Without shedding a drop of blood, they had captured Mexico City and overthrown Maximilian I's rule. The republican government led by Juárez had finally cast off the label of rebels and become legitimate in name as well as fact.
Before he could celebrate, Juárez received word that Maximilian I had taken refuge in the Austrian embassy, instantly ruining his good mood.
Without question, Maximilian I remaining in Mexico City was a ticking bomb, capable of triggering a political earthquake at any moment.
More precisely, there was no need to wait for later—Maximilian I was already causing them trouble, albeit unintentionally.
Maximilian I had not yet abdicated and was still the internationally recognized lawful ruler of Mexico. By comparison, the republican government led by Juárez had yet to receive recognition.
This uprising had been launched under the banner of "executing the tyrant." Now that the emperor was inside the Austrian embassy, should they arrest him or not?
A young officer eagerly said, "Mr. President, the Austrian embassy does not have many troops stationed there. Should we send men in and drag that bastard Maximilian out?"
Juárez was cursing Maximilian I under his breath as well. He had left him a path of escape, yet the man did not even know enough to run. Was there water in his brain?
"Bauer, has water gotten into your brain? That is the Austrian embassy. If we send men charging in now, wouldn't we be handing them an excuse to intervene?
"Send men to surround the Austrian embassy first. Notify the Foreign Ministry and have them negotiate with the Austrians, demanding that they hand over Maximilian I."
Juárez himself did not believe those words, but in politics, such procedures were an indispensable link in the chain. Rashly storming another country's embassy—especially an embassy of a