Chapter 197 The dove takes over the magpie's nest
Chapter 197 The dove takes over the magpie's nest
Francisco Lesondi's heart was filled with anxiety. "Send a small boat to question the American fleet and ask them if America has declared war on Spain?"
Soon the messenger returned with a polite reply from Admiral George Dewey, commander of the American Atlantic Fleet.
"America has no intention of being an enemy of Spain. We were just ordered to carry out our promise to the mercenaries and send them to the next stop. These mercenaries were hired by Carlos, the commander-in-chief of the newly established Cuban Republic, and now have nothing to do with the Federation."
Lesondi was choked and speechless. You were ordered to send someone to Havana, right?
If your Atlantic Fleet hadn't been following them, these mercenaries on the ships would definitely be intercepted by our sailing ships and would not be able to land at all.
The Americans are in an imperialist tone. You can send people wherever you want, right? It's tolerable - well, you still have to endure it. Spain is now in decline. It is no longer the empire on which the sun never sets. It really can't beat the Americans.
Now that there is no falling out between the two sides, I can only pretend that I didn’t see the Atlantic Fleet.
The fact that the American foreigners didn’t land was thanks to the great mercy of Jesus Christ. But what about these mercenaries with oriental faces?
The damn transatlantic telegraph cable had not yet been completed, so Lesondi's telegram was transferred via the trans-Pacific cable, and was stuck in a queue, so it took a day to reach Spain.
Before the Spanish government had time to react, whether to protest to the Americans or to endure it, the next telegram arrived.
Count Valpasseda, who was sent to Bayamo to suppress the resistance organization, led a thousand Spanish royal troops to surrender to the Shi Laosan Mixed Brigade, a mercenary brigade of the Republic of Cuba.
Cuban Governor Francisco Lezondi led 3,000 Havana defenders to surrender to the mercenary Chen Chengshi, and Havana fell.
The telegram received by Her Majesty Queen Isabel II was signed by Carlos, the provisional leader of the Republic of Cuba and commander-in-chief of the rebel army.
Carlos spoke arrogantly, claiming that Cuba was no longer a Spanish colony and that based on humanitarian considerations, he allowed Spain to redeem the 4,000 troops led by the pseudo-Governor Lesondi and the Count of Valparaceda.
Isabel II almost fainted. Are these military officers stationed in Cuba just for nothing? How could they surrender so smoothly?
How could she know that her subjects were not cowards, but surrendered because they truly understood military affairs.
As soon as Chen Cheng's troops landed, the heavy artillery battalion was immediately pulled over to bombard Havana. Machine guns and rapid-fire cannons were used together. The Spanish defenders on the city walls were suppressed to the point that they could not even raise their heads.
Lesondi used a telescope to see all of the enemy's most advanced American equipment, with a number of more than 10,000. If his own 3,000 flintlock troops did not surrender, would they fight with their heads held high?
Then Isabel II immediately received another piece of news that the American Federation was the first to recognize Carlos's provisional government and sent an ambassador.
This time, Her Majesty the Queen really fainted, and after being rescued, she sighed.
The Americans have just ended their civil war and are already extending their claws to Cuba. Is this a prelude to annexing Cuba?
She really wronged the Americans. The Americans don't have this intention at the moment, and not a single American soldier has landed.
Later, Meiyi was no longer wronged.
Division Chen Cheng and Shi Lao's Third Brigade attacked everywhere. To them, the tiny island of Cuba was not even as big as a Chinese province. It would be a shame if they could not take over such a tiny place in half a month.
Before this, they either traveled thousands of miles across China, or joined the Northern Army of the Union and traveled across America. They were all large countries with vast territories.
Half a month later, the entire Cuba was liberated. Not only did the subordinates of Generals Chen and Shi not suffer any losses, but they also made up for the losses in the American Civil War and expanded to 20,000 people.
The mercenaries did not recruit native white people or black slaves. Instead, they unexpectedly discovered that the Cuban plantations employed a large number of Han Chinese indentured slaves from the Qing Dynasty.
This is what the French did. After February 2002, the Qing Dynasty signed a humiliating treaty and was forced to agree to export Chinese workers to France. Since the French had the privilege of selling labor from the Qing Dynasty, how could they not make full use of it?
In addition to selling piglets as cheap labor to France, they also sold Chinese workers all over the world.
The plantation owners of the sugarcane plantations liked the Chinese workers the most. Chinese indentured servants were much more hardworking than black slaves. They worked hard without the use of whips, striving to pay off the ship fare and introduction fee as soon as possible and become free men.
As a result, before I could even wait to pay back the money, the situation changed.
Carlos allowed the Taiping mercenaries to "collect their own hiring fees", and the armies of the King of England and the King of Wings swept through Cuba.
All the Spanish landowners were in trouble, their properties were plundered, and a large number of beautiful Spanish girls became concubines of the mercenary generals.
Well, the Taiping Army emphasized equality between men and women, regardless of wives or concubines, and all the women of officers were called "chaste women". In this regard, Shao Quanzhong was also suspected of colluding with bandits.
The estates of native white people could not be robbed, so the Spanish estates were all given to the Taiping Army.
The manor continued to produce, but how could the noble Han people, who were compatriots of the new rulers, continue to serve as indentured servants?
All debts will be cleared. Those who are willing to stay in the manor can be supervisors, and those who are willing to join the mercenaries can make a lot of money together and build a paradise on earth.
On July 1865, 7, the Republic of Cuba was officially declared established in Havana.
Chen Cheng and Shi Laosan, two generals who made great contributions to the founding of Cuba, jointly determined that Carlos was the third son of the Emperor of Heaven, who would take over the baton from the Father, Brother and King of Heaven and become the next leader of the foreign religion.
Carlos was terrified. I, I, I don’t have such a great origin, brother. When my mother was pregnant with me, I didn’t dream of the Changgeng star entering her arms, and when I was born, no angel descended. I am not the third son of the Emperor of Heaven. Speaking of which, I don’t even know who the second son of the Emperor of Heaven is. Where did I get these two brothers?
The two generals said, "You are. Our Taiping Army's 20,000 guns say you are, so you must be."
Think about it carefully. If it weren't for the guidance of Heavenly Father, Heavenly Brother, and Heavenly King, could you, a Hispanic, have gone to New York to find Zhang Siwen and finally contact us?
Carlos already had great prestige among the native white people. Under the "protection" of 20,000 guns of the Taiping Army, he was successfully elected with a unanimous vote as the lifelong president of the new country.
The Governor's Palace in Havana began to expand and be magnificently renovated, and more than eighty beautiful Spanish maids were recruited as Carlos' personal maids.
The great Carlos became a noble figure who could communicate with God and a spiritual leader, so naturally he could not take care of worldly affairs. He was only responsible for presiding over ceremonies and receiving the American ambassador and other such face-saving tasks.
Chen Cheng became the commander-in-chief of the navy and the army, and Shi Laosan became the deputy commander-in-chief and chief supervisor of the Zongli Yamen, in charge of internal and external affairs.
Carlos initially regretted letting the wolf into the house, which led to the cuckoo taking over the magpie's nest.
Later he heard that his son would be able to take over his position as president in the future, that Cuba had indeed become independent, that the native white plantation owners no longer had to be exploited by the Spaniards, and that the black slaves had also been liberated.
His dream has come true and he has been treated almost like an emperor. It seems pretty good. But how could he have had so many beautiful Spanish girls as lovers before?
However, my old brothers came to complain that the sugar and cigars that were originally sold to Europe through Spain were no longer in demand, and they were also worried that the Spaniards would fight back...
He went to find Shi Laosan tremblingly, but he didn't expect Shi Laosan to solve the problem immediately.
Zhang Siwen, the mercenary representative in the United States, signed a mutual assistance treaty with the Federation on behalf of Cuba.
The United States established a concession in Havana, granted American companies the right to build railways, and leased Guantanamo and Onda Bay to the United States as naval bases for a period of ninety-nine years at a rent of one dollar.
Cuban products are sold exclusively by the United States and must not be sold at prices lower than the world average. American businessmen have the right to invest in new industries in Cuba first, but they cannot touch traditional industries controlled by native whites.
The Americans welcomed Cuba, which had come to them as their younger brother. They were obedient younger brothers for nothing, so they did not ask for more.
Cuba maintained its independence in military, diplomacy, commerce, customs and most of its sovereignty, and completely avoided the devastation caused by Spain's counterattack.
Although the Cuban army is not afraid of the Spanish troops, it cannot build a navy that can compete with Spain in the short term. Without the protection of American ships, the coastal areas will surely be in flames and be attacked every day.
This treaty was drafted by Shao Quanzhong himself, and he repeatedly instructed that the mature and experienced Shi Laosan must be in power.
Small countries must find a big brother to rely on and act like a grandson, otherwise there is absolutely no way out. Unless you have balls and are willing to be poor. But at the same time, you have to protect the bottom line, which places high demands on the rulers.
There is another way to say this, "Hide your talents under a bushel, be good at hiding your shortcomings, never take the lead, and make achievements."
This is the wisdom accumulated by the Chinese over thousands of years, and it works every time when dealing with those straightforward and foolish foreigners in this regard.
Shao Quanzhong is the best at this. Doesn't he look cowardly? "The strength of a small enemy is the capture of a big enemy."
If you act strong before you become powerful, you will die. Although Shao Quanzhong does not know the tragedy of Ka Dazuo and Shadamu, he knows a lot about this aspect.
Carlos didn't know that behind Shi Laosan, there was a hand controlling everything remotely in the Far East.
I have great admiration for Shi Laosan's superb skills. It is amazing that a new small country can achieve this level.
He has a high status and good treatment. Although he is no longer in charge of things, his words are still effective when representing the interests of native white people, and Carlos is satisfied.
The only one who was a little dissatisfied was the King of England. He felt sorry that Shao Quanzhong did not believe in his political ability because of his youth. You, Shao Quanzhong, are younger than me...
There is a subtle rivalry between the King of England and the King of Wings, but it has not yet developed into a conflict.
Zhang Siwen, who was in New York, sent a steady stream of news about the Taiping mercenaries in Cuba to the Jinjibao front via telegrams. In addition to commanding the battle, Shao Quanzhong also had to worry about things happening in Cuba, thousands of miles away.
On this day, he received a telegram from Zhang Siwen, "I have married an Irish woman, Jessica Lynch, at the John Street Methodist Church in New York. I am reporting this to you, my second brother."
Well, my fourth brother married a foreign girl, a late marriage. Shao Quanzhong didn't care much and called Wenxiu to ask him to transfer 20,000 taels of silver to Zhang Siwen as a gift through Citibank.
Looking back, I focused on the strategy of Jinjibao.
Jinjibao had been under siege for another month, and the fruits were almost ripe.
(End of this chapter)