Wild North America 1846

Chapter 647 Breakup

Author: Portuguese toothless

Chapter 647 Breakup

March 7, 1878

A tragic incident of harming Chinese expatriates occurred in Havana, the capital of Cuba. Hundreds of thugs and unemployed people besieged the Funda business run by a Chinese businessman and looted a mansion not far away, killing 10 wealthy businessmen and their families.

Many Chinese were killed or injured.

The out-of-control thugs also attacked more than 10 surrounding houses, looted property, and beat victims. The atrocities were heinous.

After this bad incident occurred, the Tang Empire's foreign affairs agencies and chambers of commerce in Cuba strongly condemned it and urged the Cuban colonial governor-general to take quick action to arrest the murderer, maintain local stability, and ensure the personal and property safety of expatriates.

The Tang Imperial government was extremely furious when it learned of this incident, and issued a formal diplomatic note to the Spaniards, making 13 demands.

This includes;

First, immediately arrest the thugs and the perpetrators of the tragedy throughout the city, make sure no one escapes, and effectively protect the personal and property safety of the residents of the Tang Dynasty to ensure that this kind of thing does not happen again.

Second, the relevant thugs should be severely punished. The Tang Empire will dispatch criminal justice experts to track and supervise the progress of the case throughout the process to ensure that all evil is done and the criminals are punished.

Third, the Cuban Governor-General and those responsible for police and political security in Havana must bear responsibility for this.

Fourth, the Chinese businessmen’s property and personal losses totaled 1.72 million Tang Yuan, and compensation must be paid in advance to comfort the traumatized hearts of the victims’ families and reflect a responsible handling attitude.

Fifth, in view of the inability of the Governor's Palace in Havana to maintain the safety of Chinese expatriates, the empire will dispatch a security force of appropriate size to be stationed in cities such as Havana.

Sixth, the Tang Empire planned to conquer Guantanamo and surrounding areas as a military base with a lease term of 99 years.

Seventh, the Government of the Kingdom of Spain needs to solemnly apologize for this incident that seriously harmed Chinese expatriates and publicize it through sufficiently influential news media.

eighth,……

Each of the 13-point demands is more demanding than the last, many of which have seriously damaged the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Spain in governance, and it is impossible to agree to them at all.

The Tang Empire openly threatened military invasion, and the Spaniards who tried to suppress them bowed their heads, which caused the regional situation to suddenly become tense.

In March 1878, heavy clouds of war enveloped the Caribbean region of Central America. The Tang Empire was a hegemonic presence in the entire Americas, and every move affected the situation in the entire region.

At this time, Britain was in a tense wrestling stage with the Tsarist Russia. The Treaty of Santo Stefano, which the Ottoman Empire was forced to sign on March 2, 1878, was flatly rejected by the world powers led by Britain.

Ask Tsarist Russia to spit out the fruits of victory.

At this anxious time

German Prime Minister Otto von Bismarck came forward and expressed his willingness to mediate, claiming to be an "honest middleman, taking into account the demands and ideas of all parties."

Because the balance of power was extremely unfavorable to Tsarist Russia, the attitude of Britain and Tang and the Ottoman Empire was extremely tough. Tsarist Russia was forced to agree to renegotiate the contract with the great powers, which was equivalent to a huge concession.

nowadays

The great powers of various countries are conducting intense and intensive diplomatic activities in Berlin, testing each other's bottom lines and bargaining chips on the relevant provisions of the Treaty of Berlin, and preparing for the next arrangement.

At a time when European affairs are entangled, London still expressed its views on the increasingly tense relations between Tang and West;

"We hope that the two countries will uphold the purpose of maintaining regional peace and stability and make political decisions that are conducive to resolving the incident as much as possible to avoid Central America falling into war again..."

The implication

I just hope that the Spanish government will make substantive compromises and stop holding on to it. Once a war breaks out, you will die in an ugly way.

The British knew very well that the now down-and-out Spaniards were far from a match for the Tang Dynasty, and they would die in an ugly way when the fight started.

The issue is

After all, the Spaniards were rich in their ancestors. Although they are now in decline, they still have a sense of pride. The eagles of the Pyrenees are not easily impressed.

The diplomatic negotiations between Datang and Spain soon collapsed. The Spanish government categorically rejected Tang's unreasonable demands and stated that it would handle the infringement of foreign nationals in its own way.

April 8, 1878

nicaragua canal

After ten years of large-scale construction, this world-famous genesis project was put into trial navigation at the end of last year. The ship lock facilities and canal project signal tower have been debugged.

to this day

The majestic Nicaragua Canal's double-line three-level locks are like a giant beast, connecting the vast Pacific Ocean with a long and winding canal. This is the most spectacular and ambitious world-class water conservancy project in history.

According to the project plan, the Nicaragua Canal will be officially opened to navigation and put into daily operation in two months.

Huwan City's wharves, warehouses, naval bases and shipyards along a long stretch of the lake shore have all been constructed. With roads extending in all directions, it initially has sufficient capacity to receive large passenger and cargo ships from the two oceans.

His Royal Highness Tang-Li Kun, the seventh prince of the Tang Dynasty royal family, is wearing the straight woolen uniform of a lieutenant general of the Imperial Royal Guards. He is surrounded by senior generals of the army and navy, and he is looking at a huge mountain.

The "Zhendong" and "Zhennan" ironclads slowly sailed into the lock.

The huge gates were closed, and the two giant iron-clad ships sank slowly and visibly to the naked eye under the adjustment effect of the water. A circle of cheers came from the surrounding area.

His Highness Tang Li Kun could not suppress his excitement. The world's top water conservancy buildings presented in front of him have been recorded in history, and the "Zhendong" class iron-clad giant ship is also a painstaking work of the Royal Navy, and it is the main force that competes for regional maritime hegemony.

One of the ships.

Combination of both

What will be produced is an incredible and surprising victory effect. The Atlantic Task Force, led by the three giant iron-clad ships "Zhendong", "Zhennan" and "Zhenbei", will accompany its conquest army to sweep away the Spanish.

The fleet, bombarding the city with artillery fire, demonstrated the unquestionable power of the Imperial Royal Navy.

obey the oracles;

This war of colonial expansion will be completed independently by the Royal Guards. The two princes will lead the expedition and will only be allowed to win, not lose.

Not only must we win beautifully, we must win thoroughly, and we must win to make our enemies fearful.

Proclaim that the great imperial majesty of the Tang Dynasty reaches us far and wide, and that our country's prestige is far beyond the waves of thousands of miles.

Judging from the strength of the army and navy, the Imperial Expeditionary Force has a crushing advantage, but the Spanish are exhausted and have reached the end of their war effort.

What's more, the Tang Empire brazenly launched this invasion war under the banner of "liberating the Cuban people."

In Cuba and Puerto Rico, there are countless Cuban rebels who are looking forward to playing the role of leading the way and severely defeating the Spanish colonists.

As for after victory... hum, there is never love for no reason in this world, nor is there free bread falling from the sky.

after awhile

The ship lock dropped to a certain water level, and the huge gate slowly opened. The ironclad ships "Zhendong" and "Zhennan" sailed out one after another, and the sound of firecrackers and gongs and drums sounded in the shore.

Behind these two giant iron-clad ships, there is also a large fleet and coal supply ships heading to Cuba, which are quite large in scale.

Just today, April 8, 1878

The Tang Empire has officially declared war on the Kingdom of Spain and is massively deploying troops to the Caribbean through the newly built Nicaragua Canal, indicating that from now on;

The Tang Empire had the ability to mobilize troops from two oceans. Both land and naval forces could be mobilized to one place in a very short period of time to deliver a fatal blow to the enemy.

The potential strategic significance is enough to make everyone think twice before taking action.

"Your Majesty, according to the latest intelligence, the Spanish Bourbon government is unwilling to lose Cuba, the last colony in Central America. It has urgently dispatched 36,000 expeditionary troops and a large number of sailing warships to reinforce Cuba." Standing aside.

The general reported in a low voice.

Wang Tang-Li Kun of Guangnan sharpened his eyes upon hearing this, flashed two fierce murderous intentions, and said with a sneer;

"It seems that these Spaniards don't shed tears without seeing the coffin, and they actually come all the way to die, so let's help them.

Pass on the king’s orders;

Immediately dispatch reconnaissance ships to conduct strict patrols along the waters surrounding Cuba. I will personally lead the main force of the Atlantic Task Force to hover 200 kilometers northeast of Havana, waiting for an attack.

Once traces of the Spanish reinforcement fleet are detected, they must be reported immediately to create a good opportunity for the main force of our task force to completely annihilate the enemy.

The Spaniards never imagined that this king would give such a big gift, right?

Ha ha ha ha……"

His Highness Tang Li Kun laughed heartily. His laughter was full of invincible domineering and high-spirited self-confidence. This infected a large group of senior generals around him and started laughing too.

The stale minds of the Spaniards would never have imagined that the Tang Empire's elite armored fleet could be mobilized from the Pacific to the Caribbean in just a few days. This cannot be said to be a fantasy, but a miracle.

The only reason is that the upper echelons of the kingdom in the Madrid court have not adapted to the rapid development of today's world, let alone the progress of the Nicaragua Canal.

Logically speaking

It was impossible for the Spaniards not to know about the Nicaragua Canal Project, but even if they knew it, they did not follow it at all times, nor did they expect that the canal project could be put into trial operation and that troops could be freely mobilized between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

In the outdated view of Spanish bureaucracy, it is still believed that the Tang Empire’s main armored fleet needs to go south to bypass Tierra del Fuego, which will take at least 4 to 5 months.

This may be the reason why they dare to send a large number of expeditionary forces and Spanish Royal Navy forces to Cuba, because the Spaniards have found out;

In the ports of New York and Campton, the main naval bases of the Atlantic Fleet of the Datang Empire, most of the two Duke-class ironclad warships and the "Torrent"-class ironclad warships attached to them are in the port, and there are no signs of large-scale dispatches.

In this day and age, a fleet voyage is no small matter. At least the coal bunkers must be filled, and the fleet must follow several coal ships. It is not a matter of just leaving.

The Royal Navy Base on Long Island, New York, is 2,500 kilometers away from Cuba. On the vast Atlantic Ocean, the Spanish fleet has a high probability of being able to overcome the interception and successfully deliver reinforcements to the island of Cuba.

(End of chapter)