Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 407 South American Diplomatic Disturbance
As the New Year was approaching, young officers from both the army and navy were making full preparations to seize the opportunity of military expansion and joint military exercises. Outside its homeland, the U.S. government, which had surpassed Britain for the first time to become the world's largest steel producer, was proudly acting as the arbitrator of North and South America. It sent a public telegram to all countries in North, Central and South America, inviting them to send representatives to the United States to attend the First International Conference of the Americas.

The purpose of the United States inviting American countries to hold an international conference alone, leaving out Britain and France, which have important economic and political interests in the Americas, is self-evident.

There have always been major conflicts between Britain and the United States over the issue of dominance in the Americas. The conflict between the two has become more intense and acute as the US government has attempted to implement the Monroe Doctrine and taken steps to expel Britain's economic and political influence.

In the early 19th century, after the six Central American countries gained independence, Britain and the United States launched a fierce competition for the right to build the Central American Canal.

In 1841, Britain sent troops to occupy the Moskito Coast and the Baya Islands. In 1848, it occupied San Juan del Norte at the eastern end of the canal route, and used the local Indian chiefs as puppets to establish a Moskito Kingdom under British protection.

In March 1849, the US government made it clear that it strongly opposed the British government's aggressive expansion of its colonies in Central America!

In June 1850, concerned about the United States' local dominant position in North America and Central America, the British government was forced to compromise and sign the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty with the United States.

Under the treaty, neither side would seek to occupy any area of ​​Central America; both countries had the right to use the canal to be built in the future.

After the treaty was signed, the British government, unwilling to be forced by the US government, delayed in fulfilling the treaty. It was not until November 1859 that Britain signed a treaty with Honduras, returning part of the Moskito Coast to Honduras and recognizing Honduras' sovereignty over the Baya Islands.

In January 1860, under pressure from the United States, the British government signed the Treaty of Managua with Nicaragua, confirming the autonomous status of the Moskito Kingdom and agreeing to formally incorporate the Moskito Kingdom into Nicaragua by 1 at the latest.

The signing and implementation of the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty meant the complete withdrawal of British forces from Central America and also declared the success of the United States' external expansion.

However, the actions of the US government also made Britain and France wary. In the subsequent Civil War, Britain and France joined forces to support the Southern Republican government, intending to curb the unification and expansion of the United States through proxy wars. Unfortunately, Britain and France chose the wrong target to support. The Southern government was no match for the US federal government. After a stalemate of only a few years, the Southern government ultimately failed. The US federal government expanded its territory through the Civil War and the previous Mexican War, laying the foundation for a world-class power.

With the dividends of the Civil War and the subsequent twenty years of large-scale domestic expansion, American capitalists survived the barbaric development period and completed the transformation from free capital to monopoly capital.

After 1880, in order to reduce production costs and obtain greater economic benefits, monopoly enterprises in the United States crossed the Isthmus of Central America and frantically infiltrated the economic and political fields of South American countries.

The continued influx of American capital was undoubtedly a serious provocation to the capital consortiums of Britain and France. In order to fight back against the invasion of American capital, the British government, relying on its military and political strength in America, used debt, arms purchases and other means to force the governments of South American countries to issue specific decrees to prevent American capital from challenging the dominance of British and French foreign capital.

After decades of confrontation and competition, the US government, which believes that its comprehensive national strength has been fully developed, wants to change its previous passive and weak position and participate in the political and economic affairs of Latin America in a more active way, thereby expelling European powers such as Britain and France from the Americas and acting as the sole arbitrator of the international order in the Americas.

The idea of ​​establishing a multilateral organization of American countries was widely welcomed by politicians and leaders of monopoly businesses in the United States, who viewed it as the most effective tool to establish economic and political hegemony in the Western Hemisphere.

The Americans did not intend to hold a Latin American conference as Bolivar had envisioned and invite the United States to participate as a secondary participant. Instead, in June 1880 they proposed the idea of ​​establishing a Pan-American system led by the Washington government, in an effort to bring Latin American countries under the protection of the powerful Uncle Sam.

The two basic goals they attempted to achieve through the establishment of the Pan-American Union were economic and political. Economically, the United States wanted to establish an American customs union, through which it would deprive Britain and other European countries of their commercial and financial status in the Western Hemisphere and allow the United States to serve as a supplier and sponsor for Latin America.

Politically, they wanted to establish a compulsory arbitration system, with the United States taking the place of Britain, acting as the chief justice and arbitrator of America. The customs union and compulsory arbitration meant the establishment of a "Peace under American Rule" in the New World.

The Americans' ambitions were transmitted to every corner of the world through telegrams. In the diplomatic building in London, telegrams were transmitted quickly between the embassies of various South American countries. At the southernmost tip of South America, the long-dormant Han political circles also caused quite a stir.

"Your Majesty, the British Minister Sir Alman hopes that the Imperial Foreign Office will stand on the same side as the British government, reject the invitation of the US government, and oppose the US government's involvement in South American affairs." In a simple and elegant study outside the imperial palace, Foreign Minister Hu Yaji and Deputy Minister Tang Jingsong entered the palace together and conveyed the British Minister's request to Li Mingyuan.

"As the world's largest producer of steel, Americans are so confident that they can't wait to replace the British and become the overlord of the entire Americas. If there had been no unexpected changes, given the British's ability to adapt and stop losses in a timely manner, they might have succeeded."

Li Mingyuan laughed and teased the British.

"The British government is very eager this time. I'm afraid it won't easily compromise like it did in Central America and give up such huge benefits to the Americans for nothing."

"No one would be willing to spit out the fat meat that has been swallowed and give it to others."

Li Mingyuan pointed out the current situation of the British government and explained: "The natural conditions of the United States are unique, with food, minerals, population, and industry. According to the propaganda of many American politicians and financial groups, it is not an exaggeration to say that the United States is the chosen land.

As the former suzerain of the United States, after two unsuccessful interventions in the Mexican War and the Civil War, the British government set the United States as the number one imaginary enemy threatening its global maritime hegemony. It occupied the Canal Zone straits, prevented the United States from gaining the power to dig the Panama Canal, supported the Spanish Kingdom's colonial rule over Cuba, and even recognized the Empire's rule over the La Plata region after the failure of the expeditionary intervention plan at the end of the Argentine War. All of these can be seen as the British's layout to curb the expansion of the United States in South America.

However, the British government still underestimated the power of industry. Since the 1850s, industrial changes dominated by electricity, internal combustion engines, and chemicals have swept the world. The industrial advantages accumulated by old steam engines were quickly replaced by new industrial technologies. After the Civil War, it took the United States more than years to surpass Britain in the total amount of new industries and possess the industrial strength to replace Britain's maritime hegemony.
The British government is in the predicament it is in today because of its insufficient understanding of the speed of new industrial reform and its misjudgment of the speed of the improvement of the United States' comprehensive national strength.

"The speed of the new industrial reform is hard to predict. With the help of the new industrial revolution, the empire's own industry has also achieved a leap forward in the past 20 years. However, in the face of the American government's high-profile interference in South American affairs, should the imperial government follow the British government's proposal and refuse to participate in the so-called American International Conference?"

"We agree with the British Minister's proposal. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the British Embassy in Taiwan jointly issued a statement that South America belongs to all South American people, not to Americans. The US government has no right to dictate South American affairs!"

Considering the huge industrial strength hidden in the United States, Li Mingyuan gave clear instructions: "Not only should we cooperate with the United Kingdom in issuing diplomatic statements, but the navy should also speed up the settlement of the South Pacific islands, the construction of fortresses, and the resettlement and transportation of immigrants in the Hawaiian Islands!

The South Pacific is the focus of the empire's future expansion and a hub connecting the Far East. It must be firmly controlled by the imperial army.
The Hawaiian Islands are located in the heart of the North Pacific Ocean. They are the first island chain and extension of the United States to the Pacific Ocean. Japan, the Empire, the United States, Britain, and France all want to control the Hawaiian Islands. The United States is the closest to the Hawaiian Islands, and it is most convenient for the US Navy Pacific Fleet to land in the Hawaiian Islands. According to the American character, they will take action on the Hawaiian Islands sooner or later. "

"But the mainland is too far away from the Hawaiian Islands, and the Second Fleet (Pacific Fleet) is far less powerful than the US Pacific Fleet. If the Americans are determined to annex the Hawaiian Islands, the Imperial Navy will find it difficult to stop them."

Tang Jingsong couldn't help but speak out and express his own views.

"It is very difficult to prevent the United States from annexing Hawaii. However, before the United States is ready to annex the Hawaiian Islands, increasing the number of Chinese immigrants on the islands as much as possible, creating trouble for Americans to land, and delaying the fall of Hawaii, is still of great significance in limiting the expansion of Americans in the Pacific Ocean."

"Even if we cannot prevent the United States from annexing Hawaii, we can still force the Americans to sit at the negotiation table and use other interests to exchange for concessions on the sovereignty of the Hawaiian Islands."

After understanding Li Mingyuan's meaning, Tang Jingsong suddenly realized.

"It would be best if the Hawaiian Islands could maintain their independence. If we cannot prevent the Hawaiian Islands from falling into the hands of the Americans, the young and strong Chinese armed forces who have immigrated to the islands will become bargaining chips for the interests of the mainland."………………

(End of this chapter)