Due to the remoteness of Puerto Santa Ana and the lack of telegraphs or other means of transmitting information to the natives there, it was not until a week after the Germans occupied Santa Ana that the newly dispatched Spanish governor in the Philippines, Polavesia, learned of the news from the captured rebels. Three hours later, the Spanish ambassador to Germany broke into the office of German Foreign Minister Marcal like a bull.

"Dear Mr. Machar, I would like to ask Your Excellency to explain what your country is doing in the Philippines. A week ago, your fleet brazenly invaded the overseas territories of the Philippines, which belonged to our Spanish Empire, and sent troops to occupy Puerto Santa Ana. The land of the Philippines was an inherent overseas territory of our Spanish Empire more than three centuries ago, and our Spanish Empire has indisputable sovereignty over it. This move by your country is a flagrant violation and complete annihilation of international law, and I hereby lodge a strong protest against your country. The Spanish ambassador said angrily.

Looking at the red-faced Spaniard, Mashal took a leisurely sip of the coffee in his hand and said unhurriedly: "Oh, it turns out that Mr. Ambassador is talking about this matter?" Yes, according to the report sent back by General Tirpitz, the Far Eastern Fleet of our German Empire did enter the port of Santa Ana last week and temporarily took over the administration there. But we are doing it because of your country! ”

"A little more than a year ago, a new round of uprisings began among the indigenous Filipinos under your rule. This is not a big deal in the first place, after all, under the 'powerful' rule of your country, more than three riots that occur in this land every year have been successfully suppressed by your country, and I think there will be no problem this time. Mashal taunted the Spaniards, and then said, "But this time, your country has disappointed the whole world." After more than a year of fighting, the resistance of the local indigenous people has not only not been eliminated, but has intensified; And the 35,000 reinforcements sent by your country have not changed the situation in which your country has been suppressed by the natives who use cold weapons in the Philippine Islands. At present, they have occupied most of the territory of the Philippines, and your army can only barely hold the front line by defending in the cities. ”

The Spanish ambassador's face turned blue and white for a while, and he said: "Even so, that is the internal affairs of my Spanish Empire, and it has nothing to do with your country, right?" ”

"Who says it doesn't matter anymore?!" Mashal slammed the table suddenly, and the unprepared Spaniard was startled. His face was gloomy, his face was frosty, and he roared sharply: "Ten days ago, a merchant from my Germany came to Porto Sainte-Ana to buy goods, and the local natives saw that they wanted to make money, and they actually killed him by extremely cruel means and robbed him of all his belongings! And it was precisely because of the incompetence of your country and the loss of its rule in Puerto Santa Ana that the barbarians in the region were rampant and caused this tragic accident. For the culprit, I, Germany, naturally have to punish him accordingly! ”

"But until now, my Spanish Empire has not received any news of the murder of your merchants. Even if this unfortunate thing happened, it was a sin committed by the local indigenous people in the Philippines and had nothing to do with our country. The Spanish ambassador was stunned by Machar's sudden anger, and it took him a while to react and speak.

Machar snorted and said, "As far as I know, your country lost all the northern and eastern parts of Luzon two months ago, and all the armies retreated to the south, how can you know about the misfortune that happened in Puerto Santa Ana, which is located in the northeast corner of the province?" It was precisely because the criminals who killed our German merchants were native to the local Philippines that His Majesty the Great German Emperor ordered the Imperial Far East Fleet to capture the port of Santa Ana, vowing to find the culprit in it. In addition, since a large number of merchants in Germany have to go to that port every year to purchase goods, and your country is no longer able to maintain order in the region; In order to protect the safety of our German merchants and prevent the recurrence of such incidents, it is also necessary for our German countries to temporarily take over the administration there in order to restore normal order in the local area. ”

Hearing the Germans say this, the Spanish ambassador understood everything. Puerto Santa Ana is located in the northeasternmost corner of the Philippines, hundreds of kilometers away from the capital city of Marira; On weekdays, even the Spanish army itself sent only a small part of its troops to defend this area, how could there be foreigners going to a place where birds don't? Germany, a country with almost no presence in the Far East, is unlikely to have anyone there! The Germans clearly took a fancy to Santa Anna as a deep-water harbor with the conditions for large warships to berth; So he found such a clumsy excuse to forcibly seize the ports belonging to Spain! He clenched his fists and hissed: "Mr. Machar, your country wantonly violates our sacred sovereignty in the Philippines, and I, the Spanish Empire, express our resolute dissatisfaction and strong protest against this!" Santa Ana, as part of the Philippines, has been an inherent territory of our Spanish Empire since ancient times, over which our Spanish Empire has indisputable sovereignty. Your country's disregard for the facts, distorting history, and forcibly sending troops to occupy Santa Ana is a serious provocation to our Spanish Empire! We urge you to stop this erroneous act of trampling on international law as soon as possible; Otherwise, all the consequences arising therefrom will be borne by your country! ……”

Seeing that the Spaniards were still babbling nonsense in front of him, Mashal's eyes showed undisguised contempt and disgust. He slammed the table a few times, and then said, "Mr. Ambassador, is there something wrong with you?" My German citizen was killed in your overseas colonies, and your country should bear the main responsibility that cannot be shirked! His Majesty the Kaiser was merciful, knowing that this tragedy was the work of the local barbarians and had nothing to do with your country, so he only sent the Far Eastern Fleet to Porto Santa Ana to punish the barbarians. If we really want to investigate it, our fleet will not only be in Santa Ana, but directly in Manila! He glanced at the Spaniard in front of him and said lightly: "In this operation, we only sent one battleship with the worst combat effectiveness, and it was also based on this reason that we let the other two battleships stay in the harbor." ”

In the face of the naked threat of force in the words of the Germans, the Spanish ambassador was filled with anger and hatred, and a strong sense of unwillingness and desolation appeared in his heart. 300 years ago, during the reign of Emperor Philip II, the Spanish Armada crisscrossed the seas and was the world's largest maritime force. With this fleet, Spain successively seized overseas colonies such as Cuba and the Philippines, and dominated the western part of the European continent. However, since the defeat of the Armada by the British, the once glorious empire has been like the scorching sun in the afternoon, although the glory is still there, but it is irretrievably declining and decaying. By now, Spain has completely become a third-rate country in Europe, and there is no chance of winning in the face of the behemoth of Germany!

"Mr. Ambassador, it should be noted that the port of Sainte-Ana was not only the main place for the purchase of goods by our German merchants, but also the commercial center of the trading activities of the British capitalists. The quality of order here is not only related to the safety of the lives and property of our German citizens, but also has a direct connection with the interests of the British capitalists here. Your army has been defeated by the natives, leaving Puerto Santa Ana in a state of anarchy and turmoil; The British government has long been very dissatisfied with the chaotic situation there, and there are quite a few complaints in Britain. This time, our German Empire swept away the barbarians and clarified Yuyu, first, to ensure the safety of our German citizens, second, to protect the British capitalists' investment in this place from being damaged by the disorder, and third, to help your country to exterminate the rebel thieves and raise the prestige of our white Europeans. Within a week, the British Government will inevitably issue a statement of support for our German action. In that case, I guess your country will not have any objections, right? Yes? Mashal, who was in his hands, said to the Spaniard in front of him in a tone of "consultation".

The Spanish ambassador's face was full of blood, and fine beads of sweat were pouring out of his forehead. Since he knew that Spain was not Germany's opponent, he just wanted to pull the British tiger skin as a banner and stand on the moral high ground to make another effort, but what he didn't expect was that the Germans directly moved out the attitude of the British! With the centuries-old intimacy of the British and German royal families, it is entirely possible to wear a pair of trousers with a German; The tone of the German Foreign Minister in front of him was so confident that he even said the deadline for the British to declare their support for Germany. And this can only be a sure thing, he can be so sure! The Spanish ambassador was convinced that the British had probably reached an agreement with the Germans to divide the spoils; This time in the affairs of the Philippines, Britain will also be on the side of Germany!

At this thought, the Spanish ambassador felt a pang of despair. At present, although the great powers have their own power in the Far East, the only ones that can really influence the surrounding situation are Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Japan, and the Qing Dynasty. The Russian fleet was as far away as Vladivostok, 108,000 miles from the Philippines; The Qing navy could not protect itself in the face of Japan, and they even abandoned the Chinese in the South Seas, let alone stand up for Spain in this matter. Japan is the younger brother of the United Kingdom, and even the British boss nods, and it is impossible for him to have a different voice. And although the French fleet is anchored in Cam Ranh Bay, adjacent to the Philippines, and its strength is not weak, they are not fools, and it is impossible for them to be enemies of Britain and Germany for a thing that has no interests!

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