"Do you want your army to forcibly land in Luzon?!" The Spanish minister was angry and annoyed, the Germans had already forcibly occupied Palawan Island, and now they wanted to land directly in Luzon! Can you still catch up if you board it?

"It's so ugly to say that you are seizing something, Your Excellency, we are just trying to help your country end the riots in the Philippines out of good intentions." Machar took a sip of coffee for a long time, and then put on a face that was considerate of others and said: "Look, Your Excellency, the situation of your country in Cuba is also very rotten, otherwise your country would not have sent only 20,000 troops to the Philippines, and what loyal volunteers would have to be recruited there, even then your country would not have enough ability to suppress the Philippine riots, right?"

So what if Germany is willing to lend a helping hand to you? We now have two battalions in Palawan, and we can redeploy another battalion from New Guinea if needed. Of course, if this is not enough, the two divisions of marines are ready to go at any time.

Wouldn't it be great if we could help your country quickly resolve the chaos in the Philippines so that you could send back reinforcements to Cuba? ”

Even if the riots in the Philippines subside, we won't dare to send reinforcements away, because you bandits are right next to us! The Spanish minister roared in his heart.

Without waiting for the Spanish minister to reply, Machar continued: "The Philippines and Spain, which one you think is more important, and in the current situation, it is obvious that your country cannot afford to take care of both, so should you focus on one?" Cuba is clearly closer than the Philippines in the Far East, and your country is stronger, more invested in Cuba and more value-generated. It is therefore in your country's interest to focus on Cuba.

And Cuba is not only a matter of internal strife, but also of external troubles. I think your country has not forgotten what the US Secretary of State Adams said: 'Cuba could not stand on its own after it broke away from the Spanish rule but turned to the United States.' It's like following the natural law of the apple falling to the ground, and the United States naturally has no reason to push it away. 'Speech, right?

There were also unpleasant experiences such as the Ostend Declaration and the Virginius Affair (Note 1).

Therefore, my country is very willing to help you solve the problem of the Philippines, and your country can withdraw to solve the problem of Cuba, is that not a better choice for your country? ”

It's better to say than to sing, if you stay in the Philippines for a long time, you will be strong and weak in the future. When the time comes, the host and guest will be reversed, and we will roll up the covers and get out! The Spanish minister cursed in his heart.

But in this situation, which is stronger than people, we have to admit that the Germans have a good grasp of the situation.

The Spaniards also knew that since the uprising in Cuba, the American newspapers had been clamoring for help for Cuban independence in fear of the chaos of the world.

If the Philippines had to choose between Cuba, Spain would definitely choose Cuba. And the sharpening of the knife by the Americans against Cuba did make the Spaniards uneasy.

Now we can only hope that the Germans will not have too much appetite and will save some face for Spain.

What the Spaniards did not actually know was that the U.S. government was indeed conducting a risk assessment of military operations to expel the Spaniards by force. Mahan, the proposer of the theory of sea power, led a group of officers and cadets to study the strategy and tactics of the war with the Spanish navy at the Naval Academy in Annapolis.

If Spain were to know this, it would probably not be so hesitant to make so many moves.

The Spanish minister then asked: "If your country is willing to lend a helping hand to quell the riots in the Philippines, what does we need to do as a token of gratitude?" ”

Seeing that the Spaniards were finally not shouting vigorously and shouting and protesting constructively, Mashal's face smiled even brighter: "Yes, there is something that can't be discussed." You may be seated. Drink some coffee. ”

At this time, the Spanish minister, who had already accepted his fate, sat down with a dejected face. Looking at the fragrant coffee that the secretary had just brought in, I could only stomach violently.

And Machar finally showed the fox's tail and began to make the Germans' request: "My country very much wants to help your country quell the riots in the Philippines, so let the German soldiers come to the Far East to fight bravely and shed blood. But the situation in the Philippines is very complicated, as you know.

So it's not like one or two military operations will make those yellow-skinned monkeys settle down completely. Therefore, in order to ensure the safety of our country and the citizens of your country, we would like to use Palawan as a model after an incident like this one. It is possible to provide a safe place for white people to take refuge, so I very much hope that your country will hand over Palawan Island to our country.

Of course, because Palawan is not as good as Luzon after all, it is desirable to lease another port on Luzon, because the current conditions of Puerto Princesa are ......

Of course. Your country absolutely recognizes the sovereignty of the Philippines, and we will not take the initiative to interfere in any other area of the Philippines without informing your country, except for the lease of a port and the island of Palawan. You see that my country has shown such great sincerity, is your country ......?"

Marcal stopped talking, but the Spanish minister knew that the Germans' conditions could not be refused, otherwise Spain would face an even more humiliating military seizure. Therefore, I could only swallow my anger and ask: "Where is the port that your country wants to lease?" ”

"The port we want to lease." Marcal slowly hung the appetite of the Spanish minister: "Our Emperor Xià very much hopes to borrow the Manila ...... with good supporting facilities"

Before the words fell, the Spanish minister bounced up from his seat as if he had been pricked in the ass by a needle: "This is impossible! Manila is ......"

"Ahem." Marcial immediately lowered his face and coughed twice, and the Spanish minister immediately realized that he had no right to resist.

"Your Excellency, I haven't finished my sentence yet, don't be in such a hurry, okay?" Marcal immediately changed his smiling face again, and really achieved the realm of turning his face faster than turning a book, and then said: "Although His Majesty the Emperor very much wants to borrow Manila, we also realize that it will be very difficult for your country to agree to this condition, so our admirals have asked to borrow Subic, which is our biggest concession." ”

The commission for this building yì is naturally Jochen. The Subic Naval Base was an important anchorage for the U.S. Navy, and in line with the idea that the Yankees could never be wrong in choosing a place, Jochen naturally strongly requested to lease Subic.

Of course, Jochen knew that the Subic naval base had been abandoned due to a volcanic eruption, but this kind of thing was still early, and Jochen did not think that Germany would be able to maintain its military presence in Asia after the start of the anti-colonial wave in the world, and the Pacific Ocean would sooner or later be contracted by the Lighthouse State. So don't worry about this kind of thing.

The Admiralty studied it and found that the hydrological conditions of Subic were indeed good, and it was not very far from Manila, so it accepted this offer.

Although the Spanish minister was tempted to say that Subic was also an important anchorage for the Spanish Far East Fleet, and shore defense batteries were also being built there, which could not be leased. But as soon as you see Machar's attitude, you know that this matter is not negotiable.

In the end, the Spanish minister could only reply: "Your Excellency Machar, this kind of matter is not for me to decide, and I need to consult His Majesty Alfonso." ”

"Of course. Of course. However, Your Excellency, you should know that the humanitarian catastrophe on Philippine soil continues, and the slower your country responds, the more people are at risk. Therefore, I would like to sincerely ask your country to make a decision as much as possible. Masal said to the Spanish minister with a hint of threat.

"Naturally, I also hope to give you an answer as much as possible, so that this disaster can be over." How could the Spanish minister not understand the meaning of Machar's words? Bear with me! Bear with me! There was nowhere to vent his anger, and his clenched fists let his nails dig deep into his palms.

Although I really want to throw a qiē and beat the German in front of me, but a weak country has no diplomacy. Doing even the slightest irrational act on your own will bring great trouble to your own country. In the face of the strong Germans. The Spaniards could only knock out their front teeth and swallow them in.

"Oh yes, Your Excellency, there's one more thing I haven't told you yet." Marcal suddenly remembered something and stopped the Spanish minister, who was about to leave.

The poor Spaniard, who had already received enough stimulation, was completely numb to the bad news: "Any more advice?" Your Excellency Machar? ”

"Yes, because your country is now dealing with two wars, I think there may be some needs for weapons and equipment, out of the good intention of helping your country to restore social stability in your overseas territories. We can provide you with the weapons and ammunition that your country needs.

Of course, if your country has other needs, we can also do our best to help, such as purchasing warships to help your country's troops in the Philippines go to Cuba. Providing ships to help your country deliver logistical supplies, etc., is easy to discuss. ”

"Thank you for your kind support and enthusiastic help, and I will immediately send your country's wishes back to my country, so that my government can reply to it to the best of my ability. It is hoped that a consensus can be reached between the two countries. The Spanish minister felt that he was full of bitterness, but he could only say such words.

Mashal got up with a smile and personally sent the Spanish minister away: "Your Excellency, you have made a very wise decision. I also hope that your government will make the right choice, and I look forward to your good news. May the cooperation between us be smooth and complete. I also hope to report this good news to His Majesty the Emperor as much as possible. (To be continued......)

PS: Note 1: "Ostend Declaration": On April 8, 1854, the U.S. ambassadors to Britain, France, and Spain declared after a secret meeting in Ostend that they would buy Cuba for $12 million, or else they would use force. In the end, the U.S. government abandoned the plan because of the strong protests from Spain, the opposition of Britain and France, and the southern problems in the United States

Virginius Incident: The Virginius was a U.S. paddle ship that was detained by the Spanish Navy during the Decade War for helping Cuban insurgents smuggle weapons and ammunition, and a Spanish military tribunal sentenced four of its crew members, one of whom was British, to death. Eventually, the Spanish government, under pressure from Britain and the United States, was forced to release the rest of the crew