Holy Roman Empire

On April 19, 1880, the Austro-Central American colonial army pursued "ruthless bandits" and chased them into the Panama area.

Because of the fog, a misunderstanding occurred with the Colombian garrison, leading to an armed conflict that caused thousands of casualties.

Local residents could testify that a heavy fog indeed descended over the Panama area on April 19. Before the troops entered the Panama area, the colonial government had communicated with the local government, deciding to join forces in eradicating the nefarious "ruthless bandits."

Unfortunately, someone within the Colombian Government colluded with the "ruthless bandits," leaking the information. The bandits severed local telegraph communications and ambushed messengers en route.

The garrison failed to receive the message in time, and with no effective communication between the parties and visibility hampered by the fog, what was supposed to be a joint effort to eliminate bandits turned into accidental engagement with each other as enemies.

This is the "truth" released by the Austro-Central American colonial government. Whether the Colombian Government could accept it or not, their troops stationed in the Panama area were decimated.

Following the outbreak of the "April 19 Incident," the Austro-Central American colonial government promptly declared responsibility for the mishap, apologized for the casualties caused by the accident, and stated their willingness to pay compensation to the victims.

Such a proactive and responsible stance would be beyond reproach if it weren’t for the fact that the Austrian army continued to linger in the area, refusing to leave.

Of course, there was a reason the Austrian army remained; although the main force of the "ruthless bandits" had been encircled and annihilated, numerous stragglers were still on the run.

For the safety of the people in Panama, the Austrian army had to eradicate these bandits or wait for the Colombian armed forces to arrive before they could withdraw from the area.

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The news of the accidental armed conflict on "April 19" caused an uproar in Bogota, the capital of Colombia, as people took to the streets in protest, demanding the government send troops to reclaim the Panama area.

One has to admit that President Rafael Núñez’s luck was indeed poor, facing such troubles early in his tenure.

The people demanded the deployment of troops, and President Rafael Núñez also wanted to send them to recover the Panama area and deal with the aftermath sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, no military unit was up to the task.

"Misunderstandings" can happen once, and they can happen again. Whether more "misunderstandings" would occur depended entirely on Austria’s integrity.

The Colombian military took it to heart; since the Austrians had declared it a misunderstanding, they surely had no intention of occupying the Panama area indefinitely. It would eventually be reclaimed, so why take the risk?

Those in the know realized that this was Austria’s retaliation against the Colombian Government for blockading Peru, with the troops in the Panama area being unfortunate collateral.

Whoever caused the disaster should bear the consequences. As for retaliating against Austria and seeking justice for the innocent garrison soldiers, that was beyond Colombia’s capability.

As a small country, the first consideration was survival; as long as no loss of territory occurred and core sovereignty could be reclaimed, minor grievances did not amount to much!

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President Rafael Núñez had no time to deal with the aftermath for now, as he was currently facing questions from congressmen.

An opposition congressman mocked, "Mr. President, due to the government’s erroneous foreign policy, the Panama area has fallen. Do you have anything to say?"

Without pressure, there is no motivation. Had Austria intended to forcefully occupy the Panama area, external pressures might have united all Colombian factions.

Regrettably, such a situation did not arise; the Austro-Central American colonial government had already deemed the incident a "misunderstanding."

If it was just a misunderstanding, then the Austrian army had no reason to maintain a prolonged occupation. The Austrian diplomat had already sent a diplomatic note, requesting them to send troops for defense as soon as possible.

Sovereignty could be maintained; the only problem was receiving a beating for nothing. It was neither life-threatening nor uncommon to take the opportunity to strike at competitors.

The greatest advantage of a politician is a thick skin, and Rafael Núñez nonchalantly responded, "The Panama area has not fallen; it was merely a misunderstanding.

The Austrian Government has already declared responsibility for the incident. We are discussing compensation with them, and it won’t be long before the Austrian army withdraws from the area.

The primary cause of this misunderstanding was collusion with bandits within the government, and it has nothing to do with the government’s foreign policy.

Colombia is an independent nation; we have the right to conduct our diplomacy freely and do not need to be influenced by third parties."

Since Austria has declared this to be a "misunderstanding," let’s just let this "misunderstanding" continue for now!

Without the strength to retaliate, such incidents can only be labeled as "misunderstandings."

Deep down, Rafael Núñez simply hoped for a swift end to affairs, wishing for no further complications.

A congressman questioned, "Just like that, it’s over with a misunderstanding? Did our people die in vain?"

Rafael Núñez gestured dismissively, "Of course not in vain. We will investigate thoroughly to identify those responsible for the conflict and subject them to legal sanctions.

The deceased have passed away, and what we can do now is allow the departed to rest in peace and offer solace to their families.

The government will ensure that all the victims of this incident will receive compensation; please give us some time…"

With that, Rafael Núñez bowed to the audience, seemingly in apology.

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Those who enter Parliament are all old hands in politics, taking the opportunity to give Rafael Núñez a hard time is one thing, but they indeed wish to bring him down for real.

However, nobody was prepared for war with Austria. So, some things just had to be selectively ignored.

While pacifying domestic concerns, Rafael Núñez did not forget to seek help from the British "big brother".

After such a significant incident, it would be unacceptable if John Bull did not step in. After all, the Colombian Government was facing this disaster because they were carrying out tasks on their behalf.

In Downing Street, within the Prime Minister’s Residence, Prime Minister Benjamin scrutinized the Colombian Government’s plea for assistance with a wisp of smoke curling from his lips.

Sitting across from him was a middle-aged man dressed in finery, holding coffee in one hand and stirring it with a spoon in the other, his gaze fixed ahead as if lost in a trance – British Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward.

After the time it took to sip half a cup of tea, Prime Minister Benjamin set down the telegram and extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray, exhaling the last stream of smoke.

"Sir Edward, what do you think the Austrians are up to? It can’t possibly be just about giving Colombia a thrashing to vent their anger, right?"

Like Britain, Austria is a country centered on interests; every move is made with national interests in mind.

The actions of the Colombian Government certainly caused a great loss of face for the Vienna Government, and retaliation was inevitable, but it had not reached the point where they had to send troops to fight.

Don’t look at the military operations in the Panama area as being very smooth; that’s because the Austrian Government timely disclosed the "truth" to the public, letting everyone know they were just making a temporary stay and would leave soon.

Otherwise, if the Colombian Government called the locals to resist the invasion, the situation would not be so optimistic.

South American countries can exist independently, not because European powers can’t occupy them, but because the costs of ruling are too high, and the return on investment does not justify the expenditure.

Edward set down his coffee and slowly replied, "Of course not. Based on the intelligence we’ve collected, we preliminarily conclude that Austria is eyeing the Panama area.

It’s just that the Vienna Government, considering the impact on their own reputation, feels that directly invading an independent country is too damaging and costly, so they deliberately manufactured this ’misunderstanding.’"

"By wiping out the Panamanian garrison, the Independence Organization they support can succeed. I estimate that soon after the Austrians withdraw, the Panama area will be stirring for independence."

It would be impossible to keep such a large movement entirely secret. Austria’s actions might fool the common people but couldn’t fool the British, who are equally cunning.

Similar incidents were something John Bull had done before, and they were very experienced in such matters. Just by the superficial signs, they could guess most of the story.

Prime Minister Benjamin nodded, "It seems we’ll have to offer our condolences to the Colombians, who still don’t know what kind of enemy they’ve encountered, at least not according to this plea for assistance."

"Allies", for Britain, this is a false proposition.

On the surface, Anglo-Austria are the allies bound by treaties, Colombia does not even qualify to form an alliance with Britain.

In reality, Anglo-Austria, who are supposed to be allies, are in fact the greatest rivals, while the weak Colombian Government is new under the British wing, far closer than the supposed allies.

Foreign Minister Edward shook his head: "Sometimes ignorance is bliss. If the truth were known, Rafael Núñez’s days would be unbearable.

Of course, he might be feigning confusion knowingly. Dealing with the Panamanian rebel army is certainly easier than facing the Austrians.

The Austrians have already broken the rules this time, and with Emperor Franz’s reputation for valuing his feathers, the same ’misunderstanding’ won’t happen twice.

As long as the Colombian Government can suppress the Panamanian rebel army, this incident will also pass."

If the Republic of Colombia doesn’t lift the lid on this matter, there’s still a chance of victory; if they turn on Austria now, they will immediately lose the Panama area.

Prime Minister Benjamin smiled slightly and lit another cigarette, taking a deep drag and exhaling a plume of smoke.

"You’re right, sometimes it is indeed necessary to feign confusion. Since the Colombian Government did not mention it, we will also pretend we don’t know.

Let the Foreign Office act quickly. Let’s get the Austrians back home as soon as possible to show the Colombian Government our sincerity."

The partial exercise must serve the whole, and with the land blockade network against Peru and Bolivia already established, Chile’s victory in the war was practically guaranteed.

Britain has gained the upper hand in the competition in South America, compressing the influence of France and Austria to a corner, there’s no need to keep pressuring them.

The Panama incident became Austria’s last counterattack. Pushing hard would only pressure France and Austria to unite, and Britain would not gain any additional benefits.

After a brief thought, Edward smiled, "Of course, we never mistreat friends. However, before that, we need to give the Austrians a bit of trouble.

Happening upon such a large ’misunderstanding,’ we must let more people know. I am sure the media would be more than happy to have more news to boost newspaper sales."

Not confronting directly is because of Britain’s limited influence in the Panama area and even if they wanted to meddle in Austria’s subsequent actions, they simply lack the ability to do so.

The inability to intervene directly does not mean they would take no action. A media offensive, tarnishing Austria’s reputation, is also a form of attack.

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