Bab 641: Chapter 214: Outbreak of the Pacific War

Early in the morning, Franz had just finished his morning exercise and had not yet had breakfast when Foreign Minister Weisenberg hurried over with bad news.

"Your Majesty, our embassy in Bolivia has sent word that two days ago, Chilean forces invaded Bolivia, disrupting the balance in South America."

The reason the Austrian Government was concerned about this war was mainly due to the saltpeter trade. Because of the colonial relationships in South America, Austria's relations with Chile and Argentina were not particularly good.

After the discovery of rich saltpeter deposits in Bolivia's coastal Atacama province along the Pacific in 1863, it became a major import area for Austria's saltpeter.

With the increase in commercial trade, relations between Austria and Bolivia warmed significantly, almost reaching the status of close allies.