London, United Kingdom.

The Cabinet was thrilled to be able to pick up this huge bargain, and not only did they get a colony rich in gold, silver, and high-quality timber, but they didn't even have to pay for it themselves, which could not be described as simple luck.

(The Whigs resigned en masse, but re-emerged as the ruling party after a series of maneuvers by Queen Victoria.) And the reason for this is simply that the personal relationship between the Queen and Lord Russell is relatively good. ）

But unlike the others, Palmerston was not satisfied with this victory, and he seemed to have found a pattern, that is, the French did not dare to be tough on the British.

"Gentlemen! Are you satisfied? ”

The cabinet members turned their heads to look at Palmerston and couldn't help but think to themselves.

"What bad idea does this guy have, what's not to be satisfied with getting such a big victory without spending a single soldier? What a madman! ”

"What do you want to say, Viscount Palmerston?"

"In Central America, there are two countries, Nicaragua and Costa Rica." Palmerston said.

"Are you letting us invade two independent nations?"

John Russell had always been opposed to Palmerston's radical expansionist policies, and he felt that internal relations should be strengthened first to prevent workers' revolts and colonial rebellions.

At the same time, John Russell was jealous of Palmerston's talent, because it was what he lacked.

"Nope! It's protection! Just as we protect Honduras. ”

Palmerston, on the other hand, is not at all afraid of being questioned, but rather enjoys the challenge.

Hearing Palmerston's explanation, the British cabinet members all laughed, only Russell still had a gloomy face and didn't know what he was thinking.

As a result, Britain threw an olive branch to Nicaragua and Costa Rica, hoping that these two weak countries could accept the protection of Great Britain.

But it was refused, so Britain was ready to send troops for some "friendly" negotiations.

The result of the negotiation was a big surprise, that is, two troop carriers, one of which ran aground, so the two ships were forced to anchor on the coast, and as soon as they landed, they were ambushed by local forces, 700 soldiers, 130 missing, 75 dead, and 201 injured.

The British had to abandon the idea of negotiation for the time being, or send a larger contingent of negotiators. But soon they understood the reasons for the fiasco, as the two countries declared Austrian protectorates and released British prisoners.

Although Austria was not a naval power, let alone a colonial power, Britain would not go to war with the Great Powers, even if it was a landlubber.

Moreover, it was the norm of the era for the newly independent countries to find a big brother in Europe, and it was understandable that Nicaragua and Costa Rica chose Austria.

Palmerston was extremely dissatisfied, believing that this was a conspiracy by the Austrians, and demanded that troops be sent to attack Nicaragua and Costa Rica by land, and that Austrian merchant ships be seized.

This time, however, his proposal was met with fierce opposition from the Cabinet, and Britain could not fall out with Austria for two pieces of land, and the French had extended their influence into Central America, in case the two countries joined forces to the detriment of Britain.

From the perspective of global hegemony, France and Austria are both targets that Britain needs to woo, and they cannot be allowed to fall to Russia's side. In addition, what happened to the French in Central America and what happened to them themselves in Afghanistan made the British government very afraid of fighting in the mountains.

Palmerston insisted that "the French would never dare to be an enemy of England!" But no one wants to take that risk, let alone take it.

At the same time, the President of the United States once again protested against the colonization of the Americas by the European powers, which was a desecration of the Monroe Declaration.

John Taylor, then President of the United States, once again reaffirmed the contents of the Monroe Declaration.

1. Require European countries not to colonize the Western Hemisphere. This principle expressed opposition not only to the expansion of Western European countries into Latin America, but also to the expansion of Russia on the west coast of North America;

2. Demand that Europe not interfere in the affairs of the independent countries of the Americas;

3. To ensure that the United States does not interfere in European affairs, including the affairs of Europe's existing colonies in the Americas.

But for the European powers, it was just a joke that wasn't funny. Austria and the United Kingdom have close trade ties with the United States, so they have not made a clear statement.

However, because France was allied with Spain and because both sides had a large number of interests in the Americas, it was absolutely impossible for them to accept the so-called "Monroe Declaration," so they openly accused the United States of wanting to monopolize the American continent, resolutely refused to accept the intimidation of the Americans, and was about to go to war if they disagreed.

The previous fiasco in Texas still makes the generals of the US Army remember it vividly, although the size of the US Army has expanded more than five times compared to that time, but no general dares to say that he can take Texas, not even San Antonio.

In fact, not to mention San Antonio, even the Dallas Fortress, the northern gate of Texas, was not captured by the American military, because the French built a huge fortress complex here.

Regarding the declaration of war on France, there was even a contradiction within the US military, and the army demanded a blockade of France at sea, but at this time there were six French battleships moored in the port of Houston, and these big guys were not something that American small-tonnage cruisers could deal with.

At this time, the Port of Houston had been named "Port Phillip" by the French in honor of their great King.

John Taylor's history as the president of the United States is not highly evaluated, not because of his lack of ability, but simply because he was on the wrong side, and he was "whipped" by Lincoln after his death, so he became the most unpopular president in American history.

But in fact, he is very capable, and it is John Taylor who annexed Texas in history, and successfully squeezed the British out of Oregon, redrew the border between the United States and Canada, resolved the Anglo-American conflict by diplomatic means, and forced other countries to sign one unequal treaty after another by despicable means.

The brutal plundering of the Indians at home thwarted the conspiracy of the big industrial and commercial bourgeoisie to manipulate finance and monopolize federal power; He signed the Pre-Emptive Purchase Act, the most important land measure passed by the U.S. government since its establishment. Reform the navy, straighten out taxes, and bloodily suppress rebellions.

John Taylor judged from the military's rhetoric alone that the U.S. military was not prepared for war, so he had to make concessions to France.

However, the United States did not recognize France's rights to Central America, and secretly financed anti-French, anti-British, and anti-Austrian forces, hoping to mobilize the locals to drive the Western powers out of the Americas.

What's even more terrifying is that the Americans, not knowing what method was used, actually rescued Ramosan from prison.

But at this time, the situation he faced was much more severe than in history, Britain, France, and Austria all entered the Americas, and although Mexico continued to have civil wars, it was much stronger than Mexico, which averaged more than 100 riots a year and changed governments every four months.

(End of chapter)