Chapter 144
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 144
Chapter Title: The New Borders of a Continent
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British Canada
In the original history, when the Mexican-American War broke out, the dictator Santa Anna had already been pushed from the center of power.
Santa Anna had sent troops to reabsorb the Republic of Texas, only to be defeated. In an attempt to recover from this, he tried to impose excessive taxes, which led to his downfall.
But now, the war had erupted much earlier, and Santa Anna was not yet in a position to be ousted.
In fact, he might have considered it a stroke of luck that the war began just before he could commit all sorts of blunders, as it saved him from losing his position.
After all, there is no tool as effective as war for strengthening a leader's power and unifying public opinion scattered in every direction.
However, this is only meaningful if the war ends with some measure of success. The story changes if it concludes with nothing but a series of shameful defeats.
While Santa Anna had shown himself to be a poor administrator, he was, at least for now, one of Mexico's most brilliant military figures.
Having actually fought the United States, he couldn't have been ignorant of the fact that a prolonged war would lead to their own destruction.
The dictator's desire was to end the war unconditionally, as long as it could be done without losing face.
The Mexican ambassador, Cuevas, thought our conditions were too excessive—and they were—but that never mattered from the start.
No matter what a mere ambassador said, the important decisions were made by the dictator at the very top.
As expected, around the time the Royal Navy, having departed from Britain, was due to arrive in Canada, Cuevas, bearing Santa Anna's reply, was bowing obsequiously before me.
"The President has agreed to accept the British Empire's mediation. However, the condition is that the territory is to be sold, by all means, and that the British Empire guarantees in its name that Mexico was by no means defeated by the United States in this war."
"That won't be difficult. The President has made a very wise decision. Unlike tumultuous Europe, this New World doesn't have that many countries. What's so hard about getting along? I hope we can avoid things like war in the future and build a harmonious and friendly relationship."
"As long as those United States fellows don't cause trouble, we are always prepared to live peacefully with our neighbors."
"Hahaha, the United States seems to be deeply reflecting on its actions, so they will surely send a favorable response soon. The armistice agreement will then take the form of a tripartite talk. I will let you know as soon as we hear from them."
Cuevas looked as if he was questioning Santa Anna's decision, but whether he was a dictator or not, he was still the president representing them. What could be done about any dissatisfaction?
A subordinate must do as they are told. Cuevas had no choice but to negotiate for the most favorable terms possible within the conditions I had presented.
But now that it was exposed that Santa Anna's greatest desire was to save face, Mexico had effectively lost any and all initiative in the negotiations.
If things went south, we could just flip the table. A single show of force from the Royal Navy would cause the lifespan of the dictatorial regime to dwindle in real time.
About three days after Cuevas returned with his head spinning, the American ambassador, Everett, arrived, and his situation was not much different.
"Congress and the administration have decided to proceed with the talks on the premise of the conditions Your Highness has proposed. Secretary Webster, who is in charge, will be coming up again immediately."
"That's much faster than I expected. I thought it would take a few more days."
The deployment of the Royal Navy! Its effect was tremendous.
Of course, operating a fleet was quite costly in itself, but it wasn't as if the entire navy had been dispatched. Only a portion had come to Canada for a show of force.
With just that, we were able to acquire land equivalent to Upper and Lower Canada combined. At this point, it was practically a giveaway.
"His Excellency the President also asked me to convey that, although relations have become tangled in the worst possible way, he never intended to displease His Majesty or Your Highness."
"I see. Will His Excellency remain in his position, then?"
"...I don't believe that will be possible. As Your Highness is aware, there are clamors across the nation to remove the president from office."
"Well, he did cause quite a major incident. Is Congress moving forward with impeachment proceedings?"
"There seems to have been considerable debate within both parties, as there is no precedent for a presidential impeachment, let alone indictment. For now, our side's position has narrowed to not pursuing impeachment if he steps down voluntarily in a way that preserves a minimum of his honor."
Ambassador Everett finished speaking and glanced at me furtively.
He was likely concerned that since the British Empire was directly involved in this matter, criticism might arise asking why we were protecting the honor of such a leader, subtly diluting his responsibility.
But I held no particular ill will toward Tyler. Whether he was impeached or resigned voluntarily, it made little difference to me.
If anything, I should be grateful to him for escalating the situation to this point; what reason would I have to dislike him?
"No matter how great a mistake he made, he is still the president of a nation. Forcing him to step down in a manner that is overly insulting would be discourteous. It would not be beneficial for the relationship between the British Empire and the United States either. I believe Congress has made a wise decision."
"Thank you for your understanding."
"Then let us proceed with the negotiations as soon as Secretary Webster arrives. The Mexican side has informed me they are fully prepared."
"...Yes."
Everett looked dismayed at having to enter such an agreement with Mexico, but in truth, even without my mediation, it would have been difficult for the United States to completely overwhelm Mexico at this point.
No matter how great the difference in national power, war requires a minimal justification.
When battle occurs, people inevitably die, and a reason or a sense of pride is needed to endure such deaths.
But what would happen to the soldiers' morale if the war had no real justification, and was instead started by pinning the blame on an innocent and powerless opposing nation?
Reports said that as soon as the U.S. Congress announced that the war had been fabricated, simultaneous protests demanding an immediate end to the war erupted across the North.
The South, too, was grappling with the great escape and riots of its Black population, and the prevailing argument was to stop the war first and properly restore public order in the South.
Given the circumstances, was it likely the army would obey if the government ordered them to continue fighting?
On the contrary, if the situation dragged on, the soldiers might even turn their guns around.
"Then, Ambassador, please rest comfortably until the Secretary arrives. I also have much to do to prepare for the talks, so I'm afraid I cannot spare much more of my time."
"......Yes. Thank you for your time."
Excellent. It seems both Mexico and the United States properly understand the current situation, where they cannot actively demand or refuse anything.
So, from now on, don't run your mouths and just follow my lead. Then, there will be no bloodshed.
***
"...Greetings."
"It's a pleasure to meet you."
As the saying goes, enemies meet on a narrow bridge. The first greeting between Cuevas, representing Mexico, and Secretary Webster, representing the United States, was filled with a chill that their superficial smiles could not conceal.
From Mexico's perspective, they had been peacefully sleeping only to be slapped awake and have their territory stolen. It was impossible for them to feel good about the situation.
The United States should have felt sorry toward Mexico, but was it likely that they, a carbon copy of the British Empire, would feel any genuine remorse?
On the contrary, they were probably inwardly clicking their tongues, thinking, *The situation is not good, so now we have to negotiate on equal footing with these people. How unpleasant.*
"Come now, isn't it fortunate that a path to peace has opened before the war could drag on any longer? The reason I have brought you two gentlemen together, as you know, is that the borders between British Canada, the United States, and Mexico in the disputed region are far too convoluted. I trust you both agree that we must clearly define them to prevent future conflicts."
"I agree."
"I also agree. Although, I'm not sure if the United States will keep its promise."
"The United States of America holds trust and contracts sacred. Naturally, we will honor any treaty we sign."
Cuevas let out a hollow laugh and turned his gaze to the map, but Secretary Webster, unfazed, addressed me.
"The United States has agreed to cede the majority of the Oregon region to British Canada. However, we have not been told the specific territorial boundaries. What do you have in mind for the border?"
"When dividing borders, has it not been a tradition since ancient times to use mountains or rivers as boundaries? So, why don't we do that this time as well? Let's make the Rocky Mountains and the Colorado River here the border between the British Empire, the United States, and Mexico."
"...So you're saying the British Empire will take everything west of the Rocky Mountains and the Colorado River?"
"You've understood correctly. If our British Empire is to take the Oregon territory, we have no choice but to establish the border in such a way, do we not?"
Looking at the map, by 21st-century standards, we were essentially taking all of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. What would be left for the United States was merely the northwestern parts of Montana and Wyoming.
It was, of course, an absurd treaty, but at least they were getting some land.
Would you rather fight a two-front war with riots in the South, or take a portion of the land and stamp your seal on the agreement? The latter was the only choice.
"But what do you mean by making the Colorado River the boundary? The land west of the Colorado River is Mexican territory, is it not?"
"Ah, that is a matter I must now discuss with Ambassador Cuevas. The area we wish to purchase in the Alta California region is, as I've said, west of the Colorado River."
"The entire area west of the Rocky Mountains and the Colorado River..."
In modern terms, one could roughly say it was the land encompassing California, Nevada, and Utah.
I was tempted by the regions further south, but this alone was already pushing my greed to its limits. Any more, and I was certain to suffer from indigestion, so I restrained myself.
"Of course, as promised, it will not be for free. We have done some careful calculations and believe that two and a half million pounds would be an appropriate price."
In the original history, the United States bought a territory twice as large for 15 million dollars, and the current exchange rate between the dollar and the pound was almost 5:1.
Still, buying it for as shameless a price as the Americans did felt wrong, so I offered a slightly more generous sum.
"T-two and a half million pounds?"
"Yes. And if needed, we can also lay down railways with that money, so please feel free to request it at any time."
"But... that land is so vast..."
"However, I sent a letter in advance, and His Excellency your president seemed quite satisfied."
After all, barely any Mexicans lived in California, Nevada, or Utah.
With the British Empire above and the United States to the side, it was land that was bound to be taken sooner or later.
Webster, realizing that for a mere 2.5 million pounds, America's path to the Pacific could be completely cut off, spoke up urgently.
"Ambassador, are you really going to sell that entire territory to the British Empire? We could pay twice that amount. No, even three times..."
However, Webster's intervention proved to be counterproductive. Cuevas's expression hardened as he shook his head.
"His Excellency the President's intentions are firm. We will sell the territory to the British Empire. Two and a half million pounds... we accept."
"W-wait, please, if you would just reconsider..."
"No. A promise must be kept."
That's right. If you have to give up the territory anyway, selling it to us is a hundred times more beneficial than having it taken by the United States, wouldn't you think?
Mexico already borders the sea to the west, so accessing the Pacific is not a major issue.
How satisfying it must be to sell the territory to the British Empire, even for a pittance, if it means blocking America's advance to the Pacific.
As expected, Cuevas glanced at Webster's contorted face and unknowingly twitched the corner of his mouth.
The sentiment Mexico currently held toward the United States was likely one of willingness to suffer a loss, so long as it meant inflicting an even greater one on their foe.
I'd say the purpose of arranging this trilateral meeting has been achieved, and then some.
Afterward, we spent some more time in casual conversation before the pre-drafted documents were placed on the table.
Now, all that was left was to pick up a pen and sign, and British Canada would be complete in the form I had envisioned for years.
How much effort had I put in, just to reach this signing?
As I picked up my pen, Secretary Webster sighed and followed suit. Ambassador Cuevas, with a visibly lighter expression, also brought his hand to the paper.
Soon, the three men's names were inscribed in black ink upon the pristine white paper.
At last, the short but intense war that had opened in the New World came to a close.