Chapter 980 Anglo-Japanese South Seas Secret Agreement

It's not a blessing to know that Sai Weng loses his horse. Politics is such a comedy sometimes. Originally, the British government had doubts about supporting the Japanese, worried that the mud could not support the wall and could not recover the investment cost.

But with the Holy Roman Empire backing the Spaniards, the British government had no choice. If they don't do it again, the Nanyang region will soon have no place to stand for them.

Britain does not have much interest in the Southeast Asian region, and even if it is squeezed out, it does not seem to have much loss. However, things can't just be seen on the surface.

When you open the map, you know that the Southeast Asia region is stuck between the Far East and India. Once squeezed out, Britain's hegemony in the Far East would also be shaken.

Of course, they have another option - Australia. The problem is going to go around in a big circle again!

Britain can't stand the toss. The Royal Navy is unable to navigate through the Suez Canal, and the pressure itself is great enough that it will be impossible to make a detour.

In this context, Britain can only introduce external forces to balance the forces of all parties in the Southeast Asian region and relieve its own pressure.

...

At the same time that the Spaniards arrived in the new Port of Frankfurt, Ito Hirobumi signed the "England-Japan-South Seas Secret Treaty" in London on behalf of the Japanese government and British Foreign Secretary George.

The treaty states:

1. The contracting parties recognize each other that they have the right to protect their own interests in the Southeast Asian region. If Japan's "special interests" in the Southeast Asian region are threatened by other countries, the two countries have the right to intervene.

2. When one of the contracting parties fights against a third country in order to protect the above-mentioned interests, the other party shall strictly observe neutrality and provide assistance within its capabilities.

3. If one of the contracting states is attacked by two or more states, the other party shall provide military assistance.

4. In times of peace, the navies of the two countries should cooperate in actions to maintain their superiority in the South China Sea and the Far East waters.

...

Supplementary Agreement: In view of the needs of the Japanese-Spanish War, Britain sold 3 battleships, 5 cruisers, 7 destroyers, and a number of auxiliary warships to the Japanese government.

The treaty is valid for 5 years. After the expiration, the two countries will decide whether to continue the contract according to the specific situation.

Except for the different targets, this British-Japanese secret treaty is basically a replica of the original time and space "British-Japanese Alliance". The only difference is probably that the situation in the Southeast Asian region is more complicated, which makes both Britain and Japan reluctant to openly announce the alliance.

Don't look at the world's No. 1 Royal Navy, if you really talk about the speed of fleet deployment, they can't compare to the Holy Roman Empire in the Southeast Asian region.

The fleets of the two countries set off from the mainland at the same time, and the fleet of the Holy Roman Empire should arrive at least half a month earlier. This is the strategic significance of the Suez Canal.

To avoid this disadvantage, the only way is to garrison heavy troops. In theory, as long as the Royal Navy is twice as large as the Shinra Navy, the advantage can be maintained.

As long as the Royal Navy is divided into two, blocking the Strait of Gibraltar and the Red Sea, the Shinra fleet can be locked in the Mediterranean bath.

After all, the Royal Navy's combat effectiveness is stronger, and the Shinra Navy is not their opponent when the fleet size is comparable.

Of course, this is only theoretical. If you actually operate it, you will find that it has no effect at all.

The naval blockade is only effective for small countries. In the face of the giant Shinra, the blockade of the Royal Navy will at most bring some economic losses.

Apart from angering the Vienna government and allowing the Shinra Empire to invest more in building warships, it has no deterrent effect at all.

Although it cannot win, Britain cannot lose either. With the strength of the Royal Navy, it is invincible innately.

The final result is nothing more than the loss of the British colonies in Africa, and Shinra will most likely lose the colonies in the South Seas and the Americas.

Perhaps the two countries also have air forces that compete with each other, and you can bombard me. It is possible that several states along the coast of Shinra will encounter the baptism of war.

But in general, both sides are big losers, and the winners will only be the melon eaters who are not involved.

In the context of not turning their faces, the secret agreement between Britain and Japan was exposed, that is, forcing the Netherlands and Spain to join forces with Shinra.

Two to three British people feel that they are at a loss, while the Japanese simply dare not join in the fun. Although they are all great powers, the goalkeeper of the great powers like Spain is completely different from the Shinra Empire.

If the game really crashes, who can guarantee that the British will be reliable? In case the family does not care about the 3721, and a fleet goes directly to Tokyo, the Japanese government can't afford it.

Even if the British government is willing to help, when the Royal Navy comes over, it can only help collect the corpses.

Revenge, what's the use of that?

With the family background of the Japanese Empire, if you lose once, don't even think about turning over, what will happen later. Can't expect the Holy Roman Empire to concede defeat and lose money and let them rebuild the navy?

...

The Spaniards who have just arrived in the new Port of Frankfurt are holding a celebratory banquet at the moment. After drifting at sea for so many days, it was difficult to get to the shore. It is time to relax.

"Sir Whitt, did Governor Chandler not come?"

Halfway through the banquet, Admiral Valkenhain, the fleet commander, realized that an important guest had not arrived.

As a foreign officer, Sir Witte replied with a smile: "I'm very sorry. Your Excellency Governor, I can't come for a while, let me convey my apology on my behalf."

You can see from his sincere smile, apologetic. However, this is not what Admiral Walkenhain needs.

If Spain wanted to defeat the Japanese to reclaim the Philippine Islands, the support of the Governor of Austrian Southeast Asia was indispensable. Governor Chandler avoided seeing, apparently not

Want to further intervene in the Spanish-Japanese War.

Although the two countries are allies, they still need to talk about their interests. The Vienna government was able to honor the treaty it signed with Spain before, and it was already very good friends.

If you want to get further support, it will take what the Spanish government is willing to pay. It's a pity that Spain's property is too thin to be able to afford this price.

Otherwise, Spain would have bought off European countries long ago and let the European Union pass a resolution ordering the Japanese to withdraw from the Philippine Islands.

Not to mention the Japanese government, even if it is replaced by the British government, it is necessary to think twice about the collective decision of the European Union.

In fact, Spain is not without opportunities. If you join the anti-French alliance before the Russians enter the war, the decision can be exchanged for the full support of the anti-French alliance.

It's a pity that the Spanish government's indecision was so slow, and the Russians entered the war one step later, causing their own value to plummet.

The status of the victorious country has been mixed, and the spoils of war have been obtained, and it is obviously not enough to ask the Holy Roman Empire to help take back the Philippine Islands.

After a brief embarrassment, Admiral Valkenhain immediately reacted and replied politely: "It doesn't matter, Your Excellency the Governor is understandable. It's just the maintenance of the warship, I don't know when it will start?

Sir Witt, you know. Our fleet came from the mainland and has sailed tens of thousands of kilometers. There will be another war soon, and the warship is in urgent need of maintenance. "

After sailing for tens of thousands of kilometers, the warship is only "maintenance", not "repair", which is enough to prove that the quality of the French warships is excellent, and it also proves the professional quality of the Spanish Navy.

Compared with the miserable Russian fleet in the original time and space, the Spaniards are now too lucky.

"The repair shop is ready and can start at any time. It's just that your country's fleet is huge, and a repair shop may not be able to complete the maintenance in a short time.

If you guys are in a hurry, I would personally recommend spreading the fleet across multiple repair shops for maintenance. With our technical strength, if we are separated, we can get it done within a week at the earliest. "

The money delivered to the door is not made for nothing. Whether it is to provide logistical supplies or to carry out warship maintenance, there is a fee.

Treating clients, Sir Witte has always given the warmth of the sun. As long as the customer has money in his pocket, he will do everything possible to satisfy the customer's needs.

As for the outcome of this war, it doesn't really matter that much. As long as the Vienna government is willing, even if the Spanish navy is wiped out, they can immediately form a more powerful fleet for them.

So does the enemy. As long as the British are willing, no matter how much the Japanese lose, they can also make up for it immediately.

In a sense, the key to deciding the outcome of this Spanish-Japanese war is not on the battlefield, but in the game between the great powers.

Admiral Walkenhain said happily: "Of course, the sooner the better, the Filipino people are still waiting for us to rescue!"

Although he didn't know that Britain and Japan were already hooked up, Admiral Walkenhain still understood the truth of long dreams.

The Philippine archipelago is a treasure land, and it is not only the Japanese who peep into the countries here, and almost every colonial empire has had fantasies about it.

In the short term, everyone also defaults that the Philippine Islands are colonies of Spain. Due to political factors, it is inconvenient for countries to take action on the Philippine Islands.

But over time, the situation will be different. Once the international community believes that Spain is unable to take back the Philippine Islands, their ownership of the Philippine Islands will also be lost.

With the Philippine Islands that have changed their owners, the original political factor will no longer exist, and everyone will have no burden if they get angry.

In particular, Britain and Austria had enough power to seize the Philippine Islands from the Japanese, and they were the objects of vigilance in Valkenhain.