Compared with Austria, which wants to calm the storm of public opinion, the Colombian government cannot afford to delay. The Panama region is still in the hands of the Austrian army, and if it is not recovered as soon as possible, it may not be recovered.

Although the Austrian government has made a promise, it is only a promise, and it is up to others to decide whether it can be fulfilled in the end.

In recent years, the bottom line of the great powers has been very low, and breaking treaties is commonplace. If the Vienna Government does not admit its account, the Government of Colombia will not have the strength to keep them in line with their commitments.

Something like this is not without precedent. If it does, there is so little the Colombian government can do beyond a few words of protest.

After receiving a diplomatic note from the Austrian minister for negotiations, President Rafael Nunez did not care so much and went directly to the battle in person.

Now is not the time to avoid suspicion, if the Panama region cannot be recovered, he, the president, will do it, and no matter how much he shirks his responsibility, it is useless.

Both sides want to settle the dispute as soon as possible and put an end to this not-so-wonderful "misunderstanding", so naturally they will actively participate in the negotiations.

Even the British cheered on the sidelines did not help, the difference in strength between the two sides was too large, and the Colombian government did not have the capital to be hard.

President Rafael Núñez wants to get a bigger stake at the negotiating table, but he is more worried that if the time drags on, the Vienna government may change.

After all, international reputation is worth a lot of money. If it has been corrupted and cannot be recovered in the short term, it is equivalent to being temporarily useless.

Since it is useless, then it can be broken and broken. There are many similar precedents, and if you look through the history books, you will find that the British have the most experience, and it is not good yet.

The Vienna government is anxious to calm down the storm of public opinion, mainly because it wants to turn a big matter into a small one and a small one, and to wash away this stain as soon as possible, so as not to affect the next diplomatic affairs.

If it drags on for a long time, after public opinion ferments, it will not be washed away, and there will be no point in continuing to negotiate with the Colombian government.

Perhaps it was more valuable to the British to tarnish Austria's international reputation than to have a tiny Panamanian region; But from the Colombian government's standpoint, the result is quite the opposite.

There is a powerful neighbor next to him, and the Colombian government still hopes that this is a good neighbor with discipline and a bottom line.

If the Viennese government lowers its bottom line, they are really in danger. It's not just the Panama region, it's the entire Republic of Colombia that could be compensated.

In the face of the harsh reality, Rafael Nunez did not dare to gamble. No matter how much the British fanned the flames and promised more benefits, they could not resist the threat of a gun around their necks.

In order to prevent the "misunderstanding" from deepening, President Rafael Nunez went to the negotiating table with full sincerity.

Everyone was sincere, the demands were not excessive, and the negotiations went very smoothly. In less than a month, the two countries reached a preliminary agreement.

On 24 May 1880, the Austrian Minister to Bogotá, Mr. Loreira, signed the Agreement on the Aftermath of the Accidental Crossing of Fire in Panama with the President of Colombia, Rafael Núñez.

The two countries unanimously concluded that the exchange of fire was entirely accidental, and the main reasons were: foggy weather and deliberate provocation by the roving "bandits"; The second is that the two sides do not understand each other in language and communication is not in place, which gives the enemy an opportunity to take advantage of it.

The culprit is the wandering "bandits", who have been exterminated by the coalition forces of the two countries, and there is no way to hold them accountable.

Since the plan to exterminate the "bandits" was organized by Austria, the Colombian Government was invited by the Austrian colonial government of Central America to participate, and suffered heavy losses in the accidental firefight, the Austrian Government is willing to make humanitarian compensation.

Under the terms of the treaty, the Austrian government was required to pay the Colombian government a total of 3,426,000 Aegis in compensation, including 584,000 Aegis casualties and 2,842,000 Aegis for economic and financial damage.

(Note: After the treaty was signed, the two countries were to transfer Panama within a month, and all Austrian troops were to be withdrawn by July 1, 1880.) The compensation will be paid in five instalments and will be offset in kind)

Regardless of the amount of compensation, there is no need to be picky about the payment method, and it is the first time in Colombia's history that the reparations can be obtained from the hands of the foreign powers.

A small country can't afford to ask for too much. The truth of the matter is something that only a secondary 2 teenager would want to find out.

President Rafael Nunez is a smart man and knows that even if he figured out the ins and outs, it didn't make any real sense.

With Colombia's strength, it simply cannot afford to seek justice. Now that we can sit down and talk, it is because the Vienna government wants to solve the problem by diplomatic means that this negotiation is the only reason for this negotiation.

It would be a tragedy if the lid was lifted and the Austrians would be so angry that they simply occupied the Panama region and did not leave.

To be able to regain lost territory and receive some financial compensation is the greatest diplomatic victory.

After the treaty was signed, Rafael Nunez immediately disclosed the good news to the public, and the people of Colombia were boiling.

Rafael Nunez's shaky presidency suddenly became solid. From an "idiot president" who everyone shouted and beaten, he instantly became a "national hero".

One of the few newspapers in Colombia has put Rafael Nunez on the altar and is known as the greatest diplomat in South America.

But the "great diplomat" did not have a smile of joy on his face.

"Victory" is still early, there is no such thing as pie in the sky. The Great Powers were not vegetarians, and Austria's money was not easy to get.

Even if the Viennese government made temporary concessions in order to calm the storm of public opinion, it did not mean that they had given up their ambitions for the Panama region.

Studying the map carefully, looking at the green markings, the Panama Canal had not yet been opened, and Rafael Nunez sighed.

Deep down, he had already greeted the family of the former high-ranking government who approved the construction of the Panama Canal.

Except for a few plains, most of the Panama region is mountainous and forested, and there are very few mineral resources found, which is not worth Austria's peep at all.

The only problem can only be the Panama Canal, the Grand Canal that runs through the two oceans, which is very high in terms of both economic and strategic value.

There is a precedent for the Suez Canal, and everyone knows that once the Panama Canal is opened, it will be full of money.

It's a pity that the Colombian government has limited strength, and occupying this golden waterway is like "a child hugging a gold brick in the market".

President Rafael Nunez knows very well that the blockade of Peru is only an inducement and that the main reason for Austria's move this time is to peek into this golden waterway.

It seems that Austria withdrew from Panama under international pressure, but in fact this was only the beginning, or rather a temptation.

If the defenders of Panama did not hold back the enemy's advances, no one could stop Austria's ambitions, and Colombia was destined to have no easy time ahead.

Opening the window and taking a breath of fresh air, Rafael Núñez asked slowly: "How much intelligence has been collected by the Panamanian Independence Organization?" ”

The middle-aged man replied helplessly: "It's a pity, Mr. President." Time is so short that our people don't have time to get in.

The information they have gathered now is only exposed to the light by themselves.

We hadn't even heard of this organization before that. It is suspected to be related to the former Republic of Panama, and it is deeply involved with Austria.

With the deliberate connivance of the Austrian army, this group has replaced the original local government of Panama and formed its own army.

These units are all in the form of militia, and these units are mainly Germans, and most of the officers are retired officers and soldiers of the Austrian army.

The total strength is about 15,000 people, and it is worth noting that several regiments are directly changed by civilian forces, and these people are colonial teams that have just immigrated. ”

Knowing that the Austrian government was behind the Panamanian independence movement, Rafael Nunez could only pretend to be confused.

Without piercing this layer of window paper, the Vienna government had to take into account the international implications, and could only secretly provide support to the rebels, and the support was limited.

If this layer of window paper is torn apart, the Vienna government, in addition to its ugly face, is more likely to be cheeky and directly recognize the legitimacy of the Panamanian regime.

The recognition of the great powers in recent years is also an important factor in a country's attainment of independence and sovereignty.

Rafael Nunez knew very well that the recent blockade of Peru had offended not only Austria, but also France, Peru and Bolivia.

As long as someone takes the lead, these countries will recognize Panamanian independence. If we add in the countries that are seriously affected by Franco-Austrian law, and also recognize the independence of Panama, it is difficult to make this number more than half.

The Panama region originally existed in the Republic of Panama and was later incorporated into Colombia, and there is a historical connection that if half of the countries in the world recognized Panama's independence, it would be truly independent.

In this way, the military action to suppress the rebellion turned into a war between two countries, and the nature was completely different.

Rafael Núñez: "To keep me looking, I have to find out the leaders of the Panamanian Independence Organization and how deep their ties are to Austria.

It would be better to find evidence of Austria's manipulation of the Panamanian Independence Organization, otherwise the British would not have intervened. ”

There is no way that Britain and Austria are still allies, and they must abide by the rules of the game.

During the South American War, John Bull gave Chile a bias, and the Vienna government only did things in secret, and most of the time it acquiesced except for a few protests on the issue of the seizure of ships.

Just like the "Panama accidental firefight and misunderstanding" earlier, the British are only doing things in secret, and on the surface, the London government believes in the "misunderstanding".

Limiting the scope of the struggle through the covenant, and shielding each other when necessary, is the main reason why the British, French and Austrian Triple Alliance has been able to survive.

Colombia's desire to get the British out on the top is actually wishful thinking. Even if the evidence is obtained, the London government will at most condemn it without pain.

This is determined by interests and strength. The Panama Canal has not yet been navigated, and its strategic value has not yet been reflected, so it is not worth it for them to compete with Austria.

What's more, in the Panamanian region, the British did not have the strength to compete with Austria, and even with the addition of the Republic of Colombia, it was very reluctant.

Don't look at the Austrian Central American colonies, it also depends on who you compare with. Compared with European countries, it must be a little brother, and it can't even get into the top ten.

But on the American continent, the military strength of the Austrian Central American colonies can definitely rank in the top five, and in the case of unobstructed sea routes, it is even possible to enter the top three.

South America is an agricultural country, with a pitifully small population, and the racial contradictions are still very serious, so the combat effectiveness is naturally not good.

……

While the Colombian people celebrated this great victory, public opinion in Europe also caused a major earthquake, and newspaper sales were on the rise.

The mainstream media is mainly divided into two waves, and the supportive believes that the Austrian government's initiative to pay compensation is a sign of the courage to take responsibility and respect the sovereignty of other countries.

The opposition, on the other hand, believes that this is a purely political "show" and that the concessions made under international pressure are a victory for international public opinion.

However, this kind of victory was not complete, and it glorified the war of aggression as an "accidental conflict" in which the aggressors were not punished as they should be, and pointed out that such "misunderstandings" would continue to emerge one after another in future international struggles.

In addition to the mainstream views, there are all sorts of jumbled arguments.

For example, he criticized the Vienna government for being cowardly, making concessions to tiny Colombia, and dishonoring the faces of the European powers.

……

Standing on their respective standpoints, experts and scholars expressed their opinions in the newspapers and fought a big fight. No one knows how many trolls there are.

In short, the topic of arguing and arguing was distorted. First from the "misunderstanding of the accidental exchange of fire in Panama" to the ongoing "guano war", then the South American game of Britain, France and Austria, and finally back to the Prussian War.

The more topics discussed, the situation changed. Compared with the ongoing war, the "misunderstanding" incident that has been settled has gradually faded from "news" to old news, and has gradually faded out of everyone's sight.