Australian Storm 1876

  Chapter 745 The Turbulent Year of 1898

  History runs to the end of the 19th century. With the vision and ambition for the new century, the world’s established powers and emerging powers will inevitably become restless, which is manifested in Africa, which is a new round of colonial frenzy.

  At this time in the end of the century, the British, French and other old colonial powers were enclosing in Africa. Britain tried to realize the two C plans from Cape Town to Cairo. The colonies accounted for 22.4% of the total area of ​​the African continent.

   attempts to continue the century-old glory of the British Empire in the 20th century, occupying more labor force, land and population, and nourishing the "empire that the sun never sets."

   France has a greater appetite, and has already occupied 31.2% of the total area of ​​the African continent, all of which belonged to French African colonies.

Later, Germany accounted for 7.9% in Africa, which is less than 8.6% of the Oceanic Kingdom (Mozambique plus Somalia) and 8.25% of Belgium (Belgium Free State of Congo). As for the United States, it is focused on the Western Central American and Asian colonies in front of us. , There is no time to take care of Africa for the time being.

at the same time

  The European and American powers set the goal of carve-up to the Far East. After the "Three Kingdoms Intervention and Return to the Liao", Tsarist Russia confidently occupied the three eastern provinces.

  In 1896, Russia signed the Sino-Russian secret treaty with the Qing government by repaying the Liao Dynasty. Later, when the secret agreement was leaked, the great powers scrambled to force the Qing Dynasty to delimit its sphere of influence, concessions, and leaseholds.

  Russia leased the two ports of Lushun and Dalian, while Germany seized the Jiaozhou Bay. The reason was that the Great Ocean Kingdom also joined forces with Germany and France to intervene in returning the station, so it unceremoniously leased Guangzhou Bay.

Anyway, the powers of all countries are going to carve up. If the Ocean Kingdom is slow, there will be no scum. Considering that the mainland immigrants are the foundation of the Ocean Kingdom, there must be a solid rear foundation, in order to avoid being influenced by the Qing government’s policies again. Sap from behind, so the establishment of a concession is imperative.

  Early 1898

  Ocean Kingdom leases "Guangzhou Bay"

On December 6, the 23rd year of Guangxu (January 12, 1898), Dayang Kingdom requested the Qing court to “rent” Guangzhou Bay (now Zhanjiang, Guangdong), and on the second day of January the following year (February 7, 1898) Japan) dispatched warships to land in Haitouxun (the coast of Xiashan District, Zhanjiang City) in Suixi County, Leizhou Prefecture, Guangdong, and took over Haitou Fort.

  In this regard, the Qing government did not dare to disagree, and immediately sent officials to delimit a concession with the Ocean Kingdom, and delimit a large area of ​​Zhanjiang as the Ocean Kingdom concession for a period of 99 years.

  China and Germany sign the "Jiao-Ao Concession Treaty"

  On February 14th in the 24th year of Guangxu (1898), Qing Prime Minister Li Hongzhang and the German envoy Haijing signed the "Treaty of Jiao-Ao Concession" (also known as the "Special Provisions on Lease of Jiao-Ao by Germany") in Beijing.

  A total of ten models from three ends, the main contents are:

  Germany leases Jiaozhou Bay for 99 years.

  The German army can pass freely within a hundred miles along the coast of Jiaozhou Bay.

  Allow Germany to build the Jiaoji Railway in Shandong, and enjoy the right to mine minerals within 30 miles along the railway.

  Germany has the priority to undertake various projects in Shandong. Through this treaty, Germany not only was able to lease the Jiaozhou Bay, but also turned the whole province of Shandong into its own sphere of influence.

  After entering 1898, the situation in Central America was like a raging fire, gradually developing out of control.

  Valeriano Viller-Nicolau, the governor of the Spanish Central American colonies, brutally suppressed the uprising in Cuba. This is a completely ruthless person. He forced more than half a million Cubans to move out of their homes and threw them into shabby and shabby concentration camps without sanitary equipment.

   Approximately 200,000 Cubans died in the concentration camps, and Viller-Nicolau received the title of “butcher”.

  The **** suppression has led to more uprisings and resistance, and the turmoil in Cuba and Puerto Rico has attracted the attention of Citi, a large northern country.

On April 6, 1896, the two houses of Citi State passed a joint resolution to approve the formal recognition of the Cuban rebels. Today's position is completely on the side of the insurgents, condemning the Spanish colonial rule in unison, and starting wars from time to time. Tough voice.

  Citi's Admiralty announced that the cutting-edge battleship "Maine" will set off in the near future for a friendly visit to Havana, Cuba.

  In South Africa

The arrogant British could no longer bear the ignorance of the Boers. They saw the Transvaal Republic and the Free State of Orange as a thorn in their eyes. Cross-border armed attacks occurred frequently, causing many deaths and injuries on both sides, and the situation in the region was also abrupt. Get nervous.

  Today

  The territory of the British South African company expanded to the border of the Congo, and the British African Lakes Company invaded Nyasaland, thus uniting the British colony in South Africa.

  The Prime Minister of the British Cape Republic, Rhodes clamored that the British wanted to conquer the world and realize the so-called "Cape Town-Cairo" plan in Africa, and unite the British North and South Africa.

  By the mid-1990s, in front of Rhodes’s plan, the only obstacle was the Boer’s two republics-Transval and Orange. Rhodes organized the British immigrants from Johannesburg to overthrow the rule of the President of the Transval Republic of Krueger from within, while preparing for armed attacks from the outside.

After the failure of the "Jensen Expedition" in 1896, Rhodes stopped for a year. Starting in the middle and late 1897, he continued to send his party members from the west to the Transval Republic to infiltrate and subvert the Boer police led by Kruger. Thoroughly smashed.

In order to protect their interests, the Boers began to move closer to Germany and fight against Britain. A large amount of gold was transported to Berlin by ship. The conflict between Britain and the Boers became increasingly acute, and a large-scale war was brewing.

  Dream Castle, Xianju Hall

   "Report to your Majesty;

  Citi's battleship "Maine" left port on January 7 and will arrive at the port in the near future for a friendly visit to Havana, Cuba.

  Our information display;

The ship’s trip can be regarded as a sign that opened the door to the Spanish-American War. Around the visit of the battleship "Maine", a series of changes occurred in Citigroup. The army went from Kentucky to Texas, from California to Philadelphia. , All began to mobilize the militia.

  The Citigroup Navy has also taken action, according to the interception of the telegram from the east coast of the Pacific Ocean to Hong Kong;

  Acting Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt followed President McKinley’s order and sent a telegram to Commodore George Dewey of the Citigroup’s Asian Fleet:

  "You have enough coal. When you declare war on Spain, your task is to monitor the Spanish fleet not leaving the coast of Asia, and then launch an attack on the Philippine Islands."

  This is so far

  The clearest and most important information we have obtained shows that this visit by the battleship "Maine" is extraordinary, and it may shoulder the important task of opening the door to war.

  This is because in the intelligence we have collected, important figures in the US have repeatedly referred to the battleship "Maine" as the "gate". This is a very symbolic code name, and the Spanish-American War is on the line.

  According to the research and judgment of our intelligence personnel, the battleship "Maine" may bombard the port of Havana, which will formally trigger the Spanish-American War. "

   "The eventful autumn, Citigroup seems to be tempted to move, we can't fall behind!"

  Li Fushou commented with emotion. He knew that Citi was more generous than himself. The battleship "Maine" did not bomb the Port of Hawala with blessings, but sank sadly into the icy waters of the port.

He set his sights on the few people in front of him. Prime Minister Fan Zhongzhai, Speaker of the Noble House Xin Changjun, Minister of the Interior Dai Yingcai, Secretary of Political Affairs Tan Zheng, Secretary of the Palace Zhang Li, Commander of the Royal Guard Li Shuanzhu and others, all respectfully separated on both sides. .

  Fan Zhongzhai, the prime minister, said unwillingly; “Your Majesty, Manila has all arranged properly and can be launched at any time. Before I came, I had communicated with the military. Now the warships are gathered, the army is ready to go, and you can listen to your majesty’s call at any time.”

   "Very good." Li Fushou glanced at everyone with majestic eyes, here are all **** henchmen that he has cultivated, and the Royal Guard is an army formed with the Chuying School as a team, with extremely high loyalty.

  "Everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the kingdom. The general trend of the world today is like sailing against the current.

  Today's plan

   will move forward courageously and reject the enemy from outside the country.

  History will remember our progress. Whether the British support it or not, I will decide on Luzon.

  All the monarchs, you must rise up and play. "

  "Your Majesty, please order, we can only fight for the first place courageously, and never give up."

  "Very good, now I order..."The Falcon Project" is officially launched. The ministries need to work closely together to sweep Xiaoxiao and promote the prestige of the Ocean Kingdom."

   "We are pleased to follow your majesty's orders." Everyone replied Qi Qi Shili.

  (End of this chapter)