The war broke out!
It broke out in the most unexpected way.
When the news came that the Ming Empire invaded Peru and Bolivia, Bryan, as a special envoy, was still arguing with Zhuge Jun at the negotiating table, trying to persuade them to give up Cuba and telling them that the United States would never make any concessions on Cuba.
But the sudden news left him completely stunned!
wrong!
This day shocked the whole world!
The reason why the world was shocked was very simple. The whole world thought that the Ming Dynasty was going to attack Cuba. After all, the Ming Dynasty sent almost all of its fleets to Cuba.
But how could they do this!
Just when the whole world thought that Cuba was the hot spot, who would have thought that the Ming Dynasty would seize Tacna and Sucre in unexpected ways.
A country just perished like this?
So on the day after learning the news at the negotiating table, Brian directly suspended the negotiations. He had to interrupt. Faced with such a change, he had to wait for further instructions from Washington.
Just as Bryan was waiting for Washington's instructions, news of the fall of Sucre came. Although there was no further news from President Daza, one thing was certain: Daza could no longer take charge, especially since the acting president who stayed in Sucre had actually signed a surrender agreement.
Tacna was captured by surprise, and Sucre held a military parade.
Such a result blinded the eyes of the whole world. The series of punches made the whole world ask a question - is this a war?
Obviously, this had long been beyond their imagination. They had never thought that the war would end in this way, nor that a country would be defeated in this way.
"One thing that is certain is that with the fall of Tacna and Sucre, even if the Peruvian-Bolivia liaison army is still preparing for battle on the front line, their defeat will only happen in the next week or two. The Ming Empire has cut off their rear. The Peruvian army on the front line was vulnerable to the attack of the imperial army. It is only natural that they collapse now!"
Sitting at the dining table in the embassy, Brian's brows were furrowed as he discussed this sudden incident with the ambassador. Even now, he has not been able to adapt to this sudden change.
"That's true. Compared to the Empire, the Peru-Bolivia Federation and even the entire South America are vulnerable. Now the Empire has proved this with their military force. James, if we can't stop the Empire from expanding, then soon the Empire may rule all of South America."
Foster, the ambassador, said firmly.
"My advice is that Washington must respond directly to Peru, otherwise..."
"Respond? How to respond, John? Don't you know? We are still fighting against them in Cuba. In Peru, we have no power to stop them at all!"
Bryan, who once participated in discussions on Cuba in Washington, certainly understood the situation in Washington better than Foster.
"Moreover, we... the entire United States is not prepared for war. The only thing that makes us thankful is that Peru... the Peruvian Navy has not surrendered. Those Chileans who have suffered the pain of losing their country will bravely fight on! And they have certain advantages on the sea. If they can win, perhaps we can save this country at the negotiation table, or at least save part of it."
Like many people, just when everyone placed their hopes on the victory of the Peruvian-Bolivian Navy, bad news came from Lima just one day later. After the great victory, the Imperial Navy appeared in the port of Callao and bombarded the fortress near the port. The "Covadonga" and letters from captured Peruvian-Bolivian naval generals told the world a fact - the Imperial Navy won the naval battle with inferior forces.
The news spread throughout the world like lightning, and Major Madsen, who was released in the port of Callao, and Captain Stanley, an American observer, reported the progress of the naval battle to the two governments by telegram.
In Washington, facing the sudden change, President Chester A. Arthur looked at Secretary of the Navy William Eaton Chandler in his office and asked.
"That means the Imperial Navy's armament technology far exceeds ours?"
"Yes, Mr. President, according to the reports of the forward observers, they definitely have a weapon with a very fast firing rate. The artillery can fire several times faster than ours... There is no difference between our artillery and Peruvian artillery."
William Eaton Chandler had a frown on his face.
"Maybe it's some kind of tube annealing cannon. This kind of tube annealing cannon is different from the frame annealing cannon. It has a faster firing rate and higher accuracy. The British are currently conducting research in this area, but we didn't expect that the Ming Empire has succeeded. Of course, the more amazing thing is the torpedo..."
torpedo!
The first time this weapon appeared on the battlefield, it blinded everyone's eyes. It was simply unbelievable.
"Mr. President, the Imperial Navy's torpedo boats sank more than half of the Peruvian warships with just one round of torpedo fire. Then they launched a second round. It only took a few minutes before the naval battle ended with the annihilation of the Peruvian Navy. One shell cannot sink a warship, but a torpedo... no warship can withstand its attack. Mr. President, we need this weapon! Very much. My suggestion is that we should build it immediately!"
Even William Eaton Chandler had already begun to adjust the plan for the naval expansion in his mind. Battleships might be important, cruisers were also important, but torpedo boats... they were killers at sea!
The US Navy must have such weapons.
"So in Cuba, our navy..."
"Mr. President, if a conflict breaks out in Cuba, given the current strength of both sides, we are likely to suffer unprecedented losses. The naval battle in Peru has already proved this point. The torpedo ships... in Havana, the Empire has as many as 23 of them, Mr. President, and we simply don't have the weapons to stop them. So I don't think we should clash with them now."
In response to the Navy Secretary's suggestion, President Arthur turned his eyes to the Secretary of State and asked.
"So, what should we do now? Should we just quietly accept their occupation of Peru?"
"Mr. President, this..."
Secretary of State Frelinghuysen said, looking at the President.
"For the United States, this is not necessarily a bad thing. At least we know one thing: Cuba! It is not the real target of the Ming Dynasty. For the United States, our bottom line is to keep Cuba, maybe..."
After thinking for a while, Frelinghuysen said.
"We can have a final negotiation with the Empire on the Cuban issue! We didn't have many bargaining chips before, but now Cuba is our bargaining chip."
Almost immediately, the United States made a choice and sold out Peru. Originally, they had no bargaining chips, but now the Ming Empire's invasion of Peru has given the United States an opportunity.
This is also the most common thing in international exchanges, that is, there are only eternal interests between countries.
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