The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 956 Selling out one's country isn't easy either!

The bronze doors of the National Palace slammed shut behind him, and Díaz stood alone in the portrait gallery. Moonlight streamed through the stained-glass windows, casting blood-red hues on President Juárez's portrait. More than a decade earlier, it was this "Father of the Mexican Republic" who had led them to defeat the French-backed puppet emperor.

And now.
"Is it my turn to be a puppet now?" Diaz muttered to himself.

Hurried footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor. His trusted general, Reyes, strode over: "Mr. President, the special envoy from the Western United States Empire has just arrived at the embassy. He says that Emperor Hong wants to present you with a crown."

Diaz broke out in a cold sweat: "A crown? That's a death sentence! This country has already executed two emperors, and I don't want to be the third!"

“Then let’s see the US ambassador to the Eastern United States. He’s been waiting in the reception room for three hours.” Reyes lowered his voice. “They promised that if you announce your joining the ‘Freedom Camp,’ they will recognize our actions against Central America.”

"Admit it?" Diaz suddenly roared in fury. "What do they have to admit it to? Their Pacific Fleet is in dire straits!" He grabbed two telegrams from the table—one reporting the change of ownership of Maui, the other describing the bombing of the Nicaragua Canal. Both were stamped "Top Secret," yet they appeared on his table at the same time.

Reyes hesitated, then said, "Then let's meet the Western American Empire."

"That won't do!" Diaz flung open the window. In Constitution Square, workers were setting up the tents for the Independence Day celebrations. "Even setting aside the idea of ​​becoming emperor, I can't easily choose sides between two Americas!"

He turned to look at Juarez's portrait, his face contorted with grief, and said, "Reyes, do you remember what our teacher said back then?"

Reyes nodded: "I remember he said, 'The tragedy of Mexico is that it is too far from heaven and too close to the United States!'"

Diaz smiled wryly: "Back then there was only one United States in the world. Now there are two United States in the world, and both are countries that Mexico cannot afford to offend! Although our homeland Mexico has nearly 200 million square kilometers of land, is the world's largest producer of silver, and has as many as 1100 million people, we have no industry. We have no steel, no shipbuilding, and no military industry."

The two United States to the north are, respectively, the world's third-largest industrial nation and, after France and Russia, the world's seventh-largest industrial nation, with a highly developed military industry capable of producing a wide range of military products, including armored cruisers, large-caliber artillery, machine guns, and tanks. Both of these countries have the power to crush Mexico!

Reyes cautioned, "What's even more frightening is that these two Americas have even more powerful countries behind them! Behind the West stand the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the German Empire! Behind the East are the British Empire, the Russian Empire, and the French Republic. If we don't make a choice, we'll be offending all of them!"

Offending all the major powers? Has Mexico broken a cardinal rule?
Diaz felt a wave of dizziness. He almost didn't want to be a dictator anymore. This Mexican dictatorship was inhuman. If he continued, he would be shot sooner or later!

Just as this dictator, who had ruled Mexico for 35 years, was contemplating resigning and retiring, his Foreign Minister, Ignacio Maríscal, rushed in, so hurried that he was covered in sweat and panting: "Mr. President, Mr. President, something terrible has happened! Sir Charles Wellington, the British Minister; Earl Alexander Petrov, the Russian Minister; and Jean-Luc Dupont, the French Minister, have all come to the National Palace and are discussing with the American Minister Harrison the matter of inviting Mexico to join NATO."

Well, the ministers of Britain, the United States, Russia, and France have joined forces to pressure the government!
Diaz was at a loss, so he turned to his trusted general Reyes, who quickly advised, "President, you should still see him."

Before he could finish speaking, Diaz's brother-in-law and close confidant, Interior Secretary Rubio, came running up: "Mr. President, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's envoy, Zuo Xiaowei, and the German Empire's envoy, Baron Hohenstaufen, have arrived together. They are with the American Empire's Foreign Secretary, Brigham Young Jr."

This is quite a show! The envoys of seven countries are putting up a coup!

Moreover, the seven envoys were divided into two groups. Mexico is just one country, so who should they sell it to? If they sell it to NATO, then the "axis of evil" will come and kill them all! If they sell it to the "axis of evil," then NATO will come and kill them all.

Both sides are "great philanthropists"!

President Diaz hardened his heart and gritted his teeth: "Professor Juárez is right. In a place so far from heaven, even selling out your country is a huge problem!" He loosened his tie, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes, "Make them line up!"

Blue Hall of the National Palace.

The first to arrive to "buy the country" were the ministers of Britain, France, Russia, and the United States. These four men took their seats in a grand manner opposite the Mexican president, who was preparing to sell out his country.

British Minister Wellington stirred his tea with a silver spoon, the crisp sound of the spoon handle tapping the rim of the cup sounding like a countdown: "Your Excellency, the United States Atlantic Fleet and our American Fleet have assembled in Florida and will be able to provide 'protection' for your country's coastline within forty-eight hours."

The word he deliberately emphasized made Dupont, the French minister, scoff – “protection.” Imperialism always used this excuse to enslave backward nations. But Red France wouldn't do such a thing; Red France wouldn't protect Algeria, but rather truly considered Algeria as part of France.
Diaz was beaming with gratitude, as if he had been waiting for this day for a long time: "Gentlemen, Veracruz Harbor will be open to the Royal Navy and the U.S. Navy tomorrow!"

Before Russian Minister Petrov was about to propose sending the Russian Navy to "protect" Mexico, Diaz added: "But please allow me to be frank—if your fleet enters port now, the US-Spanish alliance's forces will immediately cross the California border and march all the way to Mexico City! Mexico is not ready for war and cannot stop the 'Black, Red, and Yellow' army at all."

Both the British and American ministers showed displeasure.

“We need three months,” President Díaz quickly added. “Within three months, I will mobilize 200,000 troops! That way, I can defend Mexico’s territory alongside our NATO allies. And of course, I can sign the secret treaty for Mexico’s accession to NATO right now!”

The Red Room of the National Palace. The curtains in the Red Room were drawn, and the flickering candlelight illuminated the portraits of Mexican presidents hanging on the walls. Díaz sat at the end of the long table, with the Treaty of the Holy Alliance, brought by Baron Hohenstaufen, the German Minister to the Empire, spread out before him.

Young Brigham Young smiled slightly and took out a gold-embossed document from his pocket: "Your Excellency, our American Empire, Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, German Empire, and... the Republic of Mexico can jointly establish a 'Silver Alliance'."

Diaz raised an eyebrow: "The Silver Alliance?"

“Yes,” Brigham Young nodded. “Mexico is the world’s largest producer of silver, and our Western American Empire, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and the German Empire are all supporters of the silver standard. If our four nations unite to maintain the price of silver and issue silver coins based on it, then—”

He paused, a glint of light flashing in his eyes: "Mexican silver will no longer be merely a commodity, but the cornerstone of world currency."

Diaz's heart skipped a beat.

Mexico possesses the world's largest silver reserves, but for a long time, this silver was simply bought up cheaply by British and American capital and then minted into pounds or dollars, becoming the wealth of others. And now, the Spanish-American Empire, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and the German Empire are actually willing to let Mexican silver become a "world currency"?
what does this mean?
This means that Mexico will no longer be an economic appendage of the great powers, but a core participant in the monetary system. Mexico City will become one of the world's financial centers!

Baron Hornstaufen gave a cold laugh: "Your Excellency, the German Empire, together with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the American Empire, and your country, will establish a 'World Silver Reserve Bank' to be specifically responsible for the issuance of silver currency."

Zuo Xiaowei also spoke up at the opportune moment: "The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the German Empire, and the American Empire are willing to jointly provide military protection to Mexico to ensure the stability of the Silver Alliance."

Diaz's fingers trembled slightly.

This is a huge temptation—Mexico can finally shed its humble status as a "silver exporter" and become a "world currency issuer"!
but……

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"Gentlemen, this proposal... is indeed tempting," Diaz said slowly, "but Mexico is currently facing the threat of war. NATO fleets could blockade our ports at any time, and our troops are not yet prepared..."

“Your Excellency,” Brigham Young interrupted him, “we don’t need Mexico to join the war immediately. We just need you to sign this Holy Alliance Agreement and commit to joining the Silver Alliance. Of course, you also need to provide a timetable for preparations.”

Diaz paused for a moment, then finally nodded: "Okay, I sign. I guarantee the Mexican army will be ready within three months!"

He picked up his pen and signed his name on a document brought by Brigham Young Jr. – the Republic of Mexico officially joined the Holy League and pledged to join the Silver League three months later.

But the moment he finished signing, Diaz felt a sense of unease.

He just sold off Mexico's economic sovereignty. Will he really get "currency independence" in return?

After all the envoys from the seven nations had left the National Palace, Diaz stood alone before Juarez's portrait, remaining silent for a long time.

“President…” Reyes asked in a low voice, “Can we really deceive all seven nations at the same time?”

Diaz gave a wry smile: "Liar? No, I'm just gambling."

"What are you gambling?"

"I'm betting the situation will become clear within three months. I'm betting they won't attack Mexico first during those three months!"

Diaz turned to look out the window. The night was deep, and the lights of Mexico City flickered in the wind.

“Mexico’s fate has never been in our hands,” he said softly, “but at least this time… I must sell out the country on behalf of the Mexican people.”

Selling out your country isn't easy either!

(End of this chapter)