"I understand what you mean, and I sympathize with the plight of the people of Central America. But the main culprit of the civil strife is their self-elected leader. ”

The remarks of a "born saint" in his own eyes surprised Archbishop Rauscher. It is not surprising that the Church and other parties have glorified and whitewashed this stupid ruler in their own interests.

"Archduke Franz, you just mean His Excellency President Morasan? But he's the only one who can save the Central American Federation. Only he can maintain a fragile balance between different groups of interests. If there were a change of rulers, I am afraid that it would not be possible to reconcile the natives, the native-born whites, the white Europeans, and the French. ”

Franz shook his head again and again, saying that he could not do anything. He trusted his own intelligence network more than the archbishop's one-sided words.

"Then you should go to the great President Ramossan. And according to my estimates, the French only need to kill for a while to end the war, after all, they are now resorting to the most efficient means.

Archbishop Rauscher was taken aback, he did not expect Franz to say such cruel words so calmly.

"Your Highness, the merciful God will not agree with what you call 'the most efficient means.'"

Franz has always been skeptical of the theological level of this god. And this discussion made the former more affirmative of the impression that the latter only sat in this position because of the family's shadow.

God is merciful, but he also needs to send down brimstone and fire from time to time to warn the world. The same is true of the kings of the world, and how can mortals know God's thoughts?"

This can be regarded as Franz's ultimatum, he just can't find a replacement for the time being, and instead of planning to restore the church, he must show his attitude and let the archbishop in front of him realize who is the master.

Franz's wariness of the Church began the moment he had to decide to use its power.

It's just a different scene in the eyes of the archbishop. He felt that Franz's understanding of the Bible was beyond ordinary people, and this was one of the characteristics of a natural saint, and it was enough for him to listen to the teachings.

"You are right, it is our duty to put an end to the suffering of the peoples of Central America. Rest assured, the Imperial Church will always be your backing. ”

Archbishop Rauscher was indeed a devout believer, but he was never loyal to the Pope.

With that, Archbishop Rauscher took out a box from his clothes and solemnly handed it to Franz.

"What is this?"

"This is a list of fighting brothers raised by the Church and relevant intelligence on our supporters in the Central American Federation."

In fact, these confidential documents are the result of years of painstaking experience by Rauscher and his subordinates. It's been some time since the last Council of the Church in Austria passed a resolution to expand into Central America, but the time has not been found to intervene.

However, Franz did not pay much attention to the "capital" of the church, after all, after the Thirty Years' War, almost all European churches could no longer control the politics of states.

But after a brief glance, it still made him feel a thrill. Financially backed, Astarte has grown from 800 a few years ago to 5,000 people, more than six times as large as before, and its so-called supporters are spread throughout the Central American Federation.

"Great, you can use these two channels to influence your supporters in Nicaragua and Costa Rica and finally convince them to become independent and negotiate peace with the French alone."

Franz's words puzzled Rauscher, because the trigger for France's intervention in the Central American civil war was to prevent the division of the Central American Federation, and how could the great sacrifice and consumption paid for this make it easily change its course? After pondering for a while, he raised his objections.

"I have to remind you that this suggestion will probably not have any appeal to either the French or La Mosan. Even if the two sides do make some concessions, I am afraid that extremely harsh preconditions will be set. ”

Archbishop Rauscher's fears are justified, but here and there.

"You are wrong, Archbishop. It doesn't matter what La Mossan thinks, we just have to convince the French. As you said, it is true that this proposal did not arouse their interest before, but now that the situation has changed, it will not do them any better to drag on this war. ”

Rauscher was still worried that the ruler of the Central American Confederation would attack Nicaragua and Costa Rica with his army.

These two plots of land at this time were generally considered rotten and did not satisfy the Church's ambitions to expand its influence in North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Of course, Franz had no intention of swallowing up all of Central America. Even if the conditions allow, the cost of doing so is too great.

In fact, Franz would not have monopolized the entire Central American Federation, but would also draw Britain into the chaos of Central America. After all, Britain has coveted Honduras' gold and quality ports for a long time, so how could they let go of this opportunity?

At this time, Guatemala and Honduras were relatively developed in the Central American Federation, which were known for their rich gold and silver and high-quality timber, and had long been coveted by Western powers.

"But what good is the independence of Nicaragua and Costa Rica good for us?"

Today's Nicaragua is not yet known for its gold production, but as a cursed land; Muddy swamps and overflowing lakes, and the resulting breeding of mosquitoes and snakes, as well as natural disasters and diseases, all contribute to its name as a cursed place.

What's even more fatal is that the local population has been on a downward trend and has to import labor from other countries. Its large number of rich gold veins were not excavated until the end of the 20th century due to their deep burial.

At the same time, Nicaragua's isolation was exacerbated by the Great Wall of Nicaragua, built to defend itself against invasions from El Salva and Honduras.

And Costa Rica is an untouched land. Today, 80% of its population is concentrated near the eastern coast, and its economy is based on agriculture and fishing, separated by rugged mountains in the center and almost uninhabited in the west.

"At least we ended the war and saved the innocent people. That's all that matters, isn't it? ”

The eloquent and irrefutable truth of the "natural saint" made Rauschel feel a little ashamed and embarrassed.

A religious leader who often talks about saving the world actually talks about profit, and another mortal who pursues efficiency actually asks for nothing in return, and the sun really rises in the west.

Of course, Franz is not a madman who only talks about giving without expecting anything in return, but there is no need to tell everything as soon as possible. After all, it's not wrong to leave a hole card when dealing with people, otherwise it's very uncomfortable to be pinched.

After hesitating for a long time, Archbishop Rauscher couldn't help but ask, "Then do we still need to stay and continue to help those who are suffering?" ”

(End of chapter)