Rebirth of the Spanish Empire

"Your Majesty, aren't you afraid that he is also preparing for us?" Trini has been a little confused about this situation for a while. It stands to reason that Spain should invest in multiple fronts now, but now Spain is putting all its bets They were all on Wacharajun, and they didn't even spend an extra minute on the other princes. Isn't this a bit risky?

Alfonso naturally understood what he was referring to, but, "You have to understand that sometimes, although we can force the other party to agree to cooperate with us, if we cooperate without mutual trust, it will only be based on the contract. In this case, once the contract is over, everyone will no longer know each other. Even if there are greater benefits, it is not impossible to break the contract. What we are looking for are long-term allies, and we do not need such untrustworthy contractual allies. As for Chu Lalong Gong, haha, that guy is really good. I am guessing that he is definitely instilling the bad thoughts of other sons into his own son, and then letting them compete with each other to achieve the effect of survival of the fittest. Of course, in fact, He just wants to take the initiative to provide resources from our countries to a few of his sons for assessment while he is still alive. He also knows that he is playing with fire, but he may think that he is a master of fire control. However, his Can it be done? Since he likes to play with fire so much, then I will make the fire bigger and fiercer. Trini, isn't it the right time for you to visit Japan this January? It just so happens that Siam has a close relationship with us. You Just stop by and cheer for Wacharayanya before visiting Japan."

Of course there is no problem with Trini. Diplomacy is just a strategic exchange of personnel. In this case, the trip to Siam is also a must-do trip.

"By the way, Your Majesty, I am really embarrassed to be invited to visit Japan by Japan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Komura Jutaro."

"What's wrong?" Alfonso asked strangely. Trini had always had a good grasp of his work when it came to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, now that he said such words to himself, it was really It was rare, but after hearing what Trini said, Alfonso also had a headache. Why?

Over the years, China has invaded Japan again and again in various ways, which has attracted a lot of attention in China. Every day, tens of thousands or even dozens of people protest against Japan's invasion activities, especially in This is especially true in the Northeast. The Sino-Japanese War of 1884-88 and so on made many Chinese have a negative attitude towards Japan. Originally, as Spain's foreign minister, Trini was indifferent to this. After all, is it true that only Spain is allowed to invade others, and other countries are not allowed to do so? Hack other people? Don't worry about matters that don't concern yourself. As the boss of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he understands this truth even more.

However, the problem lies in that this matter is related to Spain. The reason is, don’t forget, there are now a large number of Chinese in places such as Western Australia and New Zealand, with an initial estimate of 700,000 to 800,000. , and this does not count, there are almost a million Chinese there, accounting for more than 20% of the total population. Due to the open policies of the two places, there are no restrictions on the free entry and exit of Chinese people, so many people know everything that is happening in mainland China. Under the influence, the Chinese groups in the two places have obtained the consent of the government (Spain has implemented Demonstrations require government approval), and normal demonstrations began to be held every day to protest against Japanese aggression. Many local Chinese became hostile to Japan.

When he was invited to Japan this time, Japan made a large number of requests, many of which involved diplomacy, and many of which involved strategic partnerships. Several of them made him unable to decide.

For example, Japan requested Spain to manufacture more armored vehicles, more warships, and direct high-interest loans for Japan's goods. In addition to receiving interest dividends from these loans, Spain was also allowed to use Spanish domestic products. Enter the Japanese market. Vigorously expand Spain's economic territory.

This was originally very good, but the voices of the Chinese have spread to the Spanish government, so the government is still uncertain, especially the Prime Minister, who is also weighing the pros and cons and other issues. The most important thing is that the Minister of the Interior does not think that the Spanish government In order to open Japan's market, it harms its own domestic unity. The view he put forward was that Japan's market has begun to become saturated under the attack of products from the United Kingdom and the United States. Spain's industrial products can only get a small share. The internal calculation result is that the profit will be obtained. It is not very difficult, so I think that if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs fully accepts Japan's request, it will really lose more than the gains, but the Prime Minister Eugene now chooses neutrality.

Hearing what Trini said in detail, Alfonso was also embarrassed. Japan is a big country in Asia. There is no doubt that although Spain is one of the big countries in the world, before entering the mountains, you must first worship the Earth Temple. If Spain wants to gain more benefits in East Asia, it absolutely needs a certain amount of support. Although Japan and Russia signed an armistice agreement with the help of US President Theodore Roosevelt, the hostility between the two countries is still there. , and the relationship between Spain and Russia has also reached its worst stage due to Northern Europe. Therefore, just like Britain, Japan is a chess piece that can check and balance Russia's influence in the Far East. For Spain's interests, especially For the large amount of territory Spain now has in the Pacific, Russia's greedy mouth is really annoying. Therefore, the existence of Japan is a barrier for the three countries of Britain, France and Spain in the north of the sea. This barrier has a reason to exist. Spain supports it. The other party is also understandable.

However, the voices of the Chinese groups in Western Australia are also a problem. Alfonso does not doubt that this is the reason why the Communists are causing trouble there, especially Sun Yat-sen's Tongmenghui. In recent years, intelligence has continuously shown that Sun Yat-sen has taken Western Australia The states are their main source of funds besides the mainland, followed by the United States and New Zealand. Of course, this is mainly because of Alfonso's hint of letting go. Even for this reason, the Qing government has repeatedly sent messages asking Spain to strictly control the flow of these funds. However, because of Alfonso's hint, the superficial response is still secretly Still flowing smoothly.

After thinking about it for a moment, Alfonso said: "What did Eugene say?"

"He originally said that he fully accepted Riben's request and would try to maximize our gains. However, after hearing what Jose said, he fell silent."

Alfonso knew that Eugene knew about his care for the Chinese, but he couldn't express his "partiality" in front of them, so he didn't know how to speak.

"In this way, we can deal with the payment, but there is no need to talk about weapons. Over the years, Japan has already imported almost all the things it should have imported. I'm sorry that they don't have much money to spend to buy our weapons. In this case, we "

"Dong dong dong" I was about to say Japan asked for arrangements, but unexpectedly there was a knock on the door.

"Come in" signaled Trini to wait a moment, Alfonso said to the door, and the two of them immediately stopped talking about Japan.

Is it Eugene? Seeing that the person following the maid was actually Prime Minister Eugene, and looking at his pale face and red eyes, Alfonso had a bad feeling.

"Your Majesty, something happened to the eldest princess."

"What, who got into trouble?" Alfonso asked confusedly. He didn't have a princess, only the current prince. Now this guy Eugene actually said something about the eldest princess, wait, eldest princess? Could it be that his eldest sister married the eldest sister of the Kingdom of Sicily under the United Kingdom of Italy?

So he stepped forward and took Eugene's shoulder, asking urgently: "What happened?" What he thought of most was rebellion, rebellion. If so, he would never let him go, not even the King of Italy. It is absolutely impossible to prevent him from avenging his eldest sister."

Trini, who was next to him, was also very nervous. His Majesty's expression already showed how big a blow it was to him. However, it seemed that so far, Eugene had not yet understood what happened, so he quickly asked: "Eugene, what happened? Tell me quickly."

Eugene choked and then said: "There was a big earthquake in Sicily. It is said that half of the population of Messina, the second largest city, was killed in this big earthquake. And that day," he choked, "that day, Her Royal Highness happened to The private inspection there happened to coincide with the occurrence of this major earthquake. Fortunately, the princess has woken up now, but it is said that her left hand has been dislocated..."

On December 28, 1908, a major earthquake occurred on the seabed of the Strait of Messina between Sicily and Calabria in Italy. The second largest earthquake in European history occurred. For Europe, its losses were second only to There was a great earthquake in Lisbon in 1755. It destroyed 98 houses in the city of Messina and killed no less than 40,000 people.

Messina is the second largest city in Sicily, located at the northeastern tip of the island, facing the Italian mainland across the Strait of Messina. Before the disaster on December 28, 1908, Messina was a city famous for its beautiful scenery.

Early that morning, the city of Messina was struck by the worst earthquake ever recorded in Europe, and the city began to shake. The earthquake, which originated under the sea, wreaked havoc across the rural areas surrounding the city and across the Strait of Messina to the southern tip of mainland Italy. In Messina and Porto Reggio on the Italian mainland, the ground sank 0.6 meters.

Both cities were destroyed, and about 75,000 people, half of Messina's population, were killed. Another 75,000 people died in ruined villages in Sicily and in mainland Italy.

The eyes of Europe and the world are now once again focused on the Mediterranean Sea. Everyone was mourning for the dead.

Second update. (To be continued.