Chapter 700: Taken askew
Chapter 684 – Bringing it askew
Compared to Austria, who wanted to calm the storm of public opinion, the Colombian government could not afford to delay even more. The Panama region is still in the hands of the Austrian army, and if they don’t take it back as soon as possible, they might not be able to take it back.
Although the Austrian government has made a promise, but that is only a promise, in the end can be honored or not, or other people say.
These days the bottom line of the great powers are very low, the destruction of contracts is a common thing. If the Government of Vienna did not recognize it, the Government of Colombia did not have the strength to allow them to continue to fulfil their commitments.
It’s not like there are no precedents for similar things. If it did happen, there was very little the Colombian Government could do other than make a few verbal protests.
After receiving the diplomatic note from the Austrian Minister, President Rafael Núñez did not care so much and went directly to the negotiating table.
Now is not the time to avoid suspicion, can not recover the Panama region, he is the president of the end, how to shirk the responsibility is useless.
Both sides want to settle the dispute as soon as possible, to end this not so wonderful “misunderstanding”, naturally, we must actively participate in the negotiations.
Even if the British in the side of the cheerleaders have no effect, the gap between the strength of the two sides is too great, the Colombian government does not have the capital to be tough.
President Rafael Núñez wanted to get a bigger share of the bargaining table, but he was more concerned about the possibility of a change of heart in the Vienna government if time dragged on.
After all, the thing about international reputation is that it’s only worth something if you have it. If it was already tarnished and could not be salvaged in the short term, then it was equivalent to being useless for the time being.
Since it is useless, it can be broken. There are many similar precedents, and if you look up the history books, you will find that the British have the most experience, and they are still doing fine.
The Vienna government is in a hurry to calm the public opinion storm, mainly because it wants to minimize the big deal, trivial, as soon as possible to clear this stain, so as not to affect the next diplomacy.
If it drags on for a long time, after the public opinion has fermented, it will not be possible to wash away the stain, and it will be meaningless to continue negotiating with the Colombian government.
Perhaps for the British, the international reputation of Austria is more valuable than a small region of Panama; but in the position of the Colombian government, the result is the opposite.
The Colombian government hopes that the presence of a powerful neighbor will be a good neighbor with good manners and a bottom line.
If the government of Vienna puts down the bottom line, they will really be in danger. It’s not just the Panama region that’s a problem, maybe the whole Republic of Colombia could lose money.
In front of the cruel reality, Rafael Nunez did not dare to gamble. No matter how much the British fanned the flames and promised more benefits, they could not withstand the threat of a gun on their necks.
In order to avoid the “misunderstanding” continue to deepen, President Rafael Nunez with full of sincerity on the negotiation table.
Everyone was sincere, and none of the demands made were excessive, so the negotiations went very smoothly. In less than a month, the two countries reached a preliminary agreement.
On May 24, 1880, Lorella, the Austrian Minister in Bogotá, and Rafael Núñez, the President of Colombia, signed the Agreement on the Aftermath of the Accidental Exchange of Fire in Panama.
The two countries agreed that the firefight was entirely accidental, mainly due to foggy weather and the deliberate provocation of roving “bandits”; and secondly, the language barrier between the two sides and the lack of communication, which allowed the enemy to take advantage of the situation.
The main culprits were the roving “bandits”, who had already been eliminated by the allied forces of the two countries and could not be held responsible.
Since the plan to eliminate the “bandits” had been organized by the Austrian side, and the Colombian Government had been invited by the Austrian colonial Government of Central America to participate in it, and had suffered heavy losses in the accidental exchange of fire, the Austrian Government was willing to make humanitarian compensation.
Under the terms of the treaty, the Austrian Government is required to pay the Colombian Government a total of 3,426,000 guilders in compensation, including 584,000 guilders for casualties and 2,842,000 guilders for economic and material damages.
(Remarks: After the signing of the treaty, the two countries had one month to hand over the Panama region, and the Austrian army had until July 1, 1880 to withdraw. The compensation was to be paid in five installments, and was to be accepted in kind with a price.)
The question of the amount of the indemnity aside, there was no need to be picky about the method of payment, as it was the first time in Colombia’s history that it had been possible to receive indemnification from a great power.
A small country can’t ask for too much. The truth of the matter is that only a middle-aged boy would want to find out.
President Rafael Núñez is a smart man and knows that even if he finds out what happened, it won’t make any practical sense.
With Colombia’s strength, it was simply not capable of getting justice. The fact that we can sit down and talk now is also because the government in Vienna wants to solve the problem by diplomatic means, and that’s why this negotiation is taking place.
In case the lid is lifted, the Austrians are infuriated and simply occupy the Panama region and do not leave, that would be a tragedy.
To be able to recover the lost land and get a certain amount of economic compensation would be the greatest victory in diplomacy.
After the treaty was signed, Rafael Nunez was the first to publicize this good news to the people, and the people of Colombia were abuzz.
Rafael Núñez’s presidency, which had been on the verge of collapse, was instantly stabilized. He went from being the “idiot president” that everyone was clamoring for, to a “national hero” in no time.
The few newspapers in Colombia have hailed Rafael Núñez as the greatest diplomat in South America.
However, this “great diplomat” did not show a smile of joy on his face.
“Victory” is still too early, there is no such thing as pie in the sky. The Great Powers are not vegetarians, and Austrian money is not easy to get.
Even if the Vienna government in order to calm public opinion, temporarily made concessions, is not the same as they gave up their ambitions for the Panama region.
Studying the map carefully, looking at the green marking, not yet opened the Panama Canal, Rafael Nunez sighed.
Inwardly, he had greeted the entire family of the former former government executives who had authorized the construction of the Panama Canal.
The Panama region was mostly mountainous and forested, except for a few plains, and very few mineral resources had been found, making it not even worth Austria’s prying eyes.
The only problem could only lie in the Panama Canal, the Grand Canal that ran through both oceans, which had a very high economic value, as well as a strategic value.
With the precedent of the Suez Canal, everyone knew that once the Panama Canal was open to navigation, the money would come rolling in.
Unfortunately, the strength of the Colombian government is limited, so occupying this golden waterway is like “a child holding a golden brick in the marketplace”.
President Rafael Núñez knows very well that the blockade of Peru is only a trigger, and the main reason for Austria’s action this time is still to spy on this golden waterway.
It seems that Austria has withdrawn from Panama due to international pressure, but in fact this is just the beginning, or a trial run.
Panama area defenders did not block the enemy’s troops, there will be no one can block Austria’s ambitions, Colombia’s future days are not destined to be good.
Opening the window and taking a breath of fresh air, Rafael Nunez slowly asked, “How much intelligence has been gathered on the Panamanian Independence Organization?”
The middle-aged man helplessly replied, “Unfortunately, Mr. President. The time was simply too short for our people to blend in.
The information collected now is only what they themselves have exposed in plain sight.
Before this, we had never even heard of this organization. It’s suspected to be related to the previous Republic of Panama and is deeply involved with Austria.
With the deliberate connivance of the Austrian army, this organization has replaced the former Panamanian local government and formed its own army.
These forces are in the form of militias, which are predominantly of German descent and whose officers are mostly retired Austrian soldiers.
The total strength is about 15,000 men or more, and it is noteworthy that several of these regiments, which have been directly altered by the civil armies, are colonial teams of men who have just emigrated.”
Knowing full well that the Austrian government was behind the independence movement in the Panama region, Rafael Nunez could only pretend to be confused.
Without piercing this windowpaper, the Vienna government had to take into account the international implications and could only secretly provide support to the rebels with limited support.
If you tear open this layer of windowpaper, the Vienna government in addition to face ugly, the greater likelihood is still brazen, directly recognize the legitimacy of the Panamanian regime.
These days the recognition of the great powers, but also a country to obtain independent sovereignty is an important factor.
Rafael Nunez knows very well that the policy of blockading Peru not long ago not only offended Austria, but likewise offended France, Peru and Bolivia to death.
All of these countries would have recognized Panamanian independence if someone had taken the lead. If we add the countries seriously affected by the French and Austrian influence, they would also recognize the independence of Panama, and the number could be more than half.
Panama originally existed as the Republic of Panama, which was later incorporated into Colombia. With this historical background, if half of the countries in the world recognized Panama’s independence, it would be truly independent.
In this way, the military action to suppress the rebellion has evolved into a war between two countries, the nature is completely different.
Rafael Núñez: “Keep me on it, it’s important to find out who the leaders of the Panamanian Independence Organization are, and how deep their ties to Austria really run.
It’s best to find evidence that Austria is manipulating the Panamanian Independence Organization, or the British won’t intervene.”
There was no way the British and Austrians were still allies and had to abide by the rules of the game.
John Bull in the South American War to Chile pulling the strings, the Vienna government are just secretly messing things up, the bright side in addition to a few protests on the issue of the seizure of ships, most of the time is acquiescence.
Just as in the case of the “Panama accidental firefight misunderstanding”, the British are also only in the dark to make things happen, openly the London government believes that the “misunderstanding”.
Through the covenant constraints, limit the scope of the struggle, and when necessary, will also cover each other, this is the main reason why the Anglo-French-Austrian triple alliance can be maintained.
Colombia wants the British to take the lead, in fact, is also wishful thinking. Even if the evidence is obtained, the London government will at most condemn a few sentences without pain.
This is determined by interest and by strength. The Panama Canal is not yet navigable, its strategic value has not yet been realized, and it is not worthwhile for them to take on Austria.
What’s more, in the Panama area, the British didn’t have the strength to counter Austria, even if they added the Republic of Colombia, it was barely enough.
Don’t look at the Austrian colonies in Central America as not great, that also depends on who they are compared to. Compared to European countries, it would certainly be a dick and wouldn’t even make the top ten.
But in the American continent, the military strength of the Austrian colonies in Central America can definitely rank in the top five, in the case of smooth sea routes, may even enter the top three.
Everything depends on the opponent to set off, South America are agricultural countries, the population is pitifully small, racial conflicts are still very serious, the fighting force is naturally not good.
……
While the Colombian public celebrated this great victory, European public opinion also caused a major earthquake, newspaper sales are rubbing up.
The media has a wide range of opinions, but the evaluation is mixed, the mainstream media is mainly divided into two waves, supportive of the view that: the Austrian government took the initiative to pay compensation, is the courage to take responsibility, respect for the sovereignty of other countries performance.
The opposition believes that this is pure political “show”, forced by international pressure to make concessions, which is the victory of international public opinion.
However, this victory was not complete, and the war of aggression was glorified as an “accidental conflict” in which the aggressor was not duly punished, and it was pointed out that such “misunderstandings” would continue to occur in the future international struggle.
In addition to the mainstream viewpoint, there are also a variety of other arguments.
For example, the Vienna government was criticized for its cowardice and for having to make concessions to the small country of Colombia, which was a disgrace to the European powers.
……
Standing in their respective positions, experts and scholars in the newspaper to express their views, a big fight. How many sailors there were in this, no one knows.
In any case, the topic of the quarrel was brought to the wrong side. First from the “Panama accidental fire misunderstanding” to the ongoing “guano war”, then Britain, France and Austria South America game, and finally ran back to the Russo-Prussian War.
As more topics are discussed, the situation changes. Compared to the ongoing war, the “misunderstandings” that had already been settled, from “news” to old news, gradually faded from everyone’s attention.
Push the book “Rise of Chongzhen
(End of chapter)