African Business Chronicles

Chapter 83: The Rescue of Maximilian I

June 19, 1867.

Compared to Juárez, Maximilian I clearly lacked the mindset and abilities of a politician.

As a traditional monarch supported by Mexico's conservatives and Napoleon III, he implemented republican policies while naively believing he could reconcile with his opponent, Juárez.

Juárez did not disappoint him—he quickly capitalized on Maximilian's naivety to make a political comeback, and now had the emperor imprisoned.

If Ernst were the emperor of Mexico, he would have firmly supported the local conservatives, stabilized French support, and ruthlessly suppressed so-called revolutionaries.

As for terms like "reactionary forces," "backward systems," or "corrupt rule"—those were just jokes. Just like many African countries in Ernst's previous life, where corrupt leaders left their citizens in misery but still managed to finish their terms.

Even if exiled, their descendants could return later and run for office again—perfectly aligned with American-style democracy.

As long as you promise the local elites enough benefits, you stand a chance at being elected. And the black history of your family? Do African voters really not know? Does a generation or two erase the memory of a regime?

The truth is, people's votes can always be bought. Even if a genuinely righteous president is elected, the elite can still arrange for a "convertible" solution—assassination included.

Politics is a life-and-death struggle. You cannot lose touch with your base. Maximilian I, a naive aristocrat, governed as an idealist.

In that sense, he is a rare "pure soul" in world history. Perhaps not a good emperor, but certainly not a bad person.

And he didn't run away after failing—a virtue Ernst himself admitted he lacked. Maximilian I truly had honor.

Respect aside, Ernst could never become someone like him.

As his son-in-law, Ernst couldn't leave Maximilian I to die. If he had the means to help, he would. Whether it would succeed, that was up to fate.

...

3:00 AM

Maximilian I, dressed in full uniform, was escorted from his cell by Mexican soldiers to the execution site.

The site was in a scenic rural area.

He turned around slowly, took a handful of gold coins from his pocket, and handed them to the firing squad soldiers.

...

Roy Lee, a graduate of the Hohenzollern Military Academy.

"Is Vincent Caso ready?"

"Don't worry, Roy. We're using the latest explosives developed by Mr. Nobel. It'll bring down an entire wall."

"Good. Get our men in position. As soon as the explosion goes off, we open fire, grab the emperor, and get out with him in a sack."

...

Maximilian I stood at the execution ground, preparing to give his final speech.

He opened his mouth: "I..."

Boom!

Before he could finish the first word, a series of explosions rocked the area. A massive breach, over ten meters wide, opened in the wall surrounding the execution site.

Chaos erupted. Students from the Hohenzollern Military Academy—disguised as Indigenous people—shouted in an Indigenous dialect, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Mexican Empire!"

They pulled pistols from their cloaks and began shooting at the confused Mexican soldiers.

Roy Lee targeted the Mexican officers at the execution site, shooting them to prevent any organized response.

Hoofbeats thundered in from outside as masked horsemen stormed into the site, riding straight up to Maximilian I.

Still in shock, Maximilian saw only chaos before everything went dark—he had been bagged.

The academy students, with a coordinated effort, tossed the emperor—sack and all—onto a horse.

At the sound of a whistle, all the Hohenzollern cadets mounted their horses and fired wildly into the crowd as they fled.

The stunned Mexican soldiers could only watch as their emperor was kidnapped, while their unlucky officers lay dead.

...

10:00 AM

Juárez received the news that Maximilian I had been rescued.

Bang!

He slammed his fist on the desk in fury. The Republican officials stood frozen in silence.

"Do we know who did it? Was it the French? The Austrians?" Juárez asked.

"Mr. President, according to survivors, there were around 40 to 50 attackers. They were mounted, had pre-planted explosives, and may have received intel from our own soldiers—otherwise, how could they find the exact location?"

"We were caught completely off guard. No effective defense was mounted. The attackers left no bodies or wounded behind."

Juárez replied coldly, "Focus on identifying the enemy, not just reliving the disaster."

"Mr. President, eyewitnesses said the attackers looked Indigenous and spoke an Indigenous dialect. But we know that's impossible! So, most likely they were Mexican outlaws hired by the French."

Since Juárez himself was Indigenous, officials couldn't blame the incident on Indigenous people. And the Hohenzollern cadets, being Asian in appearance, were mistaken for Indigenous—a twist the Mexican authorities never saw coming.

Despite intense analysis, the Mexican government gathered no useful intelligence.

Meanwhile, Maximilian I, stuffed inside a carriage, was being rushed by the cadets to Mexico's west coast.

Even he now realized someone was saving him. But his two loyal generals, Miguel Miramón and Tomás Mejía, had been left behind.

He tried speaking to the cadets, but Ernst had ordered strict silence. No one was to communicate with the emperor.

Their mission was clear: get Maximilian I back to Europe.

To avoid complications, Ernst had instructed his men to treat the emperor like a piece of cargo—no talking, no distractions.

...

The Next Day, Noon

After traveling non-stop day and night—several horses collapsing from exhaustion—they finally reached the designated coastal rendezvous point.

A Hohenzollern overseas vessel, recently on assignment in Alaska, was already waiting offshore.

Small boats were sent out to bring the cadets and Maximilian I aboard.

As the steam engine roared, the ship departed from Mexico, bound for Alaska. Everyone was safe.

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