Rebirth of the Spanish Empire

() William II is naturally not a fool. He also heard that Alfonso’s words had some unclear meanings, which meant that the other party might already have the answer in his mind.レ♦思♦路♦客レ

But of course his will not automatically come to the door for him to take the initiative, so he first stated a condition he had prepared before.

"I don't know, what would you think if I gave the Marshall Islands to you?"

Marshall Islands? It turned out to be the Marshall Islands! Although Alfonso knew that the conditions offered by the other party would not be low, he did not think that they would give him any good conditions. After all, if it were him, he would definitely offer a very low price, and then he would raise the price. But unexpectedly, I discovered that I had really underestimated William II's "generousness". . .

If calculated carefully, the land area of ​​the Marshall Islands is not larger than that of northern and southern Morocco controlled by Spain. Even from a geographical point of view, its strategic interests for Europe are far inferior. After all, it is controlled by Morocco. The Mediterranean Sea can be effectively monitored, and Morocco in the south can also achieve the ability to patrol the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea out of the Atlantic Ocean in the Strait of Gibraltar.

This is definitely a strategic location for the major powers in Europe. I just said that the seaport opposite Gibraltar is under the control of Spain, and the rest can be given to the German Empire. Even so, it is very good. As for the south, Alfonso will never give it, because with it, the Spanish naval base in the Canary Islands will have the best defense to defend its rear. . .

Suddenly, Alfonso remembered. The Marshall Islands are now just an archipelago in the huge Pacific Ocean far away from the population. For many countries, being far away from the population and economic center means a decrease in its value.

If Hawaii is the center of the Pacific, then the Marshall Islands are another center point of the Pacific. However, this is based on the fact that there are many other islands around it, rather than being alone like Hawaii. There you can quietly look around.

Spain already has a Cook Islands in the South Pacific. And if there is another Marshall Islands to the north, Spain's strength in the Pacific will definitely increase dramatically, against other forces in the Pacific. For example, the United States, Japan, Britain, France, etc. can definitely suppress each other at all times in a one-on-one situation.

"No. I think the Marshall Islands are not suitable for us." Unexpectedly, after Alfonso himself recognized the great value of the Marshall Islands, Alfonso actually rejected William II's proposal. The Marshall Islands were exchanged for Spain in the middle of the Spanish sphere of influence on Morocco. As a result, Alfonso said it firmly.

When Alfonso was speechless for a long time between William II. He even felt that Alfonso would agree as soon as he opened his mouth. He was still thinking about whether he had lost money.

The exchange of Morocco with Spain was the result of discussions between him and Theobaden, Tirpitz, Moltke and other military and political leaders of the German Empire.

The exchange of the Marshall Islands, the only island group of the German Empire in the Pacific, was even more difficult to give up for a long time. Finally, he made a decision. Fortunately, he got the Dutch Sulawesi Islands and the original New Guinea some time ago. west. Coupled with some German privileges and rights in Qing Zhengfu's Shandong, the influence of the German Empire in the Far East has not been reduced much.

Naturally, they have noticed how much the Marshall Islands has added to Spain's influence in the Far East. That's why he decided to give away the Marshall Islands to others. He originally thought that this would definitely happen, but now that he stopped talking about Alfonso's words, he didn't quite believe his ears. Is this true?

"The German Empire still needs to maintain a certain degree of influence in the Far East. Although we have a lot of influence in the Far East, if the German Empire cooperates with us in the Far East, or if we cooperate, for example, last time in On the issue of Dutch Indonesia, our cooperation was very good, and in the end we each obtained what we needed. Therefore, His Majesty's Marshall Islands are too precious. For us, we have taken away something precious from our good friend's country. , it’s definitely not good, absolutely not okay.”

Alfonso's words made William II unable to say anything for a while, but he was filled with contempt in his heart. What do you mean by being embarrassed to take it away? It's not that he wants something better, or that he has taken a fancy to something else. of. Now this is the only way to reject such a price transaction. The result of this kind of thing really made William II feel a little embarrassed. Originally, he, the second most powerful country in the world, wanted someone to negotiate a deal with him, which was a shame. Although the other party was seriously speaking, he could be regarded as the third or fourth most powerful country. In the ranks, but my age is also there. I can be the same age as the other person's father, but now it feels like I am begging the other person for help from a junior. This is definitely a loss of face for him.

Just when he was about to end the call and hang up, Alfonso's words made him think.

At this time, Alfonso suddenly said: "Why not, we already have enough bases in the Pacific. If we add more, other powerful countries may be uneasy, especially under the premise that we are cooperating with your country, those people I am even more worried, so I accept Your Majesty's kindness. Morocco's position is really important, so in order to be responsible for the safety of its citizens, we cannot just send it out to you so lightly. This is so important to our citizens. It is absolutely irresponsible and will cause unnecessary trouble in the world. Your Majesty, I don’t know if I am right?”

Naturally, William II would not deny it and responded: "Yes, at least the British will definitely start to doubt you for sending such a gift. The most important thing is France. France is in eastern Morocco and because of Algeria and Special With Nice as the backing, it began to devour Morocco step by step, and your country has been occupying the coastal areas. If we can get most of the central and northern parts that His Majesty just mentioned, then France can definitely stop the pace of expansion. I think "The Spanish people are definitely willing to see Morocco, a place close to the Spanish mainland, quieter, or that there will be no danger of France attacking Spain from both sides."

Alfonso: "Although His Majesty's words are a bit direct, they are also reasonable, so we are also quickly operating our relationship network to solve this problem." There is no lie in Alfonso's words. However, he had already begun to deal with the dangerous threats posed to Spain by the rapid expansion of the French. Just look at the map and all Spanish citizens will definitely be extremely happy when they see the Pacific and Indian Oceans, because Spain already occupies a lot of territorial islands in these two places, which is absolutely great for Spain. They have already been envious of the rapid expansion of Britain and France. Now it is Spain's turn. Of course they will be extremely happy, and their pride is deepening.

But when they look back and see southern Africa, they will be confused, because there, Spain can only rely on Portugal's colonies to maintain its influence, although Spain and Portugal are already close to each other. Honey's alliance has almost reached the point where we don't distinguish between you and me.

But there is still a grudge in my heart. I discovered Equatorial Guinea further up, and I felt better. Then I went up to the Spanish Sahara, and then Morocco. These can ease the Spanish mood, but these are only small places along the coast, and look inside , the French actually occupy most of the northern and central parts of the African continent. When they see the huge colonies, they are located next to Spain, a world power. It would be okay if France and Spain were not neighboring countries, but these two A big country is still a big country with its body close to its body. This seriously threatens Spain's security and threatens Spain's southward expansion. It is even said that it has blocked Spain's way to expand nearby.

This is absolutely embarrassing. Not to mention the Spanish nationals, even Alfonso himself would often remain silent for a long time after seeing the map because he was looking for the French to lay yoke around Spain. If it is not cracked open one day and the French continue to let the French cultivate these colonies as they did in the previous life, the common language in the future will be French, the money used will be francs, and everything will be a French federal community, then for Spain , will definitely affect or even limit Spain's influence in the surrounding areas.

"Oh, this makes me curious. If possible, can you let me know the answer to this solution? I am really curious and want to see how your solution can crack the French Territory desired"

"It's nothing. The Ottoman Empire now realizes that there are deficiencies in its management. Therefore, we focus on developing our own country and better managing our own lands. Therefore, they began to strategically shrink, and As our quasi-alliance, they naturally have a good relationship with outsiders and have transferred their shrinking areas to us. Therefore, if nothing unexpected happens, Libyan towns such as Tripoli, Benghazi, Derna, and Obari may It's going to be our territory, yes, territory, not a colony."

Chapter One, (To be continued.)