Rebirth of the Spanish Empire

June 19, 1909. The news that the Japanese navy quickly reached the Dutch Indonesian Islands and directly occupied the eastern and southern islands, including Sulawesi Island, on June 20, 1909, spread throughout the world through telegraphs and newspapers, causing a worldwide uproar. Have the Japanese heads been caught in the door? Spain, the German Empire, and the United Kingdom were all intervening, and the dawn of peace had appeared. Unexpectedly, at this time, after another massacre, Japan would actually come to the butt of the British tiger. They even directly ignored the mediating countries. Aren't they afraid of the wrath of the British Empire and the Spanish German Empire, which are known as the sun never sets?

Do they think they can really withstand a blow from four countries, including the Netherlands.

The British were indeed angry. It could be said that they were furious. On June 22, 1909, British Prime Minister Asquith gave a speech in London. Throughout his speech, he angrily criticized the Japanese for their reckless behavior and violation of international norms. Their blatant occupation of Dutch Indonesia was caused by the actions of British allies. This is an act that seriously provokes Britain's bottom line. The British people cannot tolerate such a provocation, and the British allies cannot accept such a thing happening. Asquith strongly demanded that the Japanese Empire release the Dutch soldiers captured by Japan on the major islands, return the occupied eastern and southern Netherlands Indies, and compensate the Netherlands for the losses suffered. Otherwise, the British Army would have to will respond in the strongest possible terms.

The Netherlands, under an order from the Queen yesterday, required all soldiers in the Netherlands to prepare for the strongest response to Japan. However, as for how to respond, even a fool knows that the Dutch are really angry. They are already preparing to use their troops to directly participate in the war with the Dutch Indonesian Islands. At this time, the world's attention has shifted from the two sides who were still fighting fiercely at the negotiation table to the current battle between the Netherlands and Japan. Everyone wants to see what kind of reaction Japan will make.

However, Japan's response was quite surprising. The leaders of Japan's major governments and all combat units of the military did not respond at all, and seemed to choose to ignore the attitude of the Netherlands. [

On the third day, June 23, 1909, the latest issue of "Time" magazine, "International Wire", "The Times", the "New York Times" of the United States and other major media outlets successively published a letter written by The record jointly signed by the Dutch navy soldiers clearly stated why the Netherlands was targeting the Chinese this time and was indirectly victimized. This was because the Netherlands was constantly attacking the status of the Chinese in Indonesia, and at the same time seriously despise yellow people. The reason why Japanese and Chinese look so similar is that the Dutch soldiers who were accustomed to bullying yellow people mistook the Japanese for Chinese and then brutally killed them.

The publication of these newspapers has once again attracted the world's attention to the issue of ethnic domination in the Netherlands. There is another big innovation this time, because on the top of the certificate and below the name of the newspaper, a huge picture appears. Although it is black and white, the content shown in the picture is clear to everyone. It was a Dutch soldier holding a rifle with a wild smile on his face, while opposite there were hundreds of thousands of Chinese faces. Many people thought it was a fake after seeing it. What's strange is how the Alaskans left this picture. It doesn't look like a painting. Apart from the fact that the color is black and white, it looks almost real. As a result, it was because of this report that it caused a sensation in the world, especially among the Chinese.

On June 23, 1909, large-scale Chinese demonstrations took place in Western Australia and New Zealand in Spain to protest against the brutal and inhumane behavior of the Dutch, and at the same time condemned the huge persecution of their interlocutors during their rule. Behavior. The number of people in Pas, the capital of Western Australia, exceeded 300,000.

On the streets of Pas, starting from Plaza XIII, the largest square in Pas, all the way to the State House. The team passed by endlessly, and the momentum made the blood of those watching on the side boil. In Wellington, New Zealand, the team of more than 150,000 people was also spectacular. In addition to condemning the Netherlands, they also called on the Spanish government to stand up and ask the Netherlands to perform humanitarian acts of notification, rather than brutal ones.

In addition to these two places, in the United States on the other side of the Pacific, a large number of Chinese are currently demonstrating against the cruel exploitation and suppression of Chinese in the Netherlands. At the same time, the Chinese there also complain about the Chinese anti-Chinese investigation passed by the US government. Obviously, they are tired of seeing the low-class life of Chinese in the United States. It is for this reason that more than 50,000 people participated this time, making it the largest Chinese demonstration on American soil.

After China's Qing government only said a few harsh words in the eyes of the people, it returned to the matter of how to suppress the Communist Party. In particular, the progress of the colorful revolutionary army in the south was another matter for the Qing Dynasty. The government is worried.

At the same time, on June 23, after several days of silence, Japanese Prime Minister Katsura Taro finally made an international appearance. He said in an interview with the state-owned media "Sankei Shimbun":

“The reasons for Japan’s occupation of these islands are clear at a glance. There are numerous witnesses of various ethnic groups in Dutch Indonesia, as well as pictures on video cameras, as well as the victims of Chinese families, as well as our compatriots. Although they live There, they are still Japanese and Japanese citizens, and our army going south this time is the army of the Japanese people. The Japanese people have been harmed, and the army has therefore started a war to find the murderer. We believe that the whole world should also believe it. , We are on the side of justice in this war. If the Dutch have different views, our Japanese people can understand, but if the Dutch want to provoke a bigger war, we in Japan will never be afraid. We are waiting for William Her Majesty Queen Minna and Prime Minister Theohimskelter's answer to the Japanese people. Before that, I think our government should provide a better environment for our citizens."

After Katsura Taro said these words, he immediately dispatched another battleship to protect the 20,000 soldiers heading south. The mobilization of the Alaskan army has also shown the Japanese attitude and that the Japanese are ready for war this time. This time the Japanese army commander called on all Japanese men over the age of sixteen in Tokyo. They all need to undergo military training because the Japanese Empire can better protect its country when it faces foreign invasion in the future. As soon as this declaration was announced, more than 100,000 applications were received that day.

It can be said that the momentum is overwhelming. Once this momentum is launched, the whole world turns its attention to Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. The attitude of the Japanese government is already very clear. Let's see what kind of response the powerful Netherlands will make. .

In addition to Queen Wilhelmina and her Prime Minister, there are still some people who are worried and feel very headache about this matter. That person is Asquith. His Majesty fell ill again a few days ago. Before falling ill, Edward The Seventh Emperor has given him the right to act expediently. Of course, the British Parliament is the most rigorous in the world, and his vision for doing things beyond the scope is limited.

In fact, in Asquith's eyes, war is not the best way to solve the problem. Britain is not strong in the North Pacific. With the advent of Canadian autonomy, the British army has begun to be squeezed out of its foothold. When you talk about the British team in Asia, you don't say it's okay. When you talk about Asquith, you get a headache, because seriously speaking, where are the carrots and pitfalls, and where can they be freed up to participate in the war elsewhere? He even guessed , the Japanese became so blatant after seeing this. If we really want to go to war with Japan, we will have to mobilize troops from time to time. When they arrive in the Western Pacific, we don't know when it will be, and then we will look at the Japanese posture. How many troops does the UK need to mobilize? Especially now that the population of Japan is several million more than that of the UK. Japan has all the advantages in terms of terrain and moral initiative. In addition, the attitudes of the surrounding countries are ambiguous. Obviously, they are all looking at the UK. As for the role of the United Kingdom and Britain's combat potential and threat, it would be okay if they win because of the early fight with Japan in the Pacific, and they can suppress the German Empire even more, but if they lose, the consequences will be unimaginable.

The desperate impetus of Japan and Russia to fight was still very shocking to the British. Besides, due to the Boer War, the British were still recovering their strength over the years. The local soldiers were still a little war-weary, and the British were in a short period of time. It is simply impossible to organize a powerful military expedition. If you use Indian mercenaries, you can consider it, but there are many Indian mercenaries, but their combat effectiveness is really impressive. The ferocity of the Japanese even made the Qing Dynasty and the army of the land war power Russia flee. , those Indian soldiers can only become cannon fodder.

Asquith is now in a dilemma. He wants to help the Netherlands and Japan mediate, but when the Japanese occupy the land of the Association for Science and Technology, their attitude is tough. It is obvious that they are not ready to spit out, at least what benefits they want. Just fine. It seems that Spain needs to be invited out again. If Britain came forward, then God knows why the German Empire defended Japan so much at that time. If there is nothing here, I would be a fool to believe it.

Asquith knew that he could not hesitate for too long. The time had come for him to decide whether to fight or to make peace.

The first update today, the next update will be before 18:00 in the afternoon. Congratulations to Shishirr for becoming the third disciple of this book and reaching the fifth place in the fan list.