Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 515 Venezuelan Border Dispute and Fishery Resources

Unlike the cold reception it encountered in Colombia and the opposition from Britain, France and Germany, the expeditionary fleet was warmly welcomed by Venezuela as soon as it arrived at Puerto Cabello, Venezuela. Since the American Minister to Venezuela had informed them in advance, the Venezuelan President personally sent the Minister of Foreign Affairs and several other ministerial-level officials to the port to greet them to show their importance.

Puerto Cabello is located on the southern coast of the Caribbean Sea, 30 kilometers south of Valencia and 200 kilometers east of Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. It is the most important import and export trade port in Venezuela, and more than 6% of the country's import and export goods are distributed here.

Puerto Cabello ranks seventh among more than 70 ports in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Puerto Cabello was founded in 1589. After 300 years of development and key construction after Venezuela's independence, the port has become one of the most important trade ports connecting Europe, South America and North America. It has 10 docks with a water depth of more than 16 meters, which can provide material supplies and docking needs for large merchant ships and warships.

More than one hundred ships are docked in the Cabello port. The huge fleet occupies only four docks. Except for some large and small merchant ships docked, about one-third of the remaining 4 docks are still vacant.

The temperature in Puerto Cabello is between 25 and 35 degrees Celsius all year round. The protruding mountains on both sides of the harbor shield the wind and waves from the sea. The harbor is calm and the maximum wave height does not exceed 30 cm, making it an ideal military port.

The expeditionary fleet chose to dock at Puerto Cabello and pay a friendly visit to Venezuela. It may be intended to open the port as an overseas military port for the United States. However, the current international situation and national strength do not meet such conditions. The Americans can only hide this ambition in their hearts, put on a friendly face, and consult and negotiate with the Venezuelan government.

The appearance of the expeditionary fleet off the coast of Venezuela and the Venezuelan government's warm welcome were all for one purpose: to discuss the territorial dispute between Venezuela and Britain.

In 1814, according to the Treaty of London, Britain acquired the three colonies of Essequibo, Demerara and Berbice from the Netherlands, and then merged the three colonies into the colony of British Guiana.

In 1830, Venezuela broke away from Spanish colonial rule and declared independence.
After independence, Venezuela bordered British Guiana. Since the western part of the border was undeveloped forest and wilderness and the territorial boundary was vague, the two sides had differences and disputes over the territorial division of the border area. Venezuela believed that the area controlled by the Netherlands at that time reached the Essequibo River in the west, so the two countries should use the river as the boundary.

However, Britain believes that some areas west of the Essequibo River are also under British control, and therefore does not agree with Venezuela's claim.

In 1835, German explorer Schamberg surveyed the area west of the Essequibo River at his own expense and submitted a research report and map to the Governor of British Guiana in 1839. In 1841, the British government proposed to use the "Shamberg Line" as the boundary to assign a large area west of the Essequibo River to British Guiana, which was also strongly opposed by Venezuela.

From 1833 to 1880, Venezuela and Britain held many diplomatic consultations but were unable to reach an agreement on the division of the disputed territory.

In 1880, Venezuela and Britain successively discovered gold, iron and other mineral resources in the disputed area. In addition, the two sides competed for control of the mouth of the Orinoco River, and the conflict became more intensified and acute.

Similar to its neighbor Colombia, Venezuela is also a country rich in mineral resources. In addition to oil, natural gas and other oil and gas resources, it is also very rich in mineral resources. The iron ore reserves are about 40 billion tons, and the bauxite reserves are about 3.3 million tons. Among them, most of the proven iron ore, some bauxite, coal, gold, copper and other mineral resources are distributed in the first-line area bordering British Guiana. In order to obtain gold mineral resources in the disputed area and stop the British colonists from spying on the territory actually controlled by the party, after each negotiation,

Venezuela would inform the United States of the status of the negotiations and hoped that the United States would mediate in accordance with the Monroe Doctrine. The United States had tried many times to express its willingness to mediate, but Britain rejected it.

In 1887, the two sides formally severed diplomatic relations due to the anger of Venezuela caused by Britain's move to further expand its control in the disputed area.

In 1890, the war in Paraguay showed a trend of expansion, and the United States' stance on South American affairs became increasingly tough and clear.

Encouraged by the United States' tough attitude in confronting Britain, the Venezuelan government saw hope for a complete resolution of the territorial dispute. As a result, one side intended to exclude British influence and gain dominance in South America, while the other side tried to use powerful forces to obtain territorial sovereignty in the disputed area. The United States and Venezuela hit it off.

On the third day after the expeditionary fleet paid a friendly visit to Venezuela, the two countries, with the same goals, quickly reached a unified opinion on cooperation.

The cooperation agreement stipulates:

First, the diplomatic relations between the two countries will be upgraded from the minister level to the ambassador level, with the US ambassador to Venezuela serving as the special assistant and representative in negotiations with the UK.

30. The United States leased two 2-meter-deep docks in Puerto Cabello at a preferential price of US$11 per year for use by American civilian merchant ships for trade, supply and docking.

3. Venezuela joins the American Trade Community, reduces import and export tariffs on US goods, and reduces the threshold for US capital to enter Venezuela. 4. The two sides cooperate, with the United States providing major funds and technology to jointly develop iron ore, gold mines and other mineral resources in the disputed area with the United Kingdom.

After successfully completing the visit to Venezuela, the expeditionary fleet replenished some fruits, vegetables and fresh meat at the port of Cabello, then turned course and headed north. During the journey, when passing through the waters at the mouth of the Orinoco River, the fleet was supervised and followed by three British warships and two French warships stationed in the Guyana area. The British and French warships stopped following the expeditionary fleet until it entered the northern waters of the Brazilian Empire.

In the waters of Marajo Bay in northern Brazil, the Para River, a tributary of the Amazon River, merges with the Tocantins River, which originates in central Brasilia, Goiás State and is 2699 kilometers long, in Belém and flows into the Atlantic Ocean.

The Amazon and Tocantins rivers are the first and third largest main rivers in Brazil.

Among them, the Amazon River is the second longest river in the world, and its basin water volume ranks first in the world. Its river flow reaches 21.9 cubic meters per second, which is several times larger than the sum of the other three major rivers, the Nile River (Africa), the Yangtze River (China), and the Mississippi River (United States). It is roughly equivalent to the flow of seven Yangtze Rivers and accounts for 7% of the world's river flow; the basin area is 20 million square kilometers, accounting for 691.5% of the total area of ​​South America; the number of tributaries exceeds 40.

The tributaries of the Amazon River are mainly distributed in Brazil. Due to its deep water flow, wide river surface and large water flow, a large amount of organic matter is washed into the sea, making the estuary a habitat for many kinds of fish. It is rich in resources and a world-famous fishing ground.

Marajo Bay, as the confluence of the Amazon River and the Tocantins River, is also very rich in fishery resources. It produces about 30 tons of high-quality fishery products such as tuna, sardines, South American lobster, etc. annually, which is one of the main sources of income for the Brazilian Empire after its division.

Snow-white seagulls were flying in groups over the sea. Dozens of fishing boats of different sizes were busy moving back and forth in the waters near the coast. Fishing nets filled with various fish were being dragged onto the boats by steam turbines.

The appearance of the American expeditionary fleet had a certain impact on the fishing grounds. In order to avoid possible harm from the warships, seven or eight medium-sized wooden fishing boats hurriedly headed towards the estuary. About half an hour later, the expeditionary fleet gradually went away, and the departing fishing boats reappeared and continued their busy fishing work.

Looking back at the Marajó Bay behind the warship,
Captain Winfield of the U.S. Navy could not help but sigh: "South America is rich in resources and fertile land. No wonder Orientals travel thousands of miles away from the Far East to live in South America."

"Like North America, South America is God's beloved fertile land, the promised land bestowed by God on white people. North America belongs to the United States, while South America was divided among Spain, Portugal, and white civilians from European countries who migrated there. Unfortunately, after independence, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil were unable to hold on to the land they inherited, and it was snatched away by the Han Chinese. Now, the Republic of Brazil cannot cope with the threat from the Orientals on its own, so it has turned to the United States for help."

Rear Admiral William Sampson, deputy commander of the expeditionary fleet, said: “The Orientals, as well as the Russians in Eastern Europe, have genes contaminated by the Mongolians flowing in their blood, and are full of greed for land and desire for expansion in their bones.

The chosen land bestowed by God can only have one owner, that is, the United States of North America. We must not allow the expansion of the Orientals in South America, and we must not allow a unified and powerful country to emerge in South America. Otherwise, the fundamental interests of the United States will suffer serious challenges and damage. "

"So the United States sent an expeditionary fleet to interfere with the barbaric expansion of the Orientals. The Orientals' borders must stop at the southern line of Brazil, and the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Brazil must also be guaranteed."

The commander of the expeditionary fleet, Vice Admiral John Davis Long, walked onto the deck and said solemnly, "The United States has officially intervened in the war in South America, and will also be deeply involved in the affairs between the Republic of Brazil and the Brazilian Empire. According to the analysis of the combat orders issued by the Presidential Palace, the United States has selected the Republic of Brazil as the legitimate government of the Brazilian region. After the war with the Han Kingdom is over, the United States is very likely to fully support the Republic of Brazil to unify the entire territory and end the division between the north and the south of Brazil."

"That's what we should do. The strength of the Republic of Brazil alone cannot achieve the goal of curbing the expansion of Han's power. Only by ending the division and unifying the entire Brazilian region under one regime can we effectively resist the threat of Han."

"My friends, the British, the French, the Germans, and even Colombia, which is supported by European countries, have ignored the legitimate interests of the United States. It is time to show them the true strength of the United States by intervening in the Brazilian war."

John Davis Long looked at several senior generals on the deck and encouraged them, "European countries despise the dignity of the United States, despise the military power of the United States, and ignore the interests of the United States. As excellent soldiers of the United States, we must use war to make those arrogant European paupers sober up and let them know who is the real master of the New World!"

"For the United States! For victory!"

Rear Admiral William Sampson, Captain Winfield Schlee and others responded in unison.

"We are about to enter the central waters of the Brazilian Empire. I order the release of guard ships to scout the enemy situation ahead. The entire fleet is on standby mode. Target the waters along Ilheus and Tinare Islands. Sail at full speed!"

"Yes, General!".
(End of this chapter)