"Spain is only an outsider to the forthcoming contest between your country and Russia and the Netherlands in the Far East, and we do not want to get involved in this war. Although your country has helped Spain in the past, we have also agreed to provide your country with various commercial facilities in the Philippines and that we can continue to cooperate in commerce and industry. Piero thought for a moment and said.

The subtext of the Spanish representative is that Spain wants to survive the conflict between the two countries! We can engage in commercial cooperation, and even expand the definition of "commercial" if necessary, but we will never show too much tilt in the military aspect, at least in the case of the Chinese navy's lease of Spanish ports, Piero is silent.

"It seems that Your Excellency still does not understand the situation in Spain." Gu Weijun glanced at Liu Buyun next to him and said with a smile. "Things in the world never change because of the will of a particular person or a certain country. If a country does not want to get involved in a war and does not get involved in a war, then the world is too peaceful. But what about reality? There are too many countries that have been forced to join in the fighting, and some have even been fighting to the death, and there has been no shortage of such things in the past, and it is still the case, and Spain will definitely join this war, whether Your Excellency and the government behind you want to fight or not. ”

"This is a threat, this is a naked threat!" Piero chuckled in his heart, in his impression, the Chinese should belong to the kind of very reasonable, and even in the Qing Dynasty, the word cowardice can be used, he really didn't expect that the Chinese people who were like sheep in the usual impression would actually issue such a naked threat! In fact, Piero was right, Chinese people are usually very reasonable. But at the critical moment, as a powerful country, China itself has the same attributes as the European powers! For their own benefit. It is not too much to use the force in your hands to fight for it! Since the Europeans can openly fight and rob, why can't China use the weapons in their hands to seek their own interests?

"Your country is destined to fight the navies of Russia and the Netherlands in the near future, and in such a situation it is not wise to provoke more countries. The Chinese navy made a name for itself in the war, but the Spanish navy also defeated the mighty American fleet on the Caribbean coast. Piero said calmly.

"Times are changing, and technology is advancing. The result of stagnation is falling behind. The current Spanish fleet is no longer the same fleet as it was in 1898, and a large number of foreign officers and sailors left Spain, losing a large number of warships and no follow-up replenishment. Its strength is about half of the fleet that went to the Caribbean back then, and what about the Chinese Navy now? Liu Buyun pointed to the seven towering dreadnoughts outside the window and said.

"The Spanish Navy at this time was even far inferior to the Dutch Navy, which had at least two good seventh-level fast battleships. What is there in Spain now? What's more, does Spain now still have enough gold to support such a fleet to complete the rearmament and then go to the Far East? I doubt it. Liu Buyun said with a smile.

"Actually, Spain doesn't need to send a warship. It can cause great harm to the Republic of China. Do not forget that the other side of the war was Russia and the Netherlands, and I think that if Spain offered to cooperate with the Russians, the Russians would provide financial and security guarantees, and it is well known that the Russians even helped the Dutch to build batteries and dockyards in order to have a suitable base in the Far East. And to endorse the security of the Dutch colonies in the Far East, if Spain at this time proposes an intention to cooperate. The Russians will definitely prescribe higher conditions! Because the Philippines is closer to China! Severa said coldly. As a general who has experienced the baptism of war, he will definitely not be intimidated by a sentence or two.

"If I were Makanov. My choice must be to destroy all the ports in the Philippines that can be used for large warships to dock, and then leave here and return to Java instead of building my own base in the Philippines. Liu Buyun said unhurriedly. Lieutenant General Sevela knew what this was for? ”

"I really don't know the way, but I wonder why the Russians would take such a huge risk to attack our colonies. Are they crazy? Sevela frowned slightly, and it took a long time to spit out such a sentence.

"First of all, I would like to correct your Excellency's mistake, that is, it is not much risk to attack the Philippines, just as your invading army swept across Latin America. In the face of the powerful Russian-Dutch combined fleet, will the Spanish fleet be able to hold out for an hour? Don't tell me about international law, international law without the support of the great powers is a piece of waste paper! The British and Germans wanted the Russian fleet to fall into the sand, but they would not do it themselves. The French want the Russians to turn their attention to Europe, and the Americans can't reach it, so tell me, who will do justice for Spain? Liu Buyun took a sip of water and moistened his throat and said.

"Secondly, the Russians have 10,000 reasons to do so, because the Philippines is a good place to serve as an advance base for the Chinese navy, and Spain is an ally of the Chinese Republic, at least on the surface, after all, with the help of the Chinese a few years ago, Spain defeated the United States of America and retained its colonies in the Caribbean and Asia." Gu Weijun continued Liu Buyun's words and said. The words are full of banter, who would have thought that two countries that can wear a pair of pants on the surface are going toe-for-tat at this time?

"There are no eternal friends in the world, only eternal interests, the Russians will not be deceived by this superficial phenomenon, even if we make a guarantee that the Russians do not believe, but we can still make practical actions, such as letting the Russians enter the Philippines, in this case, they have no way not to believe us, of course, considering the good relations between the two countries, we do not want such a thing to happen! If the Philippines is used as a base, the Russian Navy will pose a greater threat to your country, and the rich southeast coast will be directly under the blows of Russian naval artillery! Piero said arrogantly.

In Piero's mind, the Philippines is obviously a more suitable forward base than the Dutch East Indies, the closest distance between the Philippines and Taiwan is separated by a strait, with the Philippines as a base, the Russian-Dutch combined fleet can completely cover the entire southeast coast, this is not only a break of diplomatic relations, even the coastal financial center, industrial base and naval shipyards are included in the Russian Navy's strike list, in his opinion, such losses are definitely not something that China can bear. So, in order to avoid such a situation, the Chinese Republic must submit to the will of Spain! And if it could, maybe Spain could use it to knock on it! The Spaniards are very greedy for Chinese businessmen in the Philippines!

"Hahaha, this Spanish representative still wants the Russians to use the ports of the Philippines? Too naïve, right? Hasn't there been a real strategist in Spain since the Armada disappeared? Listening to Piero's words, Liu Buyun was not nervous, but laughed, but this laughter is quite harsh in the ears of Spaniards!

"The same strategic location has a completely different role for both sides in the war, for China, the Philippines is a very good forward base, but for Russia and the Netherlands, if they dare to put the base in this position, it is equivalent to suicide!" Faced with the eyes of Piero and Severa that could kill, Liu Buyun showed a contemptuous smile!

"If the Russian-Dutch fleet is stationed in the Philippines, not to mention how long it will take to establish a stable naval base system, and whether the Chinese navy will intervene in advance, we now assume that the cooperation between Spain and Russia and the Netherlands can proceed smoothly, and the Russian-Dutch joint fleet will smoothly enter the base in the Philippines before the war. So what happens next? "Liu Buyun sold a pass.

"The Russians can include the Chinese coast in their strike list, but at the same time, it also means that the Chinese fleet can directly choose a decisive battle with the Russian fleet, after all, the distance from Taiwan to the Philippines is too close! The two sides will start with a series of big battles. Such a collision without fancy is to minimize the tactical and strategic maneuver space! This is the situation that the powerful want to see the most! But from the current point of view, the Russian fleet will not choose to fight a decisive battle with China when the strength of both sides is at its peak, you must know that after a series of major battles, the Russians lack not only warships, but also a large number of experienced naval personnel! Makanov apparently gave up on the idea of a direct decisive battle, otherwise he would have chosen Hokkaido as a base instead of the Dutch East Indies! Liu Buyun analyzed.

"Makanov's idea is very simple, use the entire South China Sea as a column, and then force the Chinese Navy to travel across the ocean to the Dutch East Indies to fight a decisive battle with it by breaking the engagement, and use the long route and the advantage of waiting for work to drag down the Chinese Navy, this is the only feasible plan, as your country said, to concentrate the fleet in the Philippines, which is close to China, then this is not a convenience for the Russians, but a way to die! Hokkaido is closer and more grounded than choosing only a suitable starting point for an attack, since the port of Muroran was once the anchorage of the Russian Far East Fleet, and after controlling the Tsugaru Strait, it can freely shuttle between the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean. And what is there in the Dutch East Indies now? Do you think Makanov has something wrong with his head? It seemed that it was not enough, Liu Buyun added two more sentences.

"So the Philippines is only useful for China, and for the Russians it is an advance base that must be destroyed, and war has always been about everything! Since it can't be used, it can only be ruined, and I think General Sevela should understand this very well. At the same time, war is about using all the factors that can be used, whether it is by means of negotiation or money or violence! And I would like to remind your country. Gu Weijun leaned forward lightly and said: "No matter who wins or loses in the Second Sino-Russian War, the Huaxia Navy will always have the strength to solve the Philippine problem when it sees fit!" ”

Thank you for the light reward ~~~. (To be continued......)