mexico. At this time when we are vigorously promoting reforms, as long as..."
Staring toward the north, Zhu Youyang said to himself,
"They should have started the battle for California by now."
In the past few days, he has been waiting for the imperial army to launch a full-scale attack on California. Only when the American attention is fully attracted can he really promote reform, instead of being patient as he has been in the past few years.
Patience... sometimes being patient is really painful.
California!
That's my California!
The old group is down, so I created a new book club group: 739209015. Everyone is welcome to join and discuss and deduce the plot together.
(End of this chapter)
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