The Cuban problem?

Lord James Cleveland, the Queen's Envoy Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Minister of State for the Colonies, looked back at Lord Palmerston in confusion and shook his head silently, indicating that he did not understand the situation at all.

But Richard, the emperor of the Tang Empire, would not bring up meaningless topics on such a solemn meeting, and there must be deep meaning in it.

Think about it

Lord James Cleveland is also an old politician who has been involved in London politics for a long time, and he understands eight or nine points in his heart;

Dare to love that His Majesty the Emperor intends to get involved in Cuba?

It was at this time that the underlying meaning was the exchange of interests, and now that Britain wanted a lot from the Tang State, the Tang State raised the Cuban issue.

If there is a positive response from the British side, then the British demand should be able to get a satisfactory result, which is essentially an exchange of interests.

After having a guess in his mind, Lord James Cleveland responded cautiously;

"Your Majesty, the British side respects the leading role played by your country in the Americas, which is indispensable for maintaining the current world peace and stability and is part of the puzzle of today's world.

When it comes to the Spanish colonies in Central America, this is a regional problem left over from history, and it is indeed a bit regrettable and imperfect, but it is part of the real world.

The London government is cautious about changing the status quo in the region, as it could trigger a cascade of reactions that could lead to regional instability.

It's terrible that the world is so fragile and at war everywhere. ”

If you savor it, he is tantamount to saying a piece of nonsense without any substantive meaning.

Emperor Richard, who was sitting at the top, turned pale and said;

"Datang deeply regrets the war that is taking place in Europe today, expresses a strong condemnation of the unilateral change of the regional situation by the Tsarist Russian Empire, and maintains a high degree of consistency with Britain in European policy, because of our common idea of maintaining world peace and stability.

We urge Tsarist Russia to abandon its brutal approach of using force to change the status quo and hope that they will return to the negotiating table and resolve their differences in a civilized manner.

In response to the request made by the special envoy, Datang can provide as much help as possible in terms of materials and contribute to the promotion of peace in Europe.

As for the military and East Asian policy issues, the British side can maintain close communication with the Imperial Government, which will require further in-depth study.

My opinion;

When it comes to changing the situation in the region, we should be cautious and cautious and make a decision after careful consideration.

Alright, I'm tired today, so let's talk about it here.

In the future, you will communicate more with the government about the situation, and it will be inconvenient for me to participate. ”

After speaking, he stood up, brushed his sleeves away, and drove back to the palace.

At this moment, the Queen's envoy, Lord James Cleveland, was directly aside.

Lord James Cleveland had no choice but to stand up and greet Prime Minister Dong Jie, who had just asked;

"Your Excellency the Prime Minister, look at this ......"

"Hahahaha...... Since Mr. Special Envoy has come all the way to my Datang, he should entertain him well, what is that...... Minister of Foreign Affairs Luo Fengxian, this important mission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is unshirkable, and it is up to you. Prime Minister Dong Jie snorted, and after saying a few words, he slipped away directly.

Over there

Foreign Minister Luo Fengxian also snorted, and then sued "crime", saying that he was in poor health, and handed over the queen's envoy to Zhu Yaqing, vice minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and slipped away after a while.

Diplomatic treatment has taken a sharp turn for the worse, and it is clear that they have been left out in the cold.

Lord James Cleveland and Lord Palmerston looked at each other and smiled wryly, and their hearts were like mirrors;

To say that this Tang Dynasty really does not have any benevolence, righteousness and courtesy from the Eastern countries, from the emperor to the ministers, they are all profit-seeking, and they don't speculate and leave directly.

But this situation also makes them understand;

There is no room for negotiation on the Cuban issue, and London's attitude toward this issue has a direct bearing on the success or failure of the trip.

After leaving the palace, I got into the black "Apache" car of the British mission, and looked out the window at the receding bustling city streetscape, and the atmosphere was a little silent for a while.

Good for a while

Lord James Cleveland broke the silence and asked in a cautious tone; "Dear Lord Palmerston, I would like to hear your opinion as an authority on the Oriental question, having served on the North American continent for more than a decade, and who must have a unique opinion on the question of Cuba?"

"Oh...... Your Majesty raised this issue very suddenly, and I was completely unprepared. Lord Palmerston replied with a frown, and after a moment of serious thought, continued;

"From what I know about the Tang Empire and His Majesty the Emperor, this is an expanding emerging colonial empire, and it is also a growing industrial and agricultural power, which is very aggressive.

In the 31 years since its establishment, it has never stopped its foreign colonial expansion.

Yesterday it was. This will continue to be the case today and in the future, and as long as the energetic autocratic emperor remains in power, the pace of colonization will not stop.

From the perspective of a monarch, His Majesty the Tang Emperor has done a very good job, and his brilliant achievements have already surpassed the Napoleonic Emperor who was praised on the altar and chased after the respected Majesty the Queen.

This was a great good thing for his subjects, and it was outright bad news for the powers of North, Central America, and South America.

As can be seen from the history of this empire's expansion and colonization, it seems that there is a soft spot for the traditional Spanish colonies.

More than 20 years ago, California, New Mexico, Kansas, and Texas, as well as Mexico, Costa Rica, and Panama, were basically old Spanish colonies.

This is true of the current expansion into Colombia and Ecuador, and now in Cuba, which is trying to get involved.

I'm sorry to forgive me when the expansion will stop, but I can't answer that question either.

But I know for sure;

This Tang Dynasty dictatorial emperor is like a very patient wolf on the grassland, always attacking quickly when the prey is weak.

After a successful blow, they will flee to find a quiet place to enjoy a gluttonous meal in silence.

Until he starves again, it's safe for the time being.

Thankfully, Datang didn't target Canada for the time being, and I thought it was worth paying attention to Mirikanguo (North), but now it seems that I was wrong.

Datang's next target is Peru, Bolivia or Venezuela, and the current intelligence is difficult to support accurate judgment, and it needs to be observed. ”

"That's really ......," said Lord James Cleveland, hesitantly considering his words, and then said in a thick London tone; What a trouble to scratch your head!

Each and every one of our partners has such a good appetite, and this is the source of the turmoil in today's world.

It is regrettable that London can only work hard to support the world situation and balance the interests of all parties...... This difficult situation will continue.

The Germans defeated Austria, defeated France, united the German nation, and now want more.

We have to be wary of Germany's ambitions to dominate the European continent, and we have to admit that they have a brilliant prime minister and a lot of great generals, and that is where the trouble lies.

The French had just recovered some of their vitality and were preparing to colonize Indochina and Africa in a big way. For the sake of common interests, Britain had to turn to France to counter the rising hegemonic ambitions of the German nation.

Now that the situation in Europe is tense, the Tang State wants a Spanish colony, I just want to say;

It's such a crazy world!

Considering the grim situation in Europe, Britain could not afford to lose the strong support of the Tang State, and the Ottoman Empire, as the eastern barrier of the whole of Europe, could not be torn apart in the war.

This is in the fundamental interests of Britain and Europe, and we need a weakened Ottoman Empire to stand in the way so that we don't have to face the enormous threat of the tide of gray cattle of Tsarist Russia.

From a realistic point of view

London will definitely back down, and who cares about those Hispanics in Central America? ”

Lord James Cleveland's words were so tendentious that Lord Palmerston sighed, and he had a premonition of the decision of the London government.

If the envoy's trip to North America wants to return with a full load, he cannot avoid exchanging interests with Datang.

Not every British politician has a long-term strategic vision, adopts a timely attitude of containment, draws a red line against the colonial expansion of the Tang Dynasty, and cooperates with forceful measures.

Everyone is looking at the present, and Lord James Cleveland will have to make compromises if he wants not to go home empty-handed.

It can well be imagined

He is bound to have tendentious opinions in his briefing to London, which is most concerned and in need of support at a time when the current situation in the Balkans is in full swing.

The opinions of the envoys are the main ones that push the boat down the river, and they are almost inseparable.

The iron-fisted dictator of the Tang Dynasty was like a demon who knew the hearts of the people well, and he could always offer some quid pro quo at the most opportune time, which was slightly excessive, but which London had to accept.

As the outgoing Governor of Canada, about to return to London, Lord Palmerston sighed secretly in his heart and said; "This is perhaps the best solution, after all, our core interests are in Europe."

"In your opinion, can the Tang Kingdom provide more than 200,000 expeditionary forces?" Mr. Special Envoy asked again.

Lord Palmerston replied quickly this time, saying; "There has to be a mobilization for war, otherwise it won't be more than 100,000 people."

"This is really a pity, there is a big gap with our expectations, the number of troops in the Tang State is only 3.67 million so far, and the total amount is still too small compared to its huge territory."

"This country has no rivals in the Americas, has the advantage of two oceans, and invests much less in military affairs than European countries, which is in line with basic logic."

"Yes, you're right, but then the British Empire will have to pay a greater price in exchange for more reinforcements." Lord James Cleveland also had a deep headache at this time.

Before the trip

London's conservative estimate is that it hopes that the Tang Empire will be able to send 200,000 troops, and optimistically, 300,000 or even more is possible.

In this way, the British Army only needs to symbolically deploy tens of thousands of troops to the Balkan front, plus more than 400,000 troops of the Ottoman Empire, to be able to deal with Tsarist Russia.

The abacus is very good, but the reality is shocking.

The Tang State never relented and showed its willingness to send troops, and even if it was forced by its allies, the number of troops that could be invested in Europe was very limited.

After all, this is a war that has nothing to do with the Tang State, whether you win or lose, no matter how you look at it, it is a loss-making business.

The Tang State will not get an inch of land in Europe, and it will have to bear the huge military expenditure on its own, and the trade benefits of three melons and two dates after dinner are limited, no matter how you look at it, it looks like a big wrong?

Even if Datang's wishes are fulfilled, will it really support it unconditionally?

(End of chapter)