Chapter 517: John Bull Stirring Up Trouble
With the army's withdrawal, Mexican affairs had temporarily come to an end. As for the forcibly occupied southern territories, that would have to be haggled over slowly later.
Colonists these days were not easy to provoke. Once they had swallowed something, they would not spit it back out. Even if the Vienna Government ordered them to abandon it, they might not let go. With the Mexican Government forces' current strength, they might not even be able to defeat those plantation owners.
This had already been proven during the American Civil War. When fighting for themselves, plantation owners could always unleash even greater potential.
No matter what Maximilian I had in mind, Franz immediately had him "escorted" back to Vienna. From the wording alone, one could tell the process had certainly not been harmonious.
Those were minor matters. Being able to bring him back to Vienna alive was enough for Franz to answer to the elderly Empress Dowager Sophie. The farce along the way was not worth mentioning at all.
Now, Franz was stunned by a sudden invitation. Monaco had become independent, and Charles III had invited him to attend the ceremony.
It had to be said, the French really knew how to play. In order to reverse their unfavorable international image, Napoleon III had actually allowed Monaco to become independent.
Monaco was merely a tiny country with less than two square kilometers of territory, and its population did not even exceed ten thousand. Charles III could probably walk down the street and call every citizen by name.
On the surface, whether Monaco gained independence or not was of no consequence to France. Politically, however, it was an entirely different matter. It would stimulate the Italian independence movement.
If a tiny country like Monaco