The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1485 Harrisburg Peace Conference
This would be doomsday for the United States. Britain's dumping of products to the United States would become even more unscrupulous, turning America into a complete source of raw materials for Britain.

Paris would offer some concessions, but was unwilling to underwrite too large an amount and also required collateral. Needless to say, Vienna would not accept the American order at all.

If the war continued, the United States would only face bankruptcy. At this time, Millard Fillmore and the US government's top brass could only hope that the Austrian Empire would accept the US proposal to buy Cuba.

Ferdinand II breathed a sigh of relief. He did not expect that no country had intervened in this war for such a long time, and the Austrian Empire's response was so slow.

This war was also a big burden for Spain. Fortunately, the losses on the front line were not great, and Spain accepted the exile applications of some Cuban nobles, so it finally got a taste of recovery.

But for Ferdinand II, the most important thing was that this war boosted Spain's morale. He believed that Spain would return to its peak in the future, and before that, he only needed to pay off his debts.
Texas Colony, Harrisburg.

"I hope your country can seriously consider our proposal. In order to redeem Cuba, our country is willing to pay 1.5 million US dollars."

U.S. Secretary of State Daniel Webster gritted his teeth and said, "In fact, the U.S. government hopes to solve the problem with $100 million, but it would be best if it doesn't cost any money."

However, Daniel Webster was very clear about the comparison of the strength of the two sides. If he still had a little illusion before, the war with Spain completely sobered him up.

If a war breaks out between the two countries, then given the negative attitude of the US military, there are only two possibilities: either collapse at the first blow or surrender.

Fortunately, the island of Cuba had been reduced to a scorched earth by then, and the price could finally be brought down a bit.

However, Franz had no intention of selling the island of Cuba, and the Austrian Foreign Minister Lord Habeskul flatly rejected the American request.

"The island of Cuba is our territory. The Austrian Empire will not sell its territory. If your country is interested in selling New Orleans and Florida, please contact us as soon as possible."

Daniel Webster took a deep breath and did not answer. He hated these great powers, who were always so arrogant and unreasonable.

But due to his limited strength, he could only remain silent even when the other party mocked him.

Spanish Foreign Minister Paulo Ruffo has a very positive attitude.

"We in Spain are willing to accept an armistice and withdraw from the island of Cuba. Our only small request is that we be allowed to take away our expatriates and their property."

All this was already within Franz's expectations, but Lord Habeskul still spoke in an awkward manner.

"Baron Ruffo, if it's precious metals and people, it's fine, but land, pastures, and other real estate are not. You should know that even if our merchants want to transfer their property, they still need to pay departure tax."

Paul Ruffo sighed. He knew that the departure tax of the Austrian Empire was extremely high, so few people would invest in the Austrian Empire unless there were special ways to avoid taxes, or those who planned to become Austrians directly would invest in the Austrian Empire.

"We can sell the real estate to your country at a discount, but please reduce the departure tax. After all, these people just didn't have time to leave before."

At this time, it had been almost half a year since the Austrian Empire acquired ownership of Cuba. If it had really wanted to leave, it should have left long ago.

However, the Austrian Empire still had to show leniency to its allies.

"I will report this matter to the mainland, and I will give you a satisfactory answer then."

The departure tax of the Austrian Empire was usually 40%, but this time Franz decided to charge 10% less. After all, few people were willing to leave Cuba for Spain. They were either scared by the war or more optimistic about the development of their own country.

Austria flatly rejected the U.S. application to redeem Cuba, and it was impossible for the United States to go to war with the Austrian Empire, so there were not many options left.

Daniel Webster was not the kind of person who would sit still and wait for death. He still wanted to fight for the United States. "Can your country also allow our expatriates to leave?"

Paul Ruffo was a little confused. How many Americans were there on the island of Cuba? Was it really necessary to talk about this?

Lord Habesk knew the whole story, and at this moment he just felt that the Emperor's estimate was indeed correct.

"No problem, but the departure tax cannot be less than a cent. And you need to pay an additional 30% penalty."

As soon as these words came out, Daniel Webster suddenly had an urge to overturn the table. The Austrian Empire's own departure tax, plus a 30% fine, was 70%.

Such a high tax rate is really too exaggerated. It is no exaggeration to say that it is bone-sucking.

"Your country's requirements are really too high. Can you reduce them a little?"

"Excessive?"

Lord Habeskul said unhappily.

"Your country has beaten Cuba into what it is now. I want to ask you, is your country not going too far?"

"This"

Daniel Webster was a little confused about how to respond.

"If your country's expatriates are unwilling to pay the fine, then your country can pay the war reparations directly. Our country's losses on the island of Cuba are at least several hundred million US dollars."

Before Lord Habeskul finished speaking, Daniel Webster immediately changed his words.

"Yes, yes."

In fact, war reparations have always been a concern for the United States. If the Austrian Empire really asked for too much, it would be a huge trouble. After all, the US government was really poor at that time.

Before the war, they obviously underestimated the destructive power of war. If the Austrian Empire really pursued the matter, even if the responsibility was split in half, tens of millions of dollars in compensation would probably be unavoidable.

Due to its previous close economic ties with the United Kingdom, the United States was also affected by the economic crisis, and its economic situation at that time could only be described as a mess.

Daniel Webster was in a dilemma because he could neither win the war nor afford the compensation. As a diplomat, this was the situation he was most reluctant to face, but he had to face it at this time.

Everyone in Congress blamed all of this on Millard Fillmore, but this approach of shirking responsibility was only useful internally and did not solve any problems externally.

At this time, the Austrian Empire took the initiative to propose that fines could be used instead of compensation, which was a great help to the United States.

But Daniel Webster's joy did not last long, as Lord Habeskul added.

"Those who have already fled to the United States will also have to pay a departure tax and a fine. We will collect the statistics on the island and give you a number."

Daniel Webster's heart sank to the bottom of the valley, and it seemed that he still could not escape the blow. Fortunately, the Austrian Empire had provided him with an idea, which was to let the Cubans bear the compensation.