Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 431: Brazilian Empire

Crossing the Plaza Modelo and entering the Royal Palace of Salvador, Eberl found a random seat in the empty hall and sat down, patiently waiting for the arrival of the palace owner.

The palace was quiet. The chairs where hundreds of people would sit in the past were now empty with only a dozen or so people sitting on them.

The Minister of Finance of the Empire, Count Loreto (promoted from Baron to Count in 1879 for his contribution in protecting Princess Isabella), the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army, Marshal Garcia (granted the title of Duke of Akajou), the Prime Minister of the Empire, Duke of Forbert (Prime Minister)

Count Deu, the commander of the Imperial Navy, Baron Marcos, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Ferru, the Bishop of the Imperial Diocese...

Although there were not many people sitting in the palace, each of them was a high-ranking and powerful figure in the Brazilian Empire.

Seeing a group of imperial dignitaries gathered in the Saldoba Palace, Eberle realized the special nature of this meeting, so he temporarily suppressed the urge to give advice to Queen Isabella and continued to sit upright in his seat.

"His Majesty is here!"

More than ten minutes later, accompanied by a powerful roll call, Queen Isabella, wearing crowns and dressed in gorgeous white dresses, and her husband Duke Iou sat side by side in the main seats as everyone saluted and watched.

"I called you all here today because there are a few important matters that require you to discuss and make a decision together."

Queen Isabella said, "The first thing is to deal with the people who participated in the rebellion. According to the recent reports from Marshal Garcia and several generals from various states, the total number of people who directly participated in the rebellion and were suspected of providing material support to the rebels is over 20. It is not a good idea to keep more than 20 people in detention or isolation. Therefore, we need to come up with a safe solution as soon as possible to properly resolve the issue of the management and resettlement of the rebellious blacks."

After Queen Isabella finished speaking, she subconsciously turned her gaze to the most senior Duke Robert, hoping to gain his support.

"Ten years ago, the rebel armed activities were massive and swept across more than ten states in the central and northern parts of the empire. Currently, the eight and a half states in the central coastal area directly controlled by the empire have all experienced destruction by the rebel armed forces."

Duke Forbert briefly described the areas involved in the rebellion, and then continued: "The armed rebellion was mainly carried out by local blacks. Of course, there were also many local whites, Indians and mixed-race people who joined the rebellion. After the rebellion, some local commanders witnessed the economic and political damage caused by the rebels to the empire. They inevitably took some radical actions and detained and isolated some residents who sympathized with the rebels or were considered to be accomplices of the rebels because of their skin color.

During the war, it is understandable that local military officers took some extreme actions in order to ensure an early end to the rebellion. However, now that the war is over, the imperial government’s current task should be to make up for the trauma of war and coordinate the development of the economy and national life that have stagnated due to the war.

Therefore, I believe that for the more than 20 people who are being detained and isolated, we should adhere to the principle of leniency, execute some criminals who have committed serious war crimes, imprison a group of armed personnel with less serious crimes, and then pardon the remaining people who participated in the rebellion to a lesser extent or did not directly participate in the rebellion in the name of His Majesty. "

"In the empire's controlled areas, the number of blacks and mixed-race blacks is four times that of whites. Forcibly executing all the rebellious blacks would probably arouse dissatisfaction among the local blacks. However, executing only some of the rebels who committed serious war crimes and treating all other rebel armed personnel leniently would be too light a punishment and would probably not have the effect of punishing and warning them."

Duke For Robert retired from the military and served as Prime Minister of the Brazilian Empire. From his perspective, executing the ringleaders, dealing leniently with the remaining rebels, and stabilizing and resolving the conflicts and hatred among ethnic groups within the Brazilian Empire as soon as possible are the most reliable solutions to the problems left over from the counterinsurgency war. However, from the perspective of a senior general, even though Marshal Garcia understood that the other party's suggestion was made for the sake of the Brazilian Empire, he did not think that Duke For Robert's suggestion could be implemented without the army's permission.

When the Brazilian Civil War broke out, Princess Isabella was able to restore and retain the territory of eight and a half states in the central coastal area. Although she had the support of upper aristocrats such as Duke Robert of Fo and Marshal Garcia, the decisive role was played by the young officers headed by Eber.

The "Knights of Brasilia" to which Eberle belongs broke away from the Officers' Faction of the Brazilian Empire. In the original history, the Officers' Faction, who were disappointed with the Brazilian emperor, were won over by the Republicans and became a crucial military force to overthrow the Brazilian Empire. The unexpected rise of the Han Dynasty and the external spread of the Han Dynasty's military and political thoughts influenced a group of radical Officers' Faction members. It was this group of officers who accepted the new military and political thoughts who separated from the Officers' Faction and became followers of constitutional monarchy and military and political thoughts. When the Brazilian Civil War broke out, they used the military power in their hands to help Princess Isabella ascend the throne of Queen.

As a traditional soldier of the same age as Duke Robert, Marshal Garcia had some reservations about the radical ideas of Heber and others after gradually coming into contact with and understanding their propositions. However, faced with multiple threats from inside and outside the Brazilian Empire and the fact that the Han Kingdom in South America was growing stronger and stronger, he had to admit that the constitutional monarchy and military-political system advocated by the young generation was a path with huge risks. At the same time, it was also the most effective way to save the declining situation of the Brazilian Empire.

Marshal Garcia acquiesced to the Young Guard's proposal to save the country and gradually transferred the power of the imperial army to Eber. While Marshal Garcia's thoughts were inclined towards the Young Guard, he was also trying his best to use his remaining energy to bridge the differences and contradictions between the Young Guard's military and political forces and the imperial political forces.

"After the rebellion is over, restoring the empire's domestic economy is very important. However, punishing the armed personnel who participated in the rebellion and giving them due punishment is also a necessary measure. Otherwise, the victory achieved by the empire after mobilizing tens of thousands of troops for nearly ten years may not leave a profound lesson and warning to those who participated in the rebellion, nor give a reasonable explanation to the imperial soldiers who fought on the front line and sacrificed their lives."

Marshal Garcia is the commander-in-chief of the army, and his words represent the opinions of many officers in the army. Duke Robert cannot ignore his opinions and forcibly implement his own ideas.

"There are 7 armed personnel directly involved in the rebellion, and 16 people indirectly or suspected of involvement. According to the Marshal's suggestion, how should these people be dealt with?"

"The Army Department has come up with a preliminary plan on how to deal with the insurgents."

Marshal Garcia waited for Duke Forobert to give in, and his expression eased a little. He continued, "General Eberle, please, on behalf of the Imperial Army, introduce the Imperial Army's plan for suppressing the rebellion and dealing with the aftermath to His Majesty, Duke Iyo, and all the Imperial officials present."

"As you command, Marshal."

Eberl stood up and saluted Queen Isabella and Duke Iu first, then stood up straight and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Duke Iu. And everyone present, when it comes to the final treatment of the armed personnel involved in the rebellion, the early slave trade cannot be avoided.

The slave trade was mainly concentrated in the central coastal and northern regions of the mainland. Before the abolition of the slave trade, three of the five major slave trade centers in the mainland were within the empire's control, namely Saldoba, which ranked first, Recife, which ranked second, and Maceio, which ranked fifth.

The number of blacks entering the country through the three major slave trade centers accounts for about 50% of the annual import of blacks. Therefore, after the outbreak of the local civil war, the proportion of blacks in the Empire-controlled area is about twice that of the area occupied by the southern Republican rebels. "After briefly introducing the differences in the proportion of ethnic groups in the north and south of Brazil, Ebel continued: "There is a huge gap between the total number of blacks and the proportion of blacks and whites in the Empire-controlled area and the southern region. The Republican rebels have adopted a policy of luring and condoning the black rebels, which may temporarily stabilize the situation in the controlled area. However, in the Empire-controlled area, the number of blacks and non-whites is more than four times that of whites. If the necessary punishment of the rebels is abandoned for the sake of short-term economic effects, then when the Empire faces an external crisis again, especially the southern Republican rebels, who launch an attack on the Empire-controlled area under the guise of equal rights for blacks and whites, will those bastards who once participated in the rebellion and intended to split the country appreciate the tolerance and grace of the Imperial government and assist the Imperial army in resisting the attack of the southern Republican rebels? "

"I'm afraid not!"

Without waiting for others to respond, Eberle gave his own answer.

"Of course, I have never doubted the Prime Minister's loyalty to the Empire and the Imperial Family. However, since His Majesty Pedro I led the Brazilian subjects to establish the Brazilian Empire, the non-white ethnic groups have stubbornly carried out armed rebellions one after another aimed at splitting the Empire. Even if we give them greater tolerance and mercy, it will not win their gratitude and loyalty to the Empire and Her Majesty the Queen!"

Heber advanced his arguments step by step, and in the face of his righteous speech, other officials, including Duke of Forbert, acted as if they were watching a performance. No one interrupted his speech, and of course, no one cooperated with him.

“It is very unrealistic to execute all the more than 20 blacks who participated in the rebellion or were suspected of participating in the rebellion. However, leaving them in the Empire’s controlled area and watching them potentially harm the Empire is disloyalty to the Empire!

Therefore, the most appropriate solution is to follow the example of the empire's former enemies and migrate all the blacks who participated in the rebellion and those who may participate in the rebellion out of the country! "

The real purpose was finally revealed. Eber laid the groundwork and spoke for a long time, finally leading to the final disposal plan for those who participated in the rebellion.

After understanding Heber's ultimate intention, Duke Forbert showed a look of disappointment on his face.

The idea of ​​returning to where you came from and sending black people back to their homeland in Africa is not without precedent.

Before the Civil War, there was also the idea of ​​repatriating black people in the United States. A group of civil society activists spontaneously raised funds to implement the repatriation plan. However, because they did not receive support from the US government, the repatriation plan ultimately failed after more than 20 years of implementation.

It was similar to the situation the United States had faced at the beginning. In fact, because the number of blacks in the areas controlled by the Brazilian Empire was too large, the difficulties faced by the Brazilian Imperial government in implementing the black repatriation plan were ten or even a hundred times greater than those faced by the United States.

Duke Fu Robert did not believe that Eberle did not see the difficulty of the plan to repatriate blacks, so he asked, "Blacks have lived in the empire for hundreds of years, and most of them believe that they are legal citizens of the Brazilian Empire. If you follow your plan to repatriate more than 20 blacks to Africa, will those black people who abide by the laws of the empire and do not participate in the rebellion think that the imperial government's plan is discrimination and hostility against them?

To put it another way, even without considering whether the Empire had sufficient financial strength to support the huge expenses of the repatriation of more than 20 people, and without considering what the remaining blacks in the controlled areas really thought of this plan,
Can the Empire solve all the problems involved in carrying out this operation?"

"The Marshal and the Imperial General Staff have already simulated and responded to every possible situation in the repatriation plan. The issues that the Prime Minister is worried about are also within our response plan."

Eberl maintained a basic respect on his face and explained: "The obstacles to the repatriation plan may come from both inside and outside the empire.

Within the empire, after the end of the rebellion, the small number of remaining black, Indian, and mixed-race armed forces no longer have the ability to launch attacks on the core control areas of the empire. If the implementation of the repatriation plan leads to another outbreak of rebellion, the imperial army will be able to quickly suppress the rebellion again based on the experience accumulated by the imperial army in suppressing rebellions and the absence of the main force of the rebel armed forces.

Externally, the empire

First, based on the United States' experience in enforcing the Chinese Exclusion Act and the Han Dynasty's experience in relocating black people from its controlled areas to Africa, European powers and the United States would not actually take action to hinder the implementation of the repatriation plan.

Secondly, I want to emphasize one thing to you: the repatriation plan does not necessarily need to consume the precious fiscal revenue of the imperial government. In the name of sending labor, more than 20 blacks were sold to various plantation owners in Portugal's African colonies. The labor fees obtained may offset the consumption of various links in the repatriation plan. (At this time, the Brazilian royal family and the Portuguese royal family were one family. Queen Isabella of Brazil contacted the Portuguese government to discuss the repatriation plan for blacks, which was more feasible.)
Third, after the repatriation of the first batch of more than 20 blacks, the young and strong black forces that constituted the rebel armed forces were further weakened, the imperial government's control over the controlled areas was further strengthened, social security was improved, and the available land increased. At that time, the empire's attraction to European immigrants increased, and the European immigration activities that had been interrupted for more than ten years were expected to resume. "

After responding to the questions raised by Duke of Forbert one by one and introducing the beneficial effects of the completion of the repatriation of blacks on the restart of European immigration operations, Eberle ended his speech and stood quietly, waiting for the response of everyone in the palace.

Implementing the plan to repatriate blacks was a risky move. If not careful, it might plunge the Brazilian Empire, which had just ended the shadow of war, into turmoil again. Like Duke Forbert, there were many officials who worried that the plan to repatriate blacks was too risky. After Duke Forbert, several others raised their concerns and opinions.

Marshal Garcia and Eberle knew that it would not be easy to persuade the old-fashioned officials within the empire to accept their plan, so they made preparations in advance before they formally proposed the proposal.

The repeated questioning and explanations lasted for more than an hour. When Duke Robert learned from Eber's repeated supplements that the so-called plan to repatriate blacks was not a temporary decision made by the army, he finally gave up his opinion and reluctantly passed Eber's proposal.

The black repatriation plan was successfully passed, and a satisfied smile appeared on Eberle's face.

You know, it took Eberle and many other strong officers nearly ten years from planning the relocation of blacks in the controlled area to the approval of the repatriation plan today.

During the counterinsurgency war, under the pretext of suppressing the rebellion, the black population in the concentrated areas was centralized and detained, and the scope of the counterinsurgency was deliberately expanded. While carrying out the counterinsurgency war, preparations were also made for the repatriation of blacks, and the ethnic groups that might threaten the repatriation plan were controlled and isolated in advance. Relying on this strategy learned from the Han Dynasty, Eberle and a group of young officers of the Brazilian Empire had the opportunity to build a blueprint for the future development of the Brazilian Empire based on their own ideas.

The expulsion of more than 20 black people who participated in or were identified as participating in the rebellion was the first step. After the deportation plan was successful, there would be a second batch, a third batch, and so on of black people who would be deported for various reasons.

(End of this chapter)