Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 522: British Intervention

Benefiting from the upgrading of diplomatic relations between Britain and China and his dedication in diplomatic posts over the years, the British Minister to China, as well as the doorplate with the word "Minister" on the embassy gate, have been replaced with the more eye-catching word "Ambassador".

However, less than a month after his job change, Williams had not yet recovered from the joy of the promotion when he received a difficult job to mediate the war in Paraguay and Brazil and safeguard the strategic interests of the British Empire in South America.

The Paraguayan War lasted for about half a year. The scale of the war expanded from Paraguay to the Republic of Brazil, the Brazilian Empire, the South American Han Kingdom and other countries. Even the United States, which is far away in North America, intervened in the Brazilian Civil War by sending an expeditionary fleet and part of the army.

The Paraguay-Brazil war involves many countries with different interests. The Republic of Brazil wants to regain the lost territory occupied by Paraguay, the Han Kingdom wants to secure and digest the land seized from the Republic of Brazil, and the United States wants to expand its sphere of influence to the South American continent.

The British Empire wanted to use Han to resist the expansion of American power, but was also worried that Han's strength would grow too fast, leading to an imbalance in power among South American countries.

Because of the expansion and complexity of the Paraguayan war and the damage to commercial interests caused by the continued war,
There have been considerable disagreements and disputes within Britain over the balance strategy on the American continent.

Some people believe that the American continent is far away from the center of the world, and continuing to spend a lot of energy, material resources and manpower in the Americas will only bring limited benefits. It is better to concentrate strength in Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia and other regions. These are where the core interests of the British Empire lie. By deploying precious economic and military forces to the above-mentioned regions, greater benefits can be obtained with lower risks.

Some believe that Britain should change its foreign policy toward the United States, seek compromise and cooperation with the United States, gradually transfer the dominance of the Americas to the United States, and seek the United States' recognition and support for British interests in other regions.

Some people believe that the British Empire should shrink its sphere of influence in South America, give the Han Kingdom a certain amount of diplomatic support, and leave all the tasks of confronting the United States to the Han Kingdom. The British Empire should retreat behind the scenes and no longer have direct conflicts with the United States and the Han Kingdom over South American affairs.

Some people also believe that Han has caused more damage to Britain's interests than to America. This group of people quoted the so-called Yellow Peril Theory of the United States, preaching that Britain and the United States are of the same origin, and that Han is different from Western countries not only in skin color and culture, but its expansion in South America and Southeast Asia has also damaged Britain's global interests and squeezed the living space of Western white people. They called for comprehensive sanctions, blockades and containment of Han, on the one hand to help Brazil and Uruguay to recover the territories invaded by Han, and on the other hand to seize Songkhla, Lan Fang, Congo, Polynesia and other overseas colonies directly or indirectly controlled by Han.

In order to provide a basis for their claims, these people even instigated the Straits Settlements to submit a military plan to attack Songkhla and Lan Fang, and declared with certainty that the existence of Songkhla and Lan Fang seriously threatened the core interests of the British Empire in India, the Far East and Southeast Asia, and must be resolved.

As a person who has personally experienced the policy choices in the Americas or towards China or the United States, Williams also has his own views and insights.

The influence of the British Empire expanded to every corner of the world. The huge colonies occupied most of Britain's energy, and Britain's military and economic power also reached the limit of expansion.

In Europe, the emerging Germany launched a strong challenge to Britain in the economic field.

In Central Asia, the greedy polar bear expanded its influence to Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and other places, threatening the security of the British crown - India.

In Africa, there were contradictions and conflicts over the division of colonial power between Britain and countries such as France and Italy.

In Southeast Asia, the French, eager to try, were also vigorously expanding their sphere of influence in Indochina, intending to build an Indochina colonial empire that would belong exclusively to France.

In the Far East, Russia, France, Germany, and even Japan were all salivating over the huge market, intending to cut a piece of fat from the declining Qing Dynasty.

In the Americas, the barbaric and arrogant Americans spared no effort to expel and exclude British influence. Now, they openly sent an expeditionary fleet to interfere in the Brazilian Civil War and secretly signed a garrison agreement with the Republic of Brazil.

The British Empire has the most interests in the world, but also faces the most competition and threats. South America, which is far away from the center of the world and located in a corner of the southern hemisphere, has a strategic and economic value that cannot be compared with the core interests of Europe, India, the Far East, Africa, etc. When its expansion has reached its limit, its strength is limited, and it faces an unfavorable situation of exclusion and potential competition from local American countries such as the United States and the Han Dynasty, withdrawing at the right time becomes the wisest choice.

Williams agreed with the proposal to cede dominance in South America, but he opposed the comprehensive containment of the Han Dynasty and even the attack on Songkhla, Lan Fang, Congo and other Han colonies and areas of interest.

The "Yellow Peril Theory" was first proposed by the Russian Bakunin in his book "State System and Anarchy" published in 1873.

It was then carried forward by the Americans, reaching its peak in 1879 when the Han Chinese unified Argentina and occupied the La Plata Plain, and in 1882 after the Chinese Exclusion Act was enacted.

Although the "Yellow Peril Theory" was proposed by Russia and expanded by the United States, the East Asian race represented by the derogatory term "yellow people" not only did not invade Russia and the United States, but it was Russia and the United States that launched brutal massacres and expulsions of the indigenous peoples in Central Asia, Siberia, Outer Northeast and North America. The "Yellow Peril Theory" promoted by Russia and the United States, which confuses right and wrong and smears the victims as perpetrators, is not only groundless, but also exposes their own actions to the world.

In the eyes of politicians, the "Yellow Peril Theory" is just a trick to divert conflicts and a ridiculous excuse. No one will take it seriously. Williams has every reason to doubt whether those congressmen who promote the "Yellow Peril Theory" have received benefits from the United States, otherwise they would not use such a brainless pretext as evidence to contain the Han Kingdom.

Giving up dominance in the Americas and withdrawing related capital and interests from the region is a systematic and long-term task. Even if the domestic government makes the decision to give up dominance in the Americas, before that, Williams' primary task will still be to mediate the war in Brazil.

After preparing a plan to deal with the Han government in advance and printing out the diplomatic note issued by the London government, Williams left the embassy and took a four-wheeled carriage to the direction of the Han Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"Mr. Minister, the development and expansion of the war in Paraguay has seriously threatened the peace and stability of the South American continent. The interests of the British Empire in South America have also been damaged. Today, on behalf of the British Empire, I submit a formal diplomatic note to your country. The war must be ended through negotiation and consultation. Your military operations in Paraguay and the Republic of Brazil must also be stopped immediately."

In the reception room of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Chang'an, British Ambassador Williams solemnly handed the diplomatic note to Tang Jingsong, who had just taken over the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs.

"The impact of the Paraguayan war is no longer limited to the South American continent. The Americans have dispatched their main fleet to participate. Germany and France have also proposed to set up an international conference led by Britain, France and Germany to resolve the South American war dispute.

Mr. Minister, your country has gained enough benefits in this war. It is not a good thing for your country to continue to allow the war to expand and prolong. Out of respect and friendship for your country, the British Empire rejected the interference of France and Germany and also warned the United States that without the deterrence of the British Empire, the military force sent by the United States to the South American continent would probably be more than just an expeditionary fleet. I hope your country will accept the goodwill of the British Empire and stop the war immediately. "

"I thank the British Empire for its support to the Empire. However, please understand that the war was initiated by the Republic of Brazil. The expansion of the war is entirely the responsibility of the Republic of Brazil and the United States. In order to maintain national dignity and sovereignty, the Han Empire was forced to launch a counterattack. The Han Empire also hopes to end the war as soon as possible. However, the premise must be that the victory achieved by the Empire in the war needs to be recognized and guaranteed."

Tang Jingsong replied.

"Your country still refuses to compromise on the armistice agreement?"

Williams was somewhat unsure of Han's bottom line for a ceasefire and worried that Han would go its own way. He warned: "Continuing to expand the scale of the war and forcibly occupying and annexing a large South American country will lead to opposition and interference from all countries in the Western world. Is your country ready to be an enemy of the civilized world and all countries?"

"No, Your Excellency the Ambassador has misunderstood. The Han Empire has no intention of annexing the Republic of Brazil. However, the Republic of Brazil must pay the price for actively provoking the war."

Tang Jingsong was worried that Williams might misunderstand him, so he explained, "The Han Empire also paid a heavy price to rescue the people of Paraguay and fight back against the Brazilian Republic's attack on the coastal areas of the empire. The total number of front-line field troops, garrison troops, militia reserves, and young and strong laborers who were recruited for transportation and supply exceeded 100 million, and fiscal funds of 2 million Han yuan were consumed. The number of casualties among soldiers, militia, and young and strong laborers exceeded 5. These losses were caused by the Brazilian Republic's initiative to provoke the war, so it is reasonable for the Han Empire to ask for compensation in terms of territory and funds."

"Sir, war does great harm to a country, but according to the information I have, the actual losses of your country are probably less than one-third of the data you mentioned."

Faced with the loss data that had obviously increased several times, Williams could not help but refute. Among the losses emphasized by Tang Jingsong, the financial funds consumption data was at least inflated by twice, but it was understandable. However, the personnel losses exceeded 5, which was too exaggerated and misleading. According to the battlefield news reported in the first phase of the Han Dynasty, the total casualties of the soldiers and laborers involved in the war were less than . Although the subsequent war lasted for more than a month, it was impossible to face a group of remnants and defeated generals. The number of personnel losses suddenly increased by four or five times. If the army of the Republic of Brazil really had this strength, it would not have been beaten back step by step.

"Mr. Minister, the British Empire is determined to end the war in South America and restore peace. The diplomatic note details the British Empire's request for an armistice. Your country needs to respond correctly to the diplomatic note by February 2 at the latest. Otherwise, the British Empire will force the war to end in accordance with the wishes of the people of South America."

Williams didn't have the patience to continue arguing with Tang Jingsong, so he said directly.

"The Empire respects the interests of the British Empire and its concern for the peace situation in South America. After your Majesty and the ministers have discussed and decided, we will give your country an accurate reply."

"Then I won't waste your time. I hope that the next time we meet, Mr. Minister will bring good news that satisfies both parties."

Williams picked up the tall hat, put it on his head, bowed slightly to say goodbye to Tang Jingsong, then turned and left.

(End of this chapter)