General Reveley's worries are actually justified. No, the Prime Minister and others are discussing contact with Italy.
"Prime Minister, the negotiations with the Italians are not going well. The Italians require us to buy their warships. If we buy a few, they will support us with their men and ships. And Italy currently does not accept mortgages, as long as cash, precious metals and
Marketable bonds or other property that can be cashed in quickly."
In the Prime Minister's Office, Foreign Secretary Gibbs reported to Prime Minister Castillo the results of recent negotiations with Italy.
After listening to the Foreign Secretary's report, Prime Minister Castillo frowned. "Didn't you tell them that we are willing to use Philippine colonial territory as payment?"
"I said, but there is a big gap between Italy's and our territory valuations. The main reason is the rebel problem in the Philippines. Italy said that some people in the Philippines have announced the establishment of the Philippine Republic. my country has priced Mindanao in the Philippines at 80 million. Lira also had objections. They said that although Mindanao is large in area, it has a sparse population and insufficient development. They will need to invest a lot of money to take over the island, and they will also need to spend money to counter the rebellion, so they are only willing to pay 40 million Lira."
After hearing the answer from the Foreign Secretary, Prime Minister Castillo put his hand on his forehead and said, "I made a mistake. Italy already has Borneo in Southeast Asia, so its interest in Mindanao will not be that great. There is also the drought in Italy last year."
The loss is not small, and I probably won’t be able to spare any money.”
Regarding the Prime Minister's words, Gibbs immediately said.
"Your Excellency Prime Minister, your analysis is almost the same as mine. When I talked with the Italians before, I felt that they value assets that can be cashed in quickly, and Italy's asking price for the three Turin-class ships is very high, 80 million lire each.
The points cannot be spared. Moreover, in terms of the cost of hiring their officers and soldiers, they have to meet the requirements of five times the salary and corresponding compensation. This cost is indeed a bit high for our country."
As soon as the Foreign Secretary said that the cost was too high, Admiral Cervera on the side quickly took over. "The number of warships is already at its lowest. We cannot reduce it, otherwise I will not have the confidence to defend the Cuban colony."
Although I know that what Admiral Cervera said is true, what should I do if I don’t have money? “Admiral Cervera, the problem is that we can’t afford that much money at the moment.”
"How about issuing a batch of national bonds now?"
As expected, the Lord of the Admiralty did not understand finance and would borrow money when he was in trouble. Although he was not a professional financial person, Gibbs felt that he had an obligation to teach the admiral a lesson.
"General Cervera, you can't just borrow this debt if you want. It takes time to prepare and at least find an underwriter. There are also many ways to sell bonds, and they all require time to prepare. In addition, our country's national debt is not easy to sell now.
The interest rate is double digits..."
Sure enough, as the Foreign Minister explained, Admiral Cerveira blushed, knowing that he had made a mistake, and now he did not dare to say anything nonsense. "This matter of money, I, a person who is used to drifting at sea,
If you really don’t understand, it will be difficult for you.”
Okay, Admiral Cervera stopped talking and let the Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister say what they say next.
"I think we still need to find a way to deal with the money issue. We can't just watch the Americans press forward step by step. Let's give up Cuba."
"Actually, this is..."
Just as Foreign Secretary Gibbs was about to speak, there was a knock on the door.
"What's going on?"
Prime Minister Castillo asked loudly and somewhat unhappily. If he bothers himself at this time, if he is not given a sufficient reason, then the secretary on duty today must be severely punished.
"Prime Minister, it was Lord Gibbs's secretary who came to him and said that he had urgent news and that he must see him immediately."
These words made the three of them feel a sudden thump in their hearts. Not to mention the fact that the United States suddenly declared war on the kingdom, many of these things were not prepared.
"Let him in."
Following the Prime Minister's words, the door opened and Gibbs' secretary walked in.
"Gabrin, what is it that makes you so anxious to come to me? You can tell me now in front of the Prime Minister."
The Foreign Secretary was also a little dissatisfied with the secretary who made a reckless move and asked him to speak up quickly.
"Prime Minister, Your Excellency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has just received a telegram from Berlin from Ambassador Paredes. It said that the Germans told him that they were interested in purchasing our Philippines for 200 million marks.
colony."
The secretary's words made the three of them overjoyed. This is really a perfect path.
Why did the Germans suddenly offer to buy the Philippines?
Let us turn the time back to two days ago. In the palace in Berlin, Wilhelm II, Prime Minister Schillingsfest, and Foreign Minister Bernhard von Bülow were discussing an important matter.
This matter is Spain’s plan to sell the Philippines. As an advocate of world empire, Foreign Secretary Biro immediately contacted the Kaiser and strongly recommended the Philippines to him as soon as he got the news. According to what he said, the Philippines is expected to
Becoming Germany's own Borneo.
Yes, Germany has been envious of Italy's gains in Borneo for many years.
In addition, Germany’s colonial activities are currently suffering huge losses. The colonies captured in Africa over the years have been receiving subsidies from the German Ministry of Finance. This is of little concern to the Kaiser, who is bent on expanding in the world.
Embarrassment, and of course another thought, that all the good places in the world have been taken over by other countries, also took root in my heart.
So after hearing Bülow's recommendation, the Kaiser was moved, so a brief secret meeting was necessary.
"Your Majesty, although most of the Philippines is currently occupied by rebels, Philippine land, minerals, and other tropical resources are urgently needed by our country. In addition, we also need to consider the location of the Philippines. This can completely serve us as an important player in the region.
Use it as a fulcrum. We only need to occupy the Philippines to expand our influence in the region. In addition, we can also radiate to the southern part of the Qing Dynasty in the Far East, which is really beneficial to us."
Biro talked about the advantages of the Philippines over Germany, and was recognized by the Prime Minister and the Kaiser. Of course, they agreed, but there are some things that must be asked clearly.
"But the current size of the Philippine rebels has reached more than 100,000. Although our country will not be afraid of them, it will take enough energy and expense to exterminate the rebels, and the money is not low at all. In addition, the relationship between the United States and Spain is very tense at present.
Worse, a war is very likely to break out between the two countries. And if we buy the Philippines now, is it possible for us to become enemies with the United States?"
Faced with the two questions raised by the Prime Minister, Biro immediately explained. "Prime Minister, I admit that the problems you mentioned do exist and cannot be concealed, but we must also consider whether the Philippines is worth our efforts. I think
It is worth it. For the rebel problem, we can use the army to quell the rebellion, and at the same time win over a group of local obedient tribes. It only takes a few repetitions to make the local tribes in the Philippines recognize the facts.
As for buying the Philippines and possibly antagonizing the United States, I think this is not a problem at all. As a world power, does our country need approval from others to buy a colony? How can such a performance make people recognize that we are a global empire, so at this time we are not
This should and cannot be a priority."
Bülow's eloquent speech made Kaiser Wilhelm II very angry, so an offer of 200 million marks to purchase the Philippines appeared in the hands of the Spanish ambassador.
