Chapter 29: Passive Compromise
With the continuous development of labor dispatch, the wave of unemployment has been effectively curbed, social security has gradually improved, and the situation on the European continent has gradually stabilized.
Facts have proven once again that problems cannot be solved, and neither can the people who create them.
Everything is developing in a good way, and this result is very satisfying to all sectors of society, except for careerists.
The Japanese were the only ones who were not satisfied. The situation in Europe has stabilized, shattering all their illusions. Counting on the explosion of Spain, it came to naught.
Not only could Spain not be able to bomb it, but there were signs of an explosion in Japan.
The "Rice Movement" has spread from Tokyo to the whole country, and millions of people have participated in this "rice grabbing" movement.
Although the Japanese government decisively sent troops to suppress and control the situation, bloodshed could not stop hunger.
As long as the people's stomach problems cannot be solved, the "Misao Movement" will not really stop.
It's not that the Japanese government hasn't made efforts to do this, the problem is that the economic blockade of the European Union has really begun. The Spaniards pretended to be a tiger and went around arresting "merchant ships with Japan" under the banner of the alliance.
In order to deter the capitalists, the Spaniards even created a blacklist for reporting collaborators. No matter which country's merchant ship it is, as long as it is confirmed
This is not a momentary moment, but it is really written down in a small notebook. If you don't meet it, forget it, if you do, wait for the newspaper!
Storms at sea, pirates, and mysteries of the disappearance of the Devil's Sea can all be arranged. These routines were taught by the Spaniards as early as the struggle for hegemony in the Anglo-Spanish sea.
Although 300 per cent of the profits can motivate the capitalists to risk their heads and commit any crime; But the Japanese government must also be able to afford to make 300 percent of the profits.
Other materials are just that, food is a commodity. If we really give 300% of the profits, even if the grain is brought in, the Japanese people will not be able to afford it!
Against this backdrop, it is clearly not a good choice to continue to procrastinate. Especially as the final withdrawal time given by the European Continental Alliance is getting closer, the pressure on Ito Hirobumi is even greater.
The bottom line is always meant to be broken.
In the beginning, the Tokyo government wanted to leave a few small islands in the Nanyang region, and it was not in vain to go south.
Later, I found out that it didn't work, and the hatred between Japan and the West grew. Even if a few small islands are left, once the main Japanese force withdraws, it is impossible to think that it will be able to hold it.
Unable to cede the land, the Japanese government set its goal on asking for compensation, that is, a ransom fee.
The unfortunate Spaniards were also so poor that they could not be expected to lend money to the Japanese as ransom money, right?
Even if the Madrid government was willing to compromise, the Vienna government, which was the backroom behind it, was reluctant to lend the money.
The bottom line is that there is only one time and an infinite number of times. As long as you break through the first time, you will be able to continue to break through later.
By now, Ito Hirobumi no longer had the luxury of asking for compensation. As long as the Spaniards don't mess with it, let them transport the looted wealth back smoothly.
The Philippine Islands are rich land, and the wealth looted by the Japanese army on the islands may not be able to cover the cost of the war, but there is still hope for filling half of the holes.
There is no other guarantee that at least the food crisis in the country can be safely overcome. As for what the people on the island will eat after the looting, it is not in their consideration.
The more critical the moment, the heavier the smell of gunpowder at the negotiating table. Every concession is accompanied by a large loss of benefits, which neither Japan nor the West is willing to accept.
As for the countries participating in mediation, although they have made their positions clear, everyone wants to save face, and it is just a matter of tendency among the mediators to go directly to participate in the coercion, and then they will be inferior.
The Spanish-Japanese War did not involve many interests of various countries, and it was more out of political necessity to help Spain, and it was impossible to ask everyone to do their best.
You get what you pay for, and the benefits that Spain can come up with are only enough for everyone to help wave the flag.
The fact that Japan was able to force Japan to give up the Philippine Islands was the result of the good offices of the Vienna government. If you want to get more benefits, it will be up to Spain to fight for it itself.
Britain's attitude is similar, just keep Japan, the nominal little brother, from being killed, and as for other details, it has nothing to do with the London government.
In a sense, being able to do this is very interesting for Britain.
The British government led Japan south to relieve the pressure on the French, and the Austrian South Seas to deal with did not allow the Japanese to invade the Philippines.
Despite the fact that the British government acquiesced in this result. But self-assertion is self-advocacy, and although the British did not say anything, there must be dissatisfaction in their hearts.
In a sense, the Japanese government's self-assertion has also disrupted Britain's strategic deployment.
If it had not been for the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in the south, Spain would not have made up its mind to join the anti-French alliance; Without Spain's accession, the anti-French alliance's siege strategy on all sides could not have succeeded.
Without the convergence of the general strategic trend, Napoleon IV would not despair, let alone rush away.
Napoleon IV did not run, and France would not have surrendered so quickly.
If the French choose to fight to the end, even if they can't turn the tables, they can drag on for a year and a half.
A year and a half may not seem like a long time, but I can do a lot of things. Had it not been for the quick surrender of the French, the British government would not have been reactive after the war.
Although such an inference is somewhat idealistic, some people can't help but think so. At least in the newspapers of London, there is no shortage of similar reports.
……
Hirobumi Ito said solemnly: "If your country continues to attack our fleet, then we will not be able to guarantee that the handover will take place in an orderly manner, and you will have to bear all the consequences arising therefrom. ”
There was a showdown.
The Japanese government's biggest bargaining chip now is that the Japanese army occupies most of the Philippine archipelago.
If Spain wants to obtain a relatively intact Philippines, the cooperation of the Japanese is indispensable.
It is always easier to destroy than to build, and if the Japanese army is allowed to play freely, even if Spain recaptures the Philippine Islands, it will be a blank land.
Infrastructure aside, the hundreds of thousands of Hispanic hostages in the hands of the Japanese army alone were enough to make the Spanish government fall into the trap.
The countries of the European continent were watching from the side, and the Japanese naturally did not dare to play the massacre directly. If they don't dare to do it, it doesn't mean that they can't do it.
The European Union could suppress the Japanese, but it could not frighten the indigenous tribes who had lived in the jungle for many years.
The ignorant are fearless, and as long as the Japanese provoke and fool around, they can completely borrow the hands of the indigenous people to play the massacre.
As long as the hands and feet are clean and they are removed from the massacre, the Japanese government can get out of the way.
To put it bluntly, it is not in everyone's interest that the Continental Union is unwilling to start a war in the interests of Spain. As long as the face is passable, no one will delve into it.
There is another deep-seated reason that cannot be investigated, that is, when it comes to the issue of colonies, the hands and feet of various countries are not very clean.
Regardless of whether the dead were indigenous or Hispanic, there was no essential difference between European countries.
With the current situation in Spain, it is clear that it cannot withstand such a toss. If more than 200 years of hard work were to be ruined, it would be very difficult to regain control of the Philippine Islands.
Once the indigenous hands are filled with Hispanic blood, there is no room for de-escalation on both sides. Even if it was just to give an account to its citizens, the Spanish government had to retaliate.
As you continue to kill, the Philippine Islands, which could have contributed millions of Aegis revenues to the Spanish government every year, have become a heavy economic burden.
Not only the government finances can't stand it, but the Spanish nobles who have been cut off from their financial routes can't stand it either.
Of course, if there was a massacre, the Japanese government should not be happy.
Not only will they have a mortal enmity with Spain, but even their international image, which has just improved, will be ruined. The notoriety of "brutality" and "barbarism" will make them "die alone" politically.
Including the current boss Britain, he will not hesitate to abandon them. No country in the European world will associate with them, at least for a short time.
In a sense, it's another big gamble. Ito made a bet on the future fortunes of the two countries, betting that the Spanish government would back down.
"It can't be!"
"There has never been a reason why a robber can rob his own house and the master cannot stop him. Every shipload of goods that your country takes away now is our wealth.
As a sovereign State, the great Spain could never tolerate such a trampling of national sovereignty, and we would not accept such a threat.
In the same way, righteous people all over the world will not tolerate such a thing. ”
It could be heard from Federico's slightly trembling voice that his heart was not at peace at the moment.
The Japanese government is crazy and dares to gamble; However, the Spanish government is very normal, and it is impossible for the country to take such a big risk.
At least the aristocracy, the capitalists, who are vested interests, will not allow this to happen.
Federico, who lacks confidence, can only continue to pull the tiger skin of the European Continental Alliance. It was hoped that the intervention of the alliance countries would put an end to the possibility of the Japanese taking risks.
"Your Excellency misunderstood, I was just stating the facts, not threatening.
We have limited troops, and we have to guard against a sneak attack by your country and divide our forces to maintain security on the island.
In particular, your navy is constantly attacking our merchant ships, causing prices on the island to soar and social order to collapse.
As for plundering your country's wealth, that is complete nonsense. We just transported our own luggage and supplies, and we did not touch a single cent of your country.
Your country's attack has seriously affected the progress of the withdrawal of our troops and the peace and stability of the world.
For the safety of the people on the island, for the sake of the traditional friendship between the two countries, and for the early elimination of misunderstandings. I reminded you of this for humanitarian reasons. ”
Hirobumi Ito, who has entered the state, is obviously not an easy master to deal with. He used sophistry to take the responsibility of the Japanese government away.
In his mouth, the war of aggression determined by the international community turned into an understatement misunderstanding; the blatant plundering of wealth turned into a response to the withdrawal of troops from the European Continental Union; A naked threat can be turned into friendship between the two countries.
This kind of friendship is estimated to be unbearable for normal people. However, Ito Hirobumi still said it without changing his face.
Klaus, representative of the United Kingdom: "We are able to sit here today to solve problems. The core of the Philippine war is actually the ownership of the Philippine Islands.
Now that the question of the ownership of the archipelago has been agreed, the remaining disputes are only small matters in detail.
In order to better advance the negotiation process and avoid a recurrence of conflict, I propose that the two sides first sign a comprehensive ceasefire agreement. ”
I have to admit that the charm of the pound is big. Even as a consul in Britain, Klaus bent his waist for "half a million dough of rice".
Just because you have a thick skin doesn't mean you can solve the problem. Aggressive sophistry can certainly gain the upper hand in debate, but this is not a debate competition.
While Ito Hirobumi suppressed the momentum of the Spanish delegates, he also aroused the dissatisfaction of the delegates of European countries.
If there was a massacre, we would turn a blind eye, but you can't say it. Even if it's just a hint, we don't want to lose face!
"There are only interests between countries" is not necessarily true. The government of the dominant country is made up of people, who are not only rational but also emotional.
If the stimulus is really too much, and the representatives of various countries are emotional, the Japanese government will be finished. From this point of view, Ito Hirobumi is playing with fire at this time.
In this context, Klaus's statement is very valuable. We have made it clear to the representatives of various countries: We have made concessions, the Philippine Islands belong to Spain, and you can go back and make the difference.
As for the details, that is a matter for Japan and Spain. It doesn't affect your interests, don't mix it blindly for a face.
In addition, the heavy gifts sent by the Japanese government before are even more convincing.
Although it is said that "eat the upper house, eat the lower home", but that is also a matter of work. I don't ask you to come forward to support, it's always okay to get distracted at a critical moment!
Seeing Federico's pleading gaze, Governor Chandler frowned and said slowly: "There is no problem in signing an armistice treaty. However, Sir Federico raised the issue of the Japanese army's suspicion of plundering wealth, and he could not ignore it.
I don't think it's better to limit the number of ships that can be navigated each day, and then have everyone send representatives to form a monitoring team to ensure that there is really a vicious plundering of wealth. ”
There is no way, the Spaniards are not confident enough to go to the table like the Japanese. Pinning his hopes entirely on HRE interference, Governor Chandler naturally had no choice but to propose a compromise.
Otherwise, if HRE can't come out to guarantee Spain, the Japanese government will not dare to break the net, right?
International politics is not so playful. If you don't fight for it yourself, don't expect others to help you fight for it.
If the Spanish government really had the courage, it would gamble that the Japanese government would not dare to move at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives on the island and the ruins of the Philippine archipelago.
If you win, you will earn blood, and if you lose, you will suffer financially, but you will earn strategically.
Even if the Philippine archipelago is abolished, Spain will suffer a lot of economic losses, and the economic crisis will break out anyway, no matter how bad it is, it will not be much worse.
In exchange for this, Japan, an enemy, could be ostracized by the international community, and it was even possible that it would decline, and strategically Spain would not lose anything.
An uncompromising country that dares to defend its own interests will definitely be able to stand on the high score. It was also able to deter other countries with ambitions for the Spanish colonies.
It's a pity that the Spaniards don't dare to bet. No matter how good the reason, the end result is the same.
In the short term, perhaps this compromise would be more beneficial to Spain; In the long run, however, this compromise shook the Spanish Empire's position as a great power.
The great powers are at the bottom, and that is also the great powers. It was only by virtue of its position as a great power that Spain was able to thrive in international activities.
Once it loses its status as a great power, it is unknown whether it will be able to sustain a colonial empire. Unlike the Netherlands and Portugal, the colonial empire could be maintained by diplomacy, and the countries that peeked into the Spanish colonies were not in Europe.
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