Chapter 209 News from Central America
As long as they talk, it's a good thing for Sheffield. Although his arrogance today is not because he is so capable, but because he is relying on the power of others, it is because the United States annexed Hawaii that he has the right to be arrogant. He experienced the meanness and shamelessness of imperialism, but so what? Who cares? Japan can also do something to the United States to protect these overseas Japanese communities, but it can't do it now.
Of course, Japanese businessmen can choose to refuse, but refusal will not change the result. It will only make the joint company more legitimate and merge the business of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce. When facing businessmen, Sheffield believes that it is a good thing to talk. There is no reason why the weakness of the bourgeoisie will not work when it comes to Japanese. This kind of thing does not depend on nationality.
If you don't resist, you can still talk, but if you resist to the end, you will die. Just like the murderer Yamamoto Kazuo who was shot dead, it is a relief, but it can't change the result.
After leaving, Sheffield received news from home. The first piece of news was that General William Shafter had captured Santiago, and 220,000 Spanish soldiers had been besieged and surrendered in Santiago. The Cuban war had been decided, and now only the Philippines was left.
The Cuban issue was resolved cleanly and neatly, which gave the citizens of the United States unprecedented confidence. Some newspapers believed that the United States should directly attack the Spanish mainland and end the war once and for all.
However, Sheffield knew that this kind of civil clamor would not affect the established trajectory. Don't look at the first British Empire in Cuba, where more than 200,000 soldiers were forced to surrender by more than 20,000 American soldiers. It was a great show in front of the world, but attacking the homeland is completely different from fighting for colonies.
Although the Spanish fleet was completely wiped out twice in the two naval battles, without causing any casualties to the US Navy, and the 220,000-strong army surrendered directly in the land battle, all of these have far demonstrated that Spain's bottom line is far beyond that of all countries in the world, including the Qing Dynasty. However, attacking the homeland is another matter after all.
Even if Sheffield did not overestimate Spain, once the Spaniards showed their determination to fight Napoleon, the United States' attack on the Spanish mainland would turn this one-sided beating into another direction. Too many wars have shown that prosperity can turn into decline in the blink of an eye, so fast that even those who have participated in it cannot feel it.
The United States of later generations has made more than one mistake on this issue. The Vietnam War almost prevented the United States from regaining the initiative in the Cold War, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that followed also tied up too much of its energy. Before the two wars, the United States was the hegemon of the world from inside to outside. After the two wars, it was instantly weakened. In fact, it was only a few years before and after.
Don’t be fooled by the fact that the United States now seems to be able to take over the earth at any time. In fact, it is not as powerful as imagined.
"Those newspapers that say the United States can attack the Spanish mainland are simply insane. They should all be thrown into Arkham!" Sheffield flipped through the newspaper without any hesitation, and finally curled his lips and said, "It's not surprising for the Irish. If they don't say something every day, it's as if they can't live."
Sheffield did not hide his contempt for the Irish at all. Evelyn was no longer surprised by this. As if she had been holding a question in her mind for a long time, she asked cautiously, "Which country does the boss look up to?"
"Not counting the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia!" Sheffield tilted his head and gave his answer without thinking, "If the target is smaller, China and Russia! Britain and France are too weak in their homeland, and their colonies are too large. If the colonies resist to the end like the Philippines and Cuba under Spanish rule, Britain and France will have no way to stop them. China and Russia are their homeland, and they have a majority ethnic group. If India also has a majority ethnic group, I will also look up to India. The premise is that the entire British India is added up."
British India is not the same as the India of later generations. It includes India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Myanmar. What does it mean to have an area of more than 4 million square kilometers? This area is larger than the traditional gathering area of the Han people, and it is more complete. If the India of later generations completely inherited the territory of British India, it would not be weaker.
Fortunately, India does not have a main ethnic group that can serve as a foundation, and before the British left, they divided British India into three parts and allowed them to be independent. Otherwise, the existence of British India would definitely be unfriendly to the Republic, but it would also be a problem for the United States.
Because after independence, India has an inflated mentality. This is not just directed at the Republic, but at all countries. Some people in the Republic have evaluated India as a country. From the perspective of anti-imperialism and anti-feudalism, India has done nothing against feudalism, but its enthusiasm for anti-imperialism has always been very high.
It is because the anti-imperialist mentality has always existed that it is impossible for India to continue to be a dog to Britain and the United States like Japan and South Korea. They can use each other, but they cannot be a dog and lick the boots of the United States.
Another point is that although Indians are a bit arrogant, they are very self-aware. Unlike many countries that are moving closer to Western civilization, Indians have always considered themselves Eastern civilization and are proud of it. On issues not related to the Republic, Indians have always appeared on the Internet in opposition to the West.
"Boss, there are also telegrams sent by McHale and Gail. Please take a look." Evelyn was just asking casually, which did not mean that she was really interested in political issues. After listening, she took out the second telegram and handed it to Sheffield.
Sheffield took the telegram and quickly scanned it. It was about the harvest of the two people after the end of the Cuban war. Of course, the United Company had a share in it. Intervening in the Cuban war, it got rich rewards at this time. It can be described as seeking wealth and honor in danger. Naturally, it also included John Connor's enclosure in Guantanamo, and the prison prepared to hold prisoners was also in preparation.
But what caught Sheffield's attention more was not Cuba, but Panama. The two asked Sheffield if he was interested in Panama. After reaping a wave of wealth, the two turned their attention to Panama.
"The real purpose is not to build a canal in Panama, right?" Sheffield said a proverb that Evelyn didn't understand, and then he put down the telegram and said to himself, "Given the strength of their two companies, even if they have any intentions, it will be difficult for them to get a piece of the pie, and the French won't let go so easily."
There is nothing wrong with the French colonial vision, and it can even be said that the French vision is better than that of the British. However, during the process of British and French colonization, the British even had a mentality of crossing the river by feeling the French. Before the Seven Years' War, most of the land in North America was a French colony, a place called New France.
New France stretches from Hudson Bay in the north to the Gulf of Mexico in the south, including the vast areas of the St. Lawrence River and the Mississippi River. It is divided into five regions: Canada, Acadia, Hudson Bay, Newfoundland, and Louisiana. Its area is two-thirds of the combined territory of the United States and Canada. Louisiana, which doubles the territory of the United States, is only one-fifth of it.
New France was eventually taken over by the British. India, which once had a large French colony, was also taken over by the British. The Suez Canal in Egypt was built by the French and then taken over by the British.
The British Empire, the current world hegemon, has a colonial history of robbing Spain in the early days and France in the later days. When the two countries had nothing valuable left, the British began to wonder what to do.
The French also obtained the right to build the Panama Canal. However, from the very beginning, the British Empire's own son was prepared to inherit its father's fine traditions and snatch the right to build the Panama Canal from the French.
Considering the political instability in New Granada, the federal government also kept some tricks in place to prevent accidents. After the Mexican-American War, the United States signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo with Mexico, gaining the right to dig a canal in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The following year, the United States signed the Treaty of Squal with Nicaragua, obtaining the privilege of digging the Nicaragua Canal.
Immediately afterwards, the federal government signed a treaty with Britain, preparing to win over Britain to seize the right to build the Panama Canal. The treaty stipulated that the United States and Britain would jointly be responsible for protecting the property of either party building the canal project from infringement. When the canal was completed, both parties would protect it from obstruction, robbery or unfair confiscation. Both parties would jointly guarantee the neutrality of the canal so that the canal would be permanently free and open and the capital invested would be stable and reliable.
However, the Marines subsequently occupied Panama in another operation, which aroused the hostility of Latin American countries. Colombia began to woo the French to build a canal.
However, the federal government of the United States has never given up on taking back the right to dig the Panama Canal from the French, and the competition for the Panama Canal has lasted for decades. In addition, the French have a tradition of giving up halfway, and the Panama Canal is now at risk of being overdue.
It seems that because of the problem of overdue construction, the Panama Canal has once again attracted the attention of the federal government, and it has also given McHale and Gail two friends a way to make money.
Sheffield had no objection to the rebellious son copying his father's path and trying to grab something from the French. He was considering whether it was worth it, and soon he figured out the problem. In order to fight against antitrust laws, the joint company must be internationalized to make the federal government feel that it is more advantageous to stay put than to move.
"Tell McHale and Gail that I have no objection to them making some preparations, but their companies can't handle this matter. After I finish dealing with the matter in the Philippines, we'll discuss it after I return home." Sheffield nodded at Evelyn, indicating that this was the only reply.
(End of this chapter)
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