During the long period when the Crown Prince was away in California—building a frontier colony and then making the journey back—many things happened in Mexico.
First, Stephen Austin, the so-called Father of Texas, was shocked by the harsh conditions imposed by the Mexican side.
In the end, however, he accepted them in the face of the Emperor’s uncompromising attitude, which essentially amounted to: if you don’t like the terms, then don’t come.
After settling the Texas issue, the Emperor used the embezzlement scandal surrounding the confiscation of the peninsulares’ property as justification to replace several commanders of the regional forces.
The recalled commanders were furious, but they soon realized they had little choice except to accept the decision.
If they refused, they would have to fight the central army, and if they lost, they would be executed.
The Emperor’s justification was solid, and they lacked the strength to challenge a central army that now had considerably greater resources.
The Emperor delayed promulgating the constitution until the replacement of those commanders was complete.
He used the confiscated assets to pay the overdue salaries of soldiers and government officials, then began hiring additional officials to dispatch to the provinces.
Under these circumstances, the republican deputies furiously denounced Agustín I, but ordinary citizens could not understand why they were attacking an Emperor who appeared to be doing his job.
“It’s a dictatorship!”
“Agustín I, stop the dictatorship!”
“What are they talking about?”
“How is sending officials to the provinces to collect taxes a dictatorship?”
“Exactly.
There isn’t any law saying only we have to pay taxes.”
As the country stabilized and Mexico City began collecting taxes normally again, rumors spread that the provinces were not paying their share.
Naturally, the citizens of the capital were hardly sympathetic.
“If the deputies refuse to do their jobs, then it is my responsibility to stabilize the country.
What exactly is the problem?”
“Your Majesty, you must hurry and promulgate the constitution so that we can do our jobs!”
“Then simply accept my conditions.”
This situation continued for an entire year.
During that time, the provincial commanders were replaced, crops from the confiscated estates began arriving, and the Emperor used the resulting revenue to purchase silver mines.
That allowed the government to mint large quantities of pesos and earn considerable seigniorage profits.
Mexico still carried an enormous national debt, but the economy was slowly beginning to recover, and the Emperor finally possessed enough funds to expand the central army.
“I don’t think we can hold out much longer.
If this continues for another year, there won’t be anything left of the constitutional monarchy we wanted.”
“Are you saying we should accept the Emperor’s constitution?
It gives him far too much power!”
“Exactly!
And it isn’t even a federal system!”
“Let’s put federalism aside for the moment.
Even among us, there’s disagreement about that.
Besides, Agustín I’s proposal is technically still a constitutional monarchy.”
“What?
What did you just say?
Whose side are you on?”
The republican deputies could no longer maintain a united front.
They split into two factions: one wanted to accept the Emperor’s proposal, while the other wanted to resist until the bitter end.
“We’ve resisted as much as we possibly can.
If we delay any longer, the very existence of Parliament could be threatened.
The citizens aren’t dissatisfied with the Emperor’s government!”
“Sigh… Then let’s negotiate for the best terms we can get.”
In the end, the republicans yielded to the Emperor’s proposal.
Agustín I himself did not particularly like the idea of a constitutional monarchy.
However, conversations with his eldest son had made him understand that the world after the French Revolution was fundamentally different.
His son had repeatedly insisted that once the tide of liberalism and republicanism began rising, it could not simply be stopped.
At the very least, the monarchy needed to compromise with those forces in appearance.
Thus, the first constitution of the Mexican Empire was drafted.
Its principal provisions were as follows:
– The Emperor exercises sovereignty in the name of the people.
– The official religion of the Mexican Empire is Roman Catholicism.
– Parliament shall be unicameral, and its members shall be elected by vote.
– Deputies shall serve four-year terms, with a maximum of three terms, for a total of twelve years.
– Parliament possesses legislative authority and the power to elect the Prime Minister, but the Emperor may exercise a veto.
– The Prime Minister may recommend candidates to the Emperor for the various ministerial posts, but the Emperor may exercise a veto.
– The Emperor possesses the authority to issue executive orders directing the government.
– The Emperor controls military and diplomatic affairs, but a declaration of war requires the approval of more than two-thirds of Parliament.
– Each state shall be governed by a governor appointed by the Emperor, acting according to the imperial constitution and the directives of the central government, for a term of eight years.
– Justices of the Supreme Court shall be appointed by the Emperor and serve twelve-year terms.
– The Emperor possesses the authority to dismiss any public official.
– Constitutional amendments require approval by more than two-thirds of Parliament as well as authorization from the Emperor.
“You call this a constitutional monarchy…?”
“This is a constitutional monarchy in name only.
In reality, this constitution gives the Emperor control over practically everything.”
“…Still, there are elections, and there’s at least a system for reflecting the opinions of Parliament and the Prime Minister.”
“Yes… I suppose this is how these things begin.”
“This is quite a respectable constitutional monarchy.
Ahem!”
Another six months passed.
Parliament elected a Prime Minister, who in turn submitted nominations for the various ministries to the Emperor.
Agustín I reviewed the candidates and approved only those he found acceptable.
He also appointed the Supreme Court justices and state governors.
Although most major decisions continued to follow the Emperor’s wishes, the Prime Minister and Parliament still exercised considerable influence as long as they did not directly oppose him.
Agustín I’s supporters—the Church, landowners, and conservative deputies—were satisfied with the situation, and the Mexican Empire continued to stabilize.
Yet despite that stability, Agustín I had one serious concern.
He had no idea whether his son, who had left for California, was alive or dead, nor did he know when the boy would return even if he was still alive.
“Darling!
Shouldn’t you at least send the army to look for him?”
“Hmm… All right.”
‘It’s already been a year and a half.
Could something really have happened to him?’
His wife, María, had spent the past year worrying about Jerónimo and constantly pressing Agustín I to do something.
By now, even the Emperor himself was becoming uneasy.
‘Perhaps I agreed too quickly.’
At the time, he had been so excited by the plan to confiscate the peninsulares’ property that he had overlooked one simple fact.
His son had only been fifteen years old.
Had he really sent someone that young all the way to California to work?
Agustín I was beginning to regret allowing his eldest son to travel so far away.
***
At that very moment, while the Emperor and Empress worried about their eldest son—
“THERE!
THAT’S MEXICO CITY!”
Another five months had passed.
Just as I had predicted when we departed, the entire expedition had taken a year and a half.
‘With 294 pounds of gold, I can start something much bigger.’
I would have to share some of the profits with the pioneers who still trusted me and continued working in the mines, but even that was an investment.
There were plenty of ways to earn the money back.
‘Hehehe.
They say the people who became truly rich during a gold rush weren’t necessarily the ones digging for gold, but the people selling things to the miners.’
Levi Strauss, founder of the world’s first major jeans brand, was a classic example.
Levi Strauss opened Levi Strauss & Co.
in San Francisco in 1853, right in the middle of the California Gold Rush.
He initially sold various fabrics and tents with his family, but in 1871 he developed the first riveted jeans and achieved his first major success.
Jeans later spread east after World War I, becoming even more successful, and after World War II they turned into a worldwide phenomenon alongside rock culture and the hippie generation.
‘That’s not just one success.
That’s three waves of success—and rivets aren’t even particularly difficult to make.’
The success of jeans did not come merely from denim.
In fact, Levi’s originally made its pants from sturdy cotton fabric rather than denim.
The key innovation was the rivet: a small, malleable metal fastener used to permanently join thin materials.
In jeans, rivets reinforced the places where two or more pieces of fabric met.
‘Compared with ordinary stitching, the durability is on another level.’
By placing rivets at high-stress points, the fabric could be reinforced and tearing prevented.
Adding rivets and extra material around areas such as the front and rear pockets created durable, practical trousers ideal for hard labor.
Such pants became extremely popular among miners during the California Gold Rush and later spread among manual laborers throughout the West.
‘Food, water, lodging, work clothes, tents, pickaxes… Selling all of that in San Francisco and Sacramento alone would make a fortune.
‘And I’ll monopolize the richest gold mines on top of that.
‘The real profits from the Gold Rush will belong to me.
‘Instead of organizing huge colonization expeditions myself, I can simply distribute land to prospectors and let California populate itself.’
The conservatives might dislike people leaving established estates because of the Gold Rush, but I would not personally be conducting mass recruitment.
And now that rumors about California’s gold had already begun spreading, no one could reasonably blame me for the flood of people heading west.
To begin my large-scale business operations, I had brought five carpenters back from California.
‘That wasn’t part of my original plan.’
I couldn’t manage every business personally, especially while trying to run several projects simultaneously.
I needed people who could work on my behalf.
If ability were the only concern, the best option would have been to recruit talented people in the capital or even hire experts from abroad.
That had been my original plan.
Then I changed my mind.
‘Julio Cervantes taught me something.’
Important work needed to be entrusted to people I could trust.
I couldn’t blindly hand everything to strangers I had never met.
So I looked among the pioneers—the people I had spent the most time with since arriving in this world.
Out of the thirty carpenters, I selected the five I considered the most reliable and intelligent. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
‘They didn’t necessarily have to be carpenters, but most of the people who worked closely with me happened to be carpenters, so there wasn’t much choice.’
I had actually wanted to bring Master Carpenter Andrés, but that was impossible.
He had effectively become one of the colony’s leaders.
Besides those five men, I brought two young men back to Mexico City.
After I offered rewards to Andrés, the master carpenter who had helped me so much, and Víctor, who had exposed Julio’s criminal plot, both men asked me for the same favor.
They wanted me to educate their sons.
Both young men were seventeen, the same age as me now.
I intended to send them to university.
I was still organizing my thoughts as we entered Mexico City when soldiers suddenly appeared.
“Huh?”
“Your Highness, His Majesty has ordered us to bring you to him immediately.”
***
“DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED YOUR MOTHER HAS BEEN?!”
Agustín I was clearly stressed by how much later than expected I had returned, and he immediately began scolding me.
“It doesn’t matter anymore.
You’re back safe and sound, and that’s what matters.”
Mother, who had obviously been terribly worried, wrapped her arms around me and stroked my head even though I was no longer a child.
‘Well… when I think about it, there was no way in this era to know whether someone was alive or dead.
‘Her seventeen-year-old son disappeared for almost a year and a half.
‘I suppose I really was a terrible son.’
Even considering my position as Crown Prince, I had to admit that the expedition had been reckless.
But it was something I had needed to do.
Better to change the subject.
“I’m sorry.
I tried to return sooner, but we discovered gold near the colony, so I stayed longer to extract it.”
“What?
Gold?”
“Yes.
California is full of it.
In eight months, we extracted 294 pounds.”
“…Good heavens.
That’s impressive.”
I showed them the contents of the wagon I had brought to the palace.
Ninety-eight gold bars, each weighing three pounds.
Even Agustín I stared in amazement at the golden brilliance.
“Hoho!
Impressive.
I see there was a good reason for your delay.”
“Son!
Even so, you’re not going back to California.”
Mother was clearly terrified that I might leave again.
“Don’t worry, dear.
Our son will soon be entering the military academy.”
“Yes, don’t wor—what?”
“Why are you surprised?
The Emperor is also commander-in-chief of the Imperial Army.
Did you think the Crown Prince of the Empire wouldn’t need to understand the military?”
‘But… I’ve already served in the army once.
‘Once should be enough, shouldn’t it?’
Even if that had been in my previous life.
“Father, I think I’m better suited to administration than military affairs.
We can bring prosperity to the country through business development and territorial expansion, can’t we?”
“Enough.
I’m not telling you to spend your entire life as a soldier, but you will graduate from the military academy.
That’s an order.”
Agustín I stared at me with a serious expression.
No matter what I said, he wasn’t going to change his mind.
“…Understood, Father.”
And just like that, the plan I had spent the last five months preparing began falling apart before it had even properly started.
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