Chapter 950 Paris Conference
"Your Highness, the Spanish government has revealed to us its intention to negotiate peace with the United States. They have completely lost the confidence to continue fighting, and this war is about to end." Herman told us Ernst reported that the Foreign Office had received information.
During the Spanish-American War, Spain was originally the side that was passively beaten. After the colonial navy was completely wiped out, it was completely flat.
As for East Africa and France, which were on Spain's side before the war, they became Spain's preferred mediators.
“We can just follow France in doing this kind of thing. I think France can get the best conditions for Spain.”
This is also true. Without French mediation in the previous life, Spain would have suffered a worse loss.
However, Ernst was in a good mood overall. Although Spain was defeated, it also taught the United States a lesson. Even the bottom line of a great power like Spain can cause trouble to the United States, not to mention Britain and France. This is a naval power that shows no sign of decline, and even the navies of the two countries still have a lot of room for improvement.
Although all countries seem to be developing in the direction of "big navies", in fact, they have not squeezed out their final potential. To realize this potential, at least a world-class war is required.
November 2, 1898.
France, Paris.
Hosted by France, diplomats from Spain and the United States gathered in Paris to conclude the Spanish-American War. Lawrence, the East African ambassador to France, also participated in this mediation meeting.
After the outbreak of the war, the relationship between the United States and Spain has completely reached a freezing point. With Spain's defeat, the hostility of the Spanish people towards the United States has exceeded the limit, surpassing that of the United Kingdom.
A former world hegemon like Spain has many enemies, including Portugal, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, etc., but there is no doubt that in the history of Spain, the United Kingdom, which deprived Spain of its maritime hegemony, must be ranked first. Of course, this is hundreds of years old.
The impact of the Spanish-American War on Spain was no worse than the destruction of the Armada. This time the Spanish Navy repeated the history of basically annihilating its entire army.
If Spain had not been able to cope with the size of the country, it would have been possible for Spain to become a third-rate country like Portugal this time.
After the meeting began, the United States and Spain accused each other of being the main person responsible for this war. The entire meeting was filled with a strong smell of gunpowder. In fact, the post-war negotiations were also wars in a peaceful situation.
Soon, after the two countries expressed their respective views, France began to persuade, which was nothing more than asking the two countries to make concessions. Hello, hello, hello everyone.
When Lawrence spoke, the "war" was ignited again. As a more determined pro-Westernist than France, Ambassador Lawrence came up and said in a strange way: "Spain is the obvious victim in this war. Although the source of the conflict between the two countries is the Maine incident, there is no conclusion on the Maine incident. It may be a drama directed and staged by a third party. After all, Cuba's illegal armed forces have always received support and other assistance from third countries. This is the political situation in Cuba The root cause of instability. ”
“In a region like Cuba, which is inherently geopolitically and ecologically fragile, there is absolutely no need for Spain to conflict with the United States, so the Maine has revealed an air of conspiracy from the beginning. The Spanish government has no need or motive to interfere with the Maine.”
No matter from which angle, Lawrence has to speak well for Spain. Of course, Lawrence’s remarks directly triggered the anger of American diplomats. dissatisfied.
"Ambassador Lawrence, the Maine is a scar on our United States. Hundreds of American soldiers and a large number of American expatriates have sacrificed their lives. We have long conducted a detailed investigation on the Maine. The reason has long been pointed out. The Maine was launched because of the Spanish." "Triggered by a mine"
Lawrence said unceremoniously. : "Unilateral investigations are never convincing. After all, evidence can be forged, and a torpedo caused the Maine to explode directly. This is obviously unreasonable." "We have emphasized beforehand that the Spanish torpedo hit "The USS Maine's ammunition depot was destroyed, causing a larger explosion," the U.S. side argued.
Lawrence: "The Spanish have not participated in the construction of the Maine. How could they know so much about the hull structure of the Maine..."
Both sides focused on the Maine Naturally, there is no result in the dispute over the number, but this is exactly what Lawrence wants to see. It is not important what the United States does. What is important is to convince other countries that the United States is really behind the scenes. Even if it is just suspicion, his goal will be achieved. .
"Okay, Ambassador Lawrence, it's better not to say some things casually without evidence. Only when there is no suspicion of guilt can the fairness of this meeting be reflected." The Belgian diplomat advised from the side.
The French also interrupted Lawrence's speech at the right time: "This kind of thing was unclear from the beginning. Now our focus still has to return to the outcome of the war between the United States and Spain. As a defeated country, Spain will naturally bear the consequences of defeat, but this war mainly took place on Spanish territory, so no matter what the excuse for the war, the United States did something wrong. "
The French government attacked the United States and Spain separately. Fifty big boards, and then said: "As the winner of this war, I wonder what result the United States wants?"
At this time, the U.S. government has no intention of arguing with Lawrence, a bastard, and it still needs to get rid of the bastard Lawrence first. After getting the benefits in hand, he said: "As a victorious country, we require Spain to withdraw from Cuba, the Philippines...several colonies, and compensate our country for its losses in this war..."
This time the United States' role in the war The losses were indeed considerable. Including the Maine, the United States lost four cruisers, and five more were seriously damaged. Other warships also suffered losses.
Of course, compared to the United States, Spain was even worse. The colonial navy was completely wiped out, and the local navy also suffered heavy losses in Cuba. After this war, Spain's naval strength will not be able to revive in the next few decades.
Therefore, it is naturally impossible for the Spaniards to agree to the conditions of the US government. They were already distressed enough by ceding the land, but they actually had to pay compensation, which made the Spaniards even more unacceptable.
Of course, the United States is confident about Spain's rejection. After all, the Spanish navy has been abolished. If the war continues, it will really hit Spain's doorstep.
"The value of Cuba alone is enough to make up for the losses of the United States. As for the compensation, let alone the compensation. The losses of the Spanish Navy are much greater than those of the United States, so it should be reversed, and the United States should pay Spain for the losses." Lawrence Then he jumped out and said.
Faced with Lawrence, a clown who jumps up and down, American diplomats are speechless. Is Spain your real father in East Africa? Of course, the Spanish government is grateful for East Africa's "righteous speech".
However, Lawrence's words will not cause strong dissatisfaction among Americans. As he said, the value of Cuba alone, an important sugar and tobacco producer in the world, is enough to make up for the losses of the United States.
And what Lawrence said doesn’t mean that East Africa has no objection to the United States’ annexation of Cuba! Therefore, American diplomats chose to forgive Lawrence's inappropriate remarks.
Of course, Cuba is Cuba and the Philippines is the Philippines. East Africa can acquiesce to the United States' annexation of Cuba, but cannot tolerate the United States' easy annexation of the Philippines. Therefore, the next issue of the ownership of the Philippines is Lawrence's main battlefield.
“The Philippines should not be the subject of discussion in the first place. After all, the Maine incident occurred in Cuba. The Philippines suffered a completely unreasonable disaster, and the U.S. Navy had already started training in Xiangjiang since June last year. After the war, it quickly Respond to the Philippines, so the Philippine issue cannot be divided into the Caribbean area, and the sovereignty of the Philippines should continue to be dominated by Spain. "
On the Philippines issue, Lawrence directly encouraged Spain not to make concessions. After all, being a neighbor with Spain is far more reassuring than being a neighbor with the United States, and it is somewhat inconsistent for the United States to use the Philippines as a battlefield. Morally, the fuse of the war was the USS Maine, and it is understandable that Cuba should bear the main responsibility. To a certain extent, it was a transgression to drag the Philippines into the battlefield.
(End of this chapter)