Rebirth of the Spanish Empire

"What, they actually expanded the countries and scope of the exercise? Well, Spain is too capable of causing a stir. Don't they think Spain is not enough to turn the world into chaos?" Taft felt discouraged. At that time, he believed that although Spain may have been ahead of the United States in many aspects, he did not take it very seriously. In his opinion, it was Theodore Roosevelt who deliberately made enemies of the Americans. In his impression, Spain is actually unlikely to threaten the interests of the United States, especially the development of strategic interests in the United States.

However, before his butt was still hot, he received heavy blows from Spain one after another. South American countries were able to abandon the United States one by one and throw themselves into the arms of Spain, especially the Golden Snake Cobra, which was hated by Americans. The exercise was quickly joined by countries in Canada and Latin America. Isn't this a slap in the face to the Americans and undermining the strategic interests of the United States?

Now that he heard the news that his partner, the current Secretary of State, Ferlander, had just received, he felt dizzy.

Seeing the white-faced and angry president, Ferrander felt funny in his heart, and it showed on his face.

"You still have the nerve to laugh, but you really do."

Ferrander stopped smiling, then stepped forward and whispered in his ear for a while.

"Really, are you saying that Spain has not added countries to our surrounding areas, except Mexico?"

Taft looked at Ferlander in disbelief, but he regretted it after asking this question, because as Secretary of State, it was really impossible for Ferlander to deceive himself about this national matter related to the United States. It seemed that I was too nervous, and it was all Spain's fault. During this period, I was really disturbed by Spain's constant offensive.

At the same time, other major countries in the world are now talking about the changes brought about by Spain, especially France, Britain, Russia, the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, Italy and the Ottoman Empire, and even the original Japan in the Far East and the corrupt and crumbling Qing government are all looking to the continent in the south. To be precise, the two oceans of that continent, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, and this exercise The headquarters is in Pas.

On July 1, 1909, it was not until the opening of the first day that Spain officially announced that the Spanish-led Cobra exercise would meet in Perth, the capital of Western Australia in the Indian Ocean. In addition to the traditional In addition to Spain’s allies Chile, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia, this year’s new additions of Colombia, Venezuela, and Mexico,

There are also Spain's allies Portugal, quasi-ally Italy, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Najd and the Kingdom of Siam ruled by the Rashid family on the Arabian Peninsula, as well as Sweden and Norway.

Including Spain, navies from a total of 15 countries will conduct joint exercises in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean. The opening slogan is to maintain world peace.

More than 100 warships were invested in this exercise, of which 10 were battleships, namely Spain, Italy, the Ottoman Empire, and Portugal. The largest tonnage of other countries was mainly cruisers. However, according to this calculation, it looks so vast. The battleships are swinging together, and the flags on the ships are fluttering in the wind. It’s not that Alfonso has never seen such a spectacular scene, he has even seen it more. However, the scene was watched on TV, and the feeling of the live version will definitely be very different. Same. That feeling was overwhelming in my heart.

"In order for this exercise to go smoothly, we have increased the budget to 3 million pesetas. I believe that this exercise will be a success." In fact, in Eugene's view, with Spain's current power, other countries may It is difficult to send a hostile signal to Spain. Russia and the United States are considered to be one of Spain's current opponents. In fact, although they are well-known to the world for their dissatisfaction with Spain, do they dare to directly confront Spain verbally? The position of the opposite. This is the reason why Spain becomes strong quickly. As long as Spain develops fast enough, other countries will definitely retaliate in the future when Spain becomes stronger, so they may stop.

Moreover, each exercise can cost tens of millions of pesetas. Although this is just a drop in the bucket for Spain, you must know that the annual income of Spanish citizens is less than 2,000 pesetas. If these millions of pesetas are divided equally among the citizens, this can make several people Thousands of people can live a good life for a year even if they don't have to work. He even thought about charity again.

"Are you doubting the necessity of this exercise?" Alfonso continued without waiting for his answer: "Many people may think so. This is the so-called truth. It is always the reason that only a few people know. Exercises , it may seem like a waste of time and money to you. Yes, with millions of pesetas, a higher education institution can expand its educational base, attract more internationally talented teachers, and provide more hardware measures. .With these millions of pesetas, an ordinary university can even train more talents for it. And the exercise is just a fight at sea* to show off one's power and then occupy the international newspapers Just the headlines.

But, is this really the case? No, absolutely not, and I'm telling you Eugene, that's not my opinion and the reason why I'm so supportive. That's because the exercise can bring us more benefits, rather than what everyone sees as loss and waste. "

He looked at the other party seriously: "Joint military exercises mainly have several aspects, with its benefits. First, through joint military exercises, it promotes military understanding between the two sides and increases mutual trust. Familiar with the performance of each other's equipment, you can better use it. secondly, through joint military exercises to learn from each other's strengths and complement each other's weaknesses, "knowing one's own strengths and weaknesses", so that when facing a common enemy, we can quickly join together to fight together, so that the time for running-in can be shortened. Reduced to a minimum level. Reduce the number of casualties and our losses;

Third, joint military exercises are used to achieve certain political and deterrent purposes, letting opponents know that the two sides’ military partners, or military alliances, are unbreakable. Let the other party know that we are not easy to mess with. Of course, as you said, in fact, we in Spain do not need such exercises. It can also make other countries be cautious about us. But that's not what we want in the end, Eugene, you know? "

Eugene was silent, but the light in his eyes became darker. Apparently, he thought of something else.

"In addition to adding some prestige to ourselves, such exercises, the most important thing is that as leaders, we gain a sense of national identity in these countries. You know, in order to reverse the national sentiment of South American countries, we Hatred for Spain changed to softened and even now cordial attitudes. How much did we spend on them? More than 200 million pesetas, which we spent throughout Latin America in more than a decade One hundred million pesetas, if it were given to our citizens to improve their lives, how many people could live a happier life. But we still did it, why, because they need it, and we also need it.

We gave them more than 200 million pesetas in aid, but similarly, because of the improved environment, Spain was treated differently there. Therefore, Spain gained huge speculation opportunities there and obtained equal trade and non-discrimination. Benefiting from the opportunity, Spain has brought huge benefits, labor force, and agricultural products, which have brought about the upgrading of Spanish industry. There are fewer Spanish farmers, and the citizens who farm have more land in their hands, and they can harvest more. The absorption of Spanish industrial products by other countries allowed more people in Spain to participate in industrial production and become famous producers and technicians. In this way, the benefits we gain are far beyond that of a billion pesetas. This is a real benefit.

There is also something that cannot be seen virtually, that is, the military proximity of these countries may represent a trend in itself, that is, among the few independent countries in the world, most of them supported our bid. Look at the United Kingdom and France, etc. Colonial powers, what independent countries are there around them? This is their reputation.

With their support, I think even if we were to run for world president now, Spain would definitely be the most likely country with the greatest hope. This is our advantage, and we must continue to expand it. Only then can we continue to ensure that our actual interests and subsequent influence can be used to compete with other powerful countries. Finally, I believe that such multilateral exercises can improve combat capabilities and prepare for future wars. "

Your Majesty has made it clear, Eugene, what else is there to say, so he earned another thing.

"Your Majesty, will the Siemens incident cause rebellion in the German Empire? After all, Siemens Electric Company is now one of the ace companies in the German Empire. Even if their status in the German Empire is not comparable to Kone Electric Company's status in Spain, But it’s not much different. The pan-European rating company let Siemens perform such a show, which caused a heavy blow to the other party. The finances of the German Imperial Government will definitely be angry because of this. I’m afraid.”

"What are you afraid of? Are we going to give up the 300 million marks that we have already obtained just for the sake of the German Empire, which may not be possible?" Especially when talking about the 300 million marks, Alfonso deliberately emphasized his tone.

"Three hundred million? Ours." After seeing Alfonso nodding, Eugene suddenly thought of a previous question, that is, "Your Majesty, you are so good at playing with the stock market and bonds. In this case, how about we Let's take over the Ford Motor Company, General Electric and Westinghouse Electric in the United States." He is definitely different from the quiet Eugene just now. Now he looks like a prime minister, and he is simply a powerful upstart.

When Alfonso heard this, his smile suddenly dropped and he asked: "Do you think this is feasible?"

Third update, keep your word. Thanks to Mouse for stealing eggs, and Old Man A’s 10-point comment for support.