“What brings you here, my dear?”
Agustín I looked exhausted as he worked through a mountain of documents, but he rose when we entered.
He embraced Mother, gave me a brief pat on the shoulder, and then sat down on the sofa.
The bleak office, overflowing with paperwork, seemed to reflect the Emperor’s current circumstances.
Despite belonging to an emperor, the room was surprisingly austere.
It was spacious but sparsely decorated, and the enormous desk was buried beneath stacks of documents.
Mother placed the sweets and coffee she had brought onto the table.
“I came because you’ve barely slept these past few days and have been working yourself to exhaustion.
I wanted you to rest for a moment.
Our eldest son also has something he wishes to tell you.”
“Our eldest son?”
Agustín I turned toward me.
“I hope you haven’t come here during working hours to talk nonsense.”
His expression wasn’t hostile, but neither did he look like a father who had much confidence in his fifteen-year-old son.
This won’t be easy.
Better get straight to the point.
“I heard things have been difficult for you lately.
As Crown Prince, I want to help.”
Agustín I laughed incredulously.
“Help me?
You?
It’s admirable that you’re taking an interest in the affairs of the country, but you’re only fifteen.
You’re still at an age when you should be studying.”
“I heard the deputies oppose nearly everything you propose and that the government can barely accomplish anything.
Is that true?”
He looked slightly surprised, but quickly regained his composure.
“Your mother must have told you something.
Don’t concern yourself with it.
I’ll handle the matter.
You should focus on your studies.”
“I also heard the government cannot properly pay its officials or soldiers.
Do you have a way to solve that?”
“I only need to deal with those deputies.
This isn’t something you need to worry about.”
Ah.
He won’t listen unless I force him to.
So I spoke more boldly.
“Father, you aren’t planning to fabricate evidence and arrest the opposition deputies, are you?
If you do, you’ll provoke not only Congress but the citizens as well.”
“What?”
Agustín I’s eyes widened.
“How dare you speak to me that way?”
He was genuinely shocked.
So he’s already considering it.
“Do you believe arresting the opposition deputies will make the others obedient?
It will do the opposite.
Even deputies who currently support you will begin resisting fiercely.
And then what?
Will you dissolve Congress?”
“…Continue.”
“If you do, you’ll lose public support.
Regional forces that are already reluctant to obey the central government will begin considering rebellion.”
Agustín I frowned.
“I’ll send the army and crush them.
The central army can overwhelm provincial forces.”
“But the soldiers haven’t been paid for months, and if you lose the support of the citizens, how loyal do you think the army will remain?
If your enemies persuade them that they’re overthrowing a dictator, both officers and ordinary soldiers may waver.”
BANG!
“Dictator?!
The subjects of this empire are supposed to obey their Emperor!”
He slammed his hand down furiously.
Strangely enough, his anger relieved me.
If he truly believed my scenario was impossible, he wouldn’t have reacted this strongly.
He would have laughed, dismissed me as a foolish child, or ordered me out.
He knows it’s possible.
Good.
Although history said these events would happen, if the man himself stubbornly refused to acknowledge the danger, there would have been nothing I could do.
Fortunately, Agustín I understood reality better than I expected.
Now I only needed to calm him and offer an alternative.
“Father, our imperial family’s authority is at its weakest right now.
Many citizens throughout the empire barely know their new Emperor.
Even the conservatives and monarchists who support you have only done so for a few months.
“The longer they support you, the harder it becomes for them to withdraw that support.
But right now, abandoning you would be easy.
“This is precisely why we shouldn’t resort to extreme measures.
We should endure the opposition while increasing the number of people firmly invested in our rule.”
“Then is an emperor supposed to spend his time worrying about every citizen’s opinion?”
Agustín I rubbed his temples.
“Mexico is a disaster.
We have barely begun constructing a constitutional order, so proper laws are still lacking.
The economy is ruined.
Regional administration has fallen into chaos because so many peninsulares fled or were expelled.
Taxes aren’t being collected properly.
“As you said, we can’t reliably pay government officials or soldiers.
“If this situation reaches its breaking point, someone will be blamed—and that person will be me.
“Meanwhile, the deputies do nothing but argue among themselves.
Sometimes I wonder whether they deliberately obstruct everything because they expect my government to fail.
“Either way, without extreme measures, I see no way to break this deadlock.”
Hmm.
So there were reasons behind what history remembered as his disastrous decisions.
Of course there were.
A man who rose from military officer to emperor wasn’t likely to make catastrophic choices for absolutely no reason.
Unlike me, Agustín I had no knowledge of the future.
He was also a soldier accustomed to solving problems through decisive action and force.
From his perspective, sweeping his opponents aside probably looked like the most direct solution.
Once one answer appears obviously correct, alternatives become difficult to see.
What he needs is a loyal adviser willing to tell him when he’s wrong.
Unfortunately, most of Agustín I’s close subordinates are military men who probably think like he does.
From two hundred years in the future, his decision looks idiotic.
Standing here, surrounded by these circumstances, I can understand why it seemed inevitable.
“The most urgent problem is money,” I said.
“I have an idea.”
“You have an idea?”
“Yes.
As you just said, many peninsulares have fled or been expelled.
The government should confiscate property belonging to Spain and to peninsulares who rejected Mexican independence.
Spain can’t realistically intervene right now, can it?”
Agustín I leaned back thoughtfully.
“Confiscate Spanish property…”
His eyes narrowed.
“Spain is trapped in its own internal turmoil.
At the moment, it’s like a tiger without teeth.
But that isn’t the only problem.
“The deputies obstruct practically everything I try to do.
We don’t even have clear laws defining the powers of the Emperor and Congress.
While they debate the constitution, they refuse to create precedents that might strengthen the Crown.
“If I try to force such a measure through, I may still end up facing an armed confrontation.
Right now, the only institution I can reliably move is the army under officers loyal to me.”
“No.
You don’t need to ask Congress first.”
Agustín I stared at me.
I continued.
“Father, you’re still immensely popular with the people.
Go directly to the citizens.
Stand in the Plaza de la Constitución and publicly propose the confiscation yourself.
“Explain that Mexico has achieved political independence but remains economically burdened by centuries of Spanish exploitation.
“Make it clear that the treasury is in desperate condition.
“Emphasize that the confiscated property will fund the government and secure Mexico’s independence.
“If the citizens openly support the proposal, what reason will Congress have to oppose it?”
After that, Agustín I questioned me relentlessly.
The discussion lasted for hours.
Although his government was approaching collapse, the man himself was no fool.
Some of his questions exposed problems I hadn’t considered.
We discussed them one by one, adjusted the proposal, and worked through possible objections.
In the end, none of the problems were impossible to solve.
After a long discussion, Agustín I finally approved the plan.
Whew…
He turned out to be much more reasonable than I expected.
“Father, if this succeeds, may I ask you for a favor?”
“A favor?”
He gave me a long look, then nodded.
“Very well.
But you’ll also help ensure this succeeds.”
***
Agustín I readily agreed to grant his eldest son a favor if the plan succeeded.
For the first time in days, his mood had noticeably improved.
After Jerónimo left the office following several hours of discussion, the Emperor remained seated, staring at the closed door in bewilderment.
I can’t believe he changed this much in only a few years.
Agustín had barely spoken with his eldest son recently.
The struggle for independence had consumed his life, and after independence came an endless flood of political and administrative crises.
Whatever little free time remained was barely enough to spend with his beloved wife.
He had entrusted most matters involving the children to her and heard only occasional reports about them.
I remember my wife saying recently that Jerónimo had become difficult because of adolescence…
When Ana María arrived to make him rest, Agustín had been pleased to see her.
But when she mentioned that their eldest son wanted to speak with him, he had been irritated.
What could a fifteen-year-old possibly have to say that mattered during a national crisis?
That assumption had been completely wrong.
When Jerónimo began discussing affairs of state, Agustín initially felt a touch of paternal pride.
Then, as the conversation continued, he realized his son’s understanding was far beyond what he had expected.
I was shocked when he guessed that I was preparing to arrest opposition deputies.
But that wasn’t all.
Jerónimo had calmly laid out the consequences that could follow such arrests, and his arguments were disturbingly plausible.
Agustín himself had considered some of those dangers.
He simply hadn’t seen another path.
That was why he had been preparing to move against the opposition.
But his son had offered an alternative.
Confiscating Spanish property…
Why didn’t I think of it?
At first glance, the proposal seemed dangerously radical.
Upon closer examination, however, it offered enormous returns at relatively manageable risk.
More importantly, the reasoning supporting the plan was politically powerful.
If Congress opposed the measure without a convincing alternative, the deputies could easily be portrayed as obstructing Mexican independence merely for the sake of opposing the Emperor.
Our government is in terrible condition, but the people still have hope.
If I can fulfill even part of that hope, the political momentum will shift toward me.
Agustín believed that, aside from a small minority, most citizens would support the proposal.
Logic and practical benefits mattered.
But emotion mattered even more.
For centuries, Spaniards had dominated and exploited New Spain.
The idea of taking back property from those who had fled after opposing independence was extreme—but emotionally satisfying.
If the citizens rallied behind it, any deputy who resisted would risk losing legitimacy.
Surprise is always effective.
Once the decision is made, we must move quickly.
The deputies won’t expect me to suddenly address the public.
Agustín summoned Colonel Fernando.
“You called for me, Your Majesty?”
“I have an important assignment for you.
Starting immediately, investigate all property belonging to the Spanish Crown and to peninsulares who left Mexico.”
“Does that include peninsulares still living here?”
“Exclude those who have genuinely settled in Mexico and accepted this country.
Focus on those who returned to Spain, were expelled, or are scheduled for expulsion.
“Anyone actively opposing Mexican independence may be considered scheduled for expulsion.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“And tomorrow evening, I will give a public speech in the Plaza de la Constitución.
Prepare everything.
“Beginning at five in the afternoon, deploy soldiers to spread word of the speech and manage the gathering so as many citizens as possible can attend.
“Until then, make sure the purpose of the speech doesn’t leak.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Colonel Fernando accepted the orders without hesitation and withdrew.
Agustín I leaned back.
For the first time in a long while, he had a good feeling about what was coming.
Drawing upon his military experience, he began drafting the speech with renewed energy.
@.
T.
R.
3.
0.
N to get access to 50 additional chapters!
/Meegoatbaa Whether you join as a free or paid member, you’ll also get access to 2 extra chapters.