After beating the Spaniards with a slap, Mashal figured it was time to pull out the sweet dates in his arms. He coughed and said, "Mr. Ambassador, I have to say that what you just said is really inappropriate. What does it mean to trample on the sovereignty of your country? On the contrary, the reason why our German Empire came to Santa Anna and imposed temporary control on this coastal town was precisely to protect your country's sovereignty in the Philippines! ”

Since Britain, the last straw, was also on the side of the Germans, the Spanish ambassador, who was in despair, was already in a state of grief rather than death; For such shameless remarks by Machar, I don't even have the heart to rebuke them angrily. He glanced at the hateful-looking guy in front of him and said lightly, "Oh? I would like to know what is the reason why your country's forcible occupation of our ports has become an act of protecting our sovereignty? ”

At this point, Machar reverted to his original calm look, automatically filtering out the ridicule and resentment in the Spaniards' words. He smiled slightly and said, "As far as I know, not only in the Philippines, but also in your country's Cuban colony on the other side of the Atlantic, a large-scale indigenous uprising has also broken out. Because the colony is closer to your country, the economic value of the plantations is much higher than that of the Philippines; Your country has devoted a large number of its troops to quelling the rebellion in this territory, resulting in a lack of strength in the Philippines. And in its current form, apart from the Philippines, your country's colonization of Cuba is difficult to sustain, right? ”

The Spanish ambassador's heart was tight, could it be that the Germans were so greedy that they also had the will to plunder Cuba in the Americas? He weighed his words and said slowly: "This is the internal affairs of the Spanish Empire, so I forgive you for inconvenience. I wonder what you just said about protecting China's sovereignty, and where is it embodied? ”

"Mr. Ambassador, the ancestors of the Qing people once said that delicious fish and equally delicious bear paws cannot be obtained at the same time. Well, that's a good point. This sentence can be used in your country at the moment. Masal squinted, shook his head and savored it, before he spoke leisurely again: "At present, your country is in an embarrassing situation of fighting on two fronts: there is a riot in Cuba on the other side of the ocean, and there are Filipinos on the other side of the world who are revolting. With the current strength of your country and its military, it is obvious that it will not be possible to win the war in both lands at the same time. In such a situation, your country must make a choice between calming the situation on one side and then considering the problem on the other. Am I right? ”

Seeing that the Spanish ambassador was silent, Machar added: "For your country, it is obviously more urgent to calm the situation in Cuba than to calm the situation in Cuba on the other side of the world. Both geographically and economically, Cuba is far superior to the Philippine islands, which have been in turmoil for many years. Therefore, your country can put aside the insurrection on the island of the Philippines for the time being and focus on resolving the indigenous uprising in Cuba; After quelling the Cuban riots, turn your attention back to the Philippines. And during this time, our German Empire can fill the void in the Philippines for your country, and help your country exterminate the barbarians who rebelled on this archipelago! Speaking of the last sentence, Martial sat up straight from his seat, and his eyes bloomed with unprecedented sharpness.

Hearing Machar's voluntary petition, the Spanish ambassador's heart chuckled. In today's world of the jungle, no country can be the master of self-sacrifice, and the Germans are willing to do so because they must have their extremely greedy purpose! The corners of his mouth twitched with difficulty, and he squeezed out a sentence from his mouth: "Your country is willing to make such a great sacrifice for the Spanish Empire, I wonder how we can repay your country?" ”

"Mr. Ambassador, what he said is really thorough!" Seeing that the Spaniards were so upright, Machar no longer concealed it, and directly expressed to him the wishes of the German government, "His Majesty the Kaiser means that I, Germany, will send troops to directly assist your country in suppressing the riots in the Philippines, which is precisely to safeguard your country's sovereignty in the Philippines." Of course, since our German soldiers have to shed their blood and die for your country, it is only natural for your country to cede part of the Philippine provinces to my German Empire as compensation for our German assistance to you. Such a fair and reasonable deal, your country should not refuse, right? ”

"This ...... It's not up to me to decide, and I need to consult my government. Since the Spaniard understood that at this moment he was already a man and a fish, and in the face of Mashal's demand for an inch, he had to resort to procrastination to buy himself time to think. Seeing this, Marcal snorted with some dissatisfaction: "Mr. Ambassador, I hope you will urge your government to accept the friendly request of the German Empire as soon as possible. I don't think I need to say more about the situation in Cuba and the Philippines. If your country has sufficient national strength, it can train another 200,000 troops in the country; And then send them to Cuba and the Philippines and guarantee their consumption and provisions, then I have nothing to say today. ”

The Spanish ambassador clenched his fists and remained silent. Although he is not a core figure in the military, sitting in his position will give him first-hand information about the situation in the country. Today's Spain has completely become a declining country; Its economy is exhausted and its armaments are in ruin to an unimaginable level. Although there are 200,000 Spanish troops in Cuba to suppress the riots on paper, only 12,000 are ordinary troops worthy of a war, and all the others are unusable, old, weak, sick and disabled. If it weren't for this, the riots in Cuba would have been completely quelled long ago, and how could they have been defeated by the Cuban rebels as they are now? On the other side of the world, in the Philippine Islands, the war situation is even more unbearable than Cuba due to the difficulty of supplying the mainland; If the current situation continues, it won't take 2 years for the monkeys to wipe out all the Spanish troops in the Philippines!

Do you really want to borrow the hands of the Germans against the local natives of the Philippines? The Spanish ambassador sat where he was, and he couldn't help but hesitate. With the strength of the German Army, coupled with the support of the Navy's heavy artillery, he had no doubt that the Germans would be able to easily suppress the resistance of the indigenous Filipinos. But if this is the case, Spain is tantamount to driving wolves at the front door and welcoming the tiger at the back door! A single indigenous uprising has brought more than 300 years of Spanish rule in the Philippines to the brink of collapse; The Germans were a hundred times stronger than the natives, and if they turned around and took over the whole of the Philippines, Spain would have no strength to resist!

"Mr. Ambassador, if your country is willing to accept our friendly help from Germany, then we can cooperate more deeply on this basis. At present, your country is not only in trouble in the Philippines, but also in Cuba; We in Germany can sell some of your arms and warships to support your country's military operations in Cuba. Looking at the Spaniards, who were still hesitant, Marcal threw out the last card in his hand, "If your country does not quell the turmoil in Cuba as soon as possible, there will definitely be unexpected changes in a long time." As far as I know, the country on the other side of the Atlantic has been coveting this land of yours for a long time! ”

Hearing this, the Spanish ambassador was suddenly startled, and a look of horror appeared in his eyes. He paused for a long time before he said in a somewhat tentative tone: "What Your Excellency said, but the Americans?" Why do they think this way? ”

"Mr. Ambassador, think about it. The United States, as the world's largest industrial country, does not have a single overseas colony, and they have long wanted to change this situation; And the Cuban region of your country, both in terms of its geographical location and the ease of seizure, is the best choice for Americans to go overseas. Economically, the Americans also have a complete motive to annex Cuba! ”

Machar sneered and said: "Cuba has a warm and rainy climate, which is the most suitable for crop growth, and those greedy American nouveau riche naturally see this business opportunity." Over the years, they have invested in plantations on the land, and every year a large amount of dollars flows into their accounts. Now, the riots in Cuba are out of control, and the profits of American plantations have plummeted to the point of being abandoned. Under these circumstances, the American capitalists, for their own benefit, would never allow the riots to continue; The most direct and effective way to calm the situation is to directly send troops to intervene and land on Cuba. It is important to know that the American capitalists have much greater influence on their own decision-making than any other country in Europe! ”

At this point, Machar stopped, and when he saw the Spaniard's solemn face, he knew that he had already understood. The United States is also an imperialist country with a monopoly on capital, and the financial giants themselves are an extremely important factor in decision-making. And the establishment of the republican system has made his financial magnate have unimaginable manipulation of the political circles. If Spain is unable to quell the unrest in the Cuban region as soon as possible and return the American plantations to normal production; For the sake of their own interests, the American capitalists will never mind pushing Congress to pass a bill and let the government directly send troops!

"Thank you for your kind reminder, I will send your country's wishes back to China, so that our government can make a decision as soon as possible." The Spanish ambassador spoke with difficulty, his eyes full of pain and reluctance. Seeing that the Spaniards finally relented, Machar nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile: "Mr. Ambassador, you have made a very correct choice. As for our cooperation in Philippine affairs, we can discuss it in more detail later. If your country needs any equipment in the Cuban region, as long as the bid is reasonable, it can be purchased directly from our German Empire. ”