The Eagle's Throne

59. GENERAL MONDRAGÓN VON BERTRAB TO NICOLÁS VALDIVIA

Mr. Secretary, esteemed friend, in keeping with the principles of the republic and in compliance with Article 89, section VI of the constitution, I would like to inform you that in the early hours of the morning of today I saw to the death of General don Cícero Arruza, found guilty of sedition and of attempting to overthrow the legitimate government of this country by the ad hoc military tribunal that I assembled to address this urgent situation, in the knowledge that my actions would be fully supported and sanctioned by you, in the absence of an acting president following the terrible loss of President Lorenzo Terán.

You know as well as I do that there are times when it is incumbent upon the armed forces to act with speed, as long as these actions are in the interest of protecting our republican institutions.

General Cícero Arruza’s criminal intent is patent in the numerous letters he has sent me since the onset of the crisis in January, written with a recklessness that I can only attribute to drunken spirits. Reader that I am of both Clausewitz and Machiavelli, I cannot help but invert the German’s terms here and remark that politics is a continuation of war by other means. And as to the Florentine thinker, I would say that it is better to take preventive measures during times of peace than allow ourselves to be surprised during times of war. The threat posed by General Arruza’s coup attempt has been thoroughly eliminated.

I regret to inform you that General Arruza was discovered in bed, in the throes of an adulterous affair with Josefina Almazán, wife of our honorable treasury secretary, Andino Almazán. The general attempted to reach for a gun from beneath his pillow, and this, as you might imagine, provoked a response from the men sent to apprehend him. Unfortunately, the gunshots did not spare Mrs. Almazán, whose body has since been delivered to her husband, whose resignation, if I am not mistaken, should already be in your possession.

Mr. Secretary, I trust that you will understand and support my decision to remove General Arruza’s wounded body from the bed and to transport him in his last hours to the military headquarters of Military Zone XXVIII in Mérida. There, his body was placed standing up against a wall so that he could be put to his death in a manner worthy of his unquestionable military merits. I would like to say that he was afraid. He was not. Not because he was brave. Bravery was not possible for him at that moment: He no longer had a gun to speak his truth.

His last words from the bed were, “Nobody makes a fool of me.”

Later, as he took his last gulps of air, his body against the wall, he managed to say, “What’s the matter with you? Fire! Or don’t you have the balls?”

With respect, and in recognition of my obligation to render a faithful account of the aforementioned events, I remain, as always, under your command today and in any and all future circumstances that I may consider favorable for you and for our nation.

General Mondragón von Bertrab, DEM

P.S. The Yucatán is full of rock pools and underwater caves. Arruza has gone to a watery grave.