"His Majesty the Emperor is still hesitating about whether to carry out a military intervention in Venezuela."
"Military... intervention?"
"Yes, Hans, you should know the current relationship between Venezuela and our German Empire, right?"
"Well, I have a general understanding. I was just reading the news reports about Venezuela."
"Then, you also know how much humiliation the Venezuelan government and Cipriano Castro, this crazy Venezuelan dictator, have caused to our German Empire."
Chancellor von Bülow frowned and continued, seemingly enraged just by thinking about it.
"When Venezuela announced the suspension of debt repayment, we should have immediately dispatched troops to teach these Venezuelans a lesson and make Castro not dare to be so arrogant again."
"But His Majesty didn't do that."
"Yes, he postponed the action on the grounds that there was a civil war in Venezuela. But now, a decision must be made."
"Is this related to Venezuela's recent seizure of British ships?"
Upon hearing Hans' words, Chancellor von Bülow nodded.
Why did Germany consider taking military action against Venezuela when British ships were seized?
The reason was simple.
Because this incident had enraged Britain, and Britain planned to officially join hands with Germany to put pressure on Venezuela.
And this way of exerting pressure was...
"Maritime blockade."
"Exactly. Britain proposed to send a navy together with our German Empire to blockade the coast of Venezuela, and the Kingdom of Italy also expressed its willingness to join."
"And it seems that Your Excellency the Chancellor intends to accept this proposal."
Since the beginning of the Venezuelan crisis, Chancellor von Bülow had always advocated dispatching the navy and had a tough attitude.
Although Chancellor von Bülow didn't have much affection for Britain, this time Britain was furious due to the seizure of its ships and proposed to jointly impose sanctions on Venezuela. He had no reason to refuse.
After all, Venezuela's provocation was really too much.
"Also, the pressure from German entrepreneurs who are enraged due to the Venezuelan crisis is also a major reason, I suppose."
German entrepreneurs doing business in Venezuela had almost suffered a bolt from the blue and heavy losses all because of Castro alone.
However, their Emperor, Wilhelm II, had a different idea.
"His Majesty the Emperor is worried that the United States will intervene."
"Is it because of the Monroe Doctrine?"
The Monroe Doctrine.
It was the foreign policy of the United States, declaring that Europe was no longer allowed to interfere in American affairs.
As long as the Monroe Doctrine existed, if Germany dispatched troops to Venezuela, the United States would definitely take action.
And Wilhelm II didn't want to start a war with the United States just because of dispatching the navy to Venezuela.
In fact, in history, although Wilhelm II always shouted about war, when war was really imminent, he often hesitated.
On the eve of the outbreak of World War I caused by the Sarajevo Incident, he also frequently exchanged letters with Nicholas II, trying his best to prevent the war.
Because not only Germany, but also Britain, France, and even Russia, no one truly wanted a world war.
However, a series of illogical accidental events, the panic of fearing failure after canceling the mobilization order, and the wave of nationalism that the government couldn't control, all piled up together, eventually triggering the worst war in human history.
In short, at this stage, Wilhelm II has been reluctant to make a military decision because he is worried about a conflict with the United States.
"Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, who opposes military intervention, also emphasizes that the Venezuelan crisis itself is a trap designed by Britain to provoke a conflict between Germany and the United States."
But this statement is rather far-fetched.
In fact, Britain was eager to resolve the Venezuelan crisis as soon as possible.
After all, if Britain really wanted to provoke an armed conflict between Germany and the United States, what benefits could it actually gain from it?
"However, even setting aside this point, Wilhelm II's judgment of trying to avoid a conflict with the United States is also a relatively realistic choice."
Although the United States was only a second-rate power at this time, for Germany, which had no strongholds in the Americas, it was almost impossible to fight against the United States across the Atlantic Ocean.
"Of course, all of this is based on the premise that the United States is really willing to take the risk of going to war and actively intervene in the Venezuelan crisis."
Regarding this, Hans, who knew the future, smiled slightly at Chancellor von Bülow.
"How about you owe me a favor?"
...
"Won't the United States intervene?"
"Yes. To be honest, why should the United States sacrifice the lives of its young people for Venezuela?"
Hans and von Bülow went to Kaiser's office together and made such an assertion to Wilhelm II.
After listening to Hans' words, Wilhelm II tilted his head slightly, as if thinking: "Is that so?"
"Of course. The United States will be vigilant about Germany's military actions in Venezuela. They may suspect that Germany is using the Venezuelan crisis as an excuse to try to expand into the Americas."
"Hmm..."
"But different from the concerns of the United States, our German Empire is only using the military to punish Venezuela for its unreasonable behavior."
"That's true."
Wilhelm II nodded in agreement. He had never considered the idea of establishing colonies on the American continent, let alone that it was already out of date. After all, the Atlantic Ocean was far away, and Germany's influence in that region was limited.
"As long as the German Empire is not aiming to occupy Venezuela, the United States will not take direct action. At most, it will raise some criticisms out of face-saving considerations."
"Von Bülow, do you think so too?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. And this time, Britain will cooperate with us. We can let Britain take the lead, and Germany can just reap the benefits without much effort."
After von Bülow made such a suggestion, Wilhelm II fell into a brief period of thought.
However, the thinking time was not long.
"Alright, von Bülow, do as you said and let Britain bear the brunt. Even if there are any problems, Germany won't suffer any losses."
"Then..."
"Okay, it's settled. I agree to the military intervention in Venezuela and also agree to cooperate with Britain. Let those hateful guys taste our strength."
Finally, after Wilhelm II relented and agreed, von Bülow immediately bowed his head slightly to express his gratitude and winked meaningfully at Hans.
Next, everything went very smoothly.
After obtaining Kaiser's permission, von Bülow, as if he had already made preparations, quickly obtained the consent of the military and the parliament, and then announced the punitive action against Venezuela.
"Our German Empire announces that it will take tough countermeasures against Venezuela's actions of stopping the repayment of foreign debts, refusing to compensate for the property losses of Germans, and taking insulting actions against our country. In addition, we clearly state that this is not what some foreign media have hyped up, that is, using the non-repayment of foreign debts as an excuse to annex Venezuelan territory as a colony. It is merely a response to the Venezuelan government's offense against Germany and to recover the property belonging to Germans."
"Mr. Chancellor, does the tough countermeasure you mentioned include military intervention in Venezuela?"
When a reporter who came to interview Chancellor von Bülow asked this question, von Bülow nodded confidently.
"Of course. If Venezuela still refuses to show sincerity in negotiations, the German Empire will not rule out the possibility of taking military action."
"As is known to all, not only Germany, but also the British and Italian governments have announced a tough stance towards Venezuela. Does this mean that Germany, Britain, and Italy have reached a consensus on this matter?"
"The German Empire holds a positive attitude towards cooperation with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Italy. Is this answer satisfactory to you?"
There was a commotion at the scene.
"Then... does that mean that Germany, Britain, and Italy may jointly take military action?"
"If necessary, yes."
Chancellor von Bülow's clear statement made the reporters all bury their heads in taking notes, and the sounds of shutters kept ringing.
The German Empire began to take action.
Joining hands with the two major European powers, the British Empire and the Kingdom of Italy.
And this action was enough to trigger a storm on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
...
"Has Germany started to take action?"
"It's not just Germany. Britain and Italy have also announced that they will punish Venezuela and are preparing to take military action. In fact, this means that the three countries will jointly take action against Venezuela."
"The German Empire, the British Empire, plus the Kingdom of Italy, what a luxurious lineup."
While muttering, the man poured a little malt whisky into his glass.
Castro is really a tough guy, actually provoking three major European powers at the same time.
"In the eyes of those Europeans, it seems that our United States of America is still the weak country that just gained independence a hundred years ago?"
These military actions against Venezuela, from the perspective of the United States, are undoubtedly a kind of contempt.
Even putting aside Venezuela, the root cause of this turmoil, if the United States stands by and watches these European powers act recklessly, the prestige of the United States on the American continent will plummet.
Therefore, the United States must come up with a response strategy.
"It seems that a speech needs to be prepared, with the general content being to condemn the reckless and excessive military actions of the European powers on the American continent."
Of course, this is nothing more than repeatedly emphasizing the importance the United States attaches to the Monroe Doctrine.
Besides, the British and the Germans have never been the kind of people who will easily obey just because of a few slogans on this side.
This is more like a show of the United States to maintain its face.
Moreover, the United States didn't really intend to seriously help Venezuela in the first place.
Why should the citizens of the United States, who love freedom, sacrifice for the corrupt and violent Venezuelan dictator?
"But the situation has changed recently."
The Friedrich der Große, a new type of battleship of the German Empire that the British call a "dreadnought".
"According to the report, this is a new concept battleship that is completely different from traditional battleships."
Although there is still a lack of sufficient information and a complete grasp of the specific performance of this dreadnought, for a man who once served as the assistant secretary of the navy and is extremely interested in the navy, the dreadnought is both an extremely attractive existence and a source of unease.
What's more, the German Empire is currently at loggerheads with the United States over the Venezuelan issue.
"If Germany takes military intervention in Venezuela, it will definitely use its navy. And precisely at this time, they announced the existence of this new type of battleship."
This may just be a coincidence, but the United States can't help but doubt Germany's intentions.
In particular, it is currently rumored in the United States that Germany may use the Venezuelan crisis as an excuse to turn Margarita Island in Venezuela into a colony.
Of course, Germany is also well aware of this.
Therefore, Prince Heinrich, whose original visit to the United States in February was postponed to the recent time due to his trip to Russia, tried to improve the unfavorable atmosphere of Germany in the United States through his visit, but with little success.
The public opinion in the United States is still full of doubts about Germany. Even if Germany has no such intentions, the United States has to strengthen its vigilance against Germany in order to guard against possible accidents.
Therefore, this man decided to change his original intention and adopt a tougher attitude towards the European powers.
"Is the 'gift' I prepared ready to head to Venezuela?"
"Yes. However, is it really necessary to go this far? In case we overly stimulate Britain and Germany, it may lead to a situation that is difficult to control."
"Precisely because such a situation may occur, General Dewey's fleet is dispatched to the coast of Venezuela as a precaution. Don't worry, I have no intention of really going to war with Europe."
This is just a warning.
A warning from the United States of America to the arrogant European imperialists.
"Speak softly and carry a big stick, and you will go far."
The man, that is, Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States of America, murmured his famous saying and suddenly drained the whisky in the glass.