"This is completely different from our agreement, Ambassador!"
Venezuelan President Cipriano Castro forgot about politeness and raised his voice at the American Plenipotentiary Ambassador, Herbert Wolcott Bowen.
Theodore Roosevelt had clearly said that he would send Admiral Dewey and the United States Navy to put pressure on the joint British, German, and Italian fleets to support him.
However, when the American fleet actually arrived, it just stood there and did nothing when facing the European fleet in Puerto Cabello.
It even watched as the Venezuelan navy was massacred by the Europeans. When it finally confronted the European fleet, it fled straight north without firing a single shot.
"Puerto Cabello was bombarded by European imperialists! And just now, there's news that the Fort San Carlos in Maracaibo has also been destroyed! But where on earth is the United States Navy that promised to protect us?!"
Maracaibo is an important port that connects Lake Maracaibo and the Gulf of Venezuela.
However, the Fort San Carlos that Venezuela built to protect Maracaibo was vulnerable to the bombing by the European fleet using its warships. Maracaibo was also blockaded.
"The United States has never explicitly stated that it will protect Venezuela."
"Ambassador Bowen!"
"Moreover, the situation has changed now."
In the face of Castro's angry rebuke, Ambassador Bowen responded coldly.
At this time, Venezuela was not the focus for the United States.
"The new German warships are incredibly powerful."
After receiving the report from Admiral Dewey, President Theodore Roosevelt immediately ordered the United States fleet to return to the mainland.
He was well aware of the situation.
At this point, Venezuela had to be abandoned.
Bowen completely agreed with this.
"Give up now and accept the mediation. The United States will try to speak on behalf of Venezuela's position."
"Ha! You're asking us to yield to European imperialists now?!"
"There's no other choice."
The European fleet had already gained control of the sea.
If they persisted, it would only provide an excuse for the Europeans to establish a firm foothold on the American continent.
And this was something the United States absolutely could not accept.
The naval blockade did not violate the Monroe Doctrine for now, but once the German and British troops landed in Venezuela, things would change completely.
"If we're not careful, it will lead to a full-scale war with Britain and Germany!"
Especially the German navy was a major problem.
Originally, the United States Navy thought that even if it engaged in a battle with the German navy, it would have the upper hand.
After all, the Caribbean Sea was the backyard of the United States, while for Germany, it was a place far from its homeland with almost no strongholds.
But as the true power of the new warships called "Dreadnoughts" by the British emerged, the United States Navy had to re-examine the situation.
Although it was hard to accept, according to the calculations of the navy, if the current United States Navy wanted to deal with the new German warships, it would have to sacrifice at least three to four warships.
And this was something that the United States Navy, which had just started to pursue the dream of the "Great White Fleet," could not afford.
"This is a betrayal! A complete betrayal!"
Of course, Castro believed (and to some extent, it was true) that the United States had abandoned him and Venezuela. He didn't care about the United States' position at all.
"Damn it, is there anyone outside!"
"Mr. President, you called me?"
Castro's face turned as red as a ripe tomato, and he summoned his adjutant.
Then, just like in history, he finally took the worst and most risky step.
"Immediately arrest all the British, German, and Italian people in Venezuela! Right away!"
"President Castro! Stop doing stupid things! Do you really want to see the Europeans land in Venezuela?!"
"Shut up! We'll do whatever we want now!"
Despite the dissuasion, Castro insisted on not withdrawing the order, which even made Ambassador Bowen furious, with the veins on his forehead bulging.
"Do as you please! But the United States will no longer consider you as a friend!"
The tolerance had reached its limit.
While muttering, Ambassador Bowen slammed the door and left Castro's office.
Since Castro had crossed the line first, in order to bring him back to the negotiating table, the United States would definitely exert comprehensive pressure on Venezuela.
"Probably in five days, he will kneel and beg for mercy."
Venezuela was in the midst of a civil war at this time.
Although the government forces had the upper hand for the moment, if the United States intervened, the situation could easily be reversed.
By then, in order to retain his power, Castro will have to accept the mediation of the United States.
"First, I have to meet with the diplomats of Britain and Germany."
The British and Germans need to be willing to accept the mediation of the United States.
Now, due to the appearance of the SMS Friedrich der Große, the situation is extremely unfavorable for the United States.
"Just one warship has caused such a big mess."
Muttering to himself, Ambassador Bowen left in a hurry.
However, it's not just the United States that has been thrown into chaos by the SMS Friedrich der Große.
...
"I trusted you, Admiral Cole. I believed in you and the judgment of the navy."
"..."
"But what on earth is going on?"
British Prime Minister Arthur Balfour looked coldly at Admiral Cole, who was bowing his head in silence, and questioned him.
"What on earth is going on!"
Slap!
Unable to contain his anger, Balfour slammed the report in his hand into Admiral Cole's face.
This was a great insult and rudeness. Under normal circumstances, Admiral Cole could have immediately retaliated furiously. But now, not a single person in the cabinet stood up to defend Admiral Cole.
Because the mistakes made by Admiral Cole, and even the mistakes of the entire Admiralty, were truly unforgivable.
"The Marquess of Lansdowne, tell us what's written in Admiral Montgomery's report."
"Admiral Montgomery concluded after his observation that the HMS Dreadnought still showed an astonishing hit rate at a distance of 20,000 yards (18 kilometers)."
20,000 yards.
Hearing this astonishing figure from the Marquess of Lansdowne, the Foreign Secretary, all the ministers and undersecretaries in the cabinet showed expressions of shock without exception.
You must know that the maximum range of the British navy's battleships in active service is only 10,000 yards (about 9 kilometers). But the effective range of the HMS Dreadnought has reached 20,000 yards?
Anyone with even a little knowledge of the navy would be greatly surprised upon hearing this news.
However, for Balfour and the members of his cabinet, the content of this report was far from over.
"Furthermore, according to the report, the maximum speed of the 'Dreadnought' reaches 21 knots (39 kilometers per hour), and it is equipped with medium - grade armor sufficient to protect its main guns. Admiral Montgomery stated that with the battleships currently in service in our British navy, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to even scratch the surface of the 'Dreadnought'."
"Have you heard that? Our battleships are no match for the HMS Dreadnought at all. In other words, all the battleships our British navy has now have become obsolete."
"Sigh..."
"My goodness!"
Balfour's self-deprecating mockery made the cabinet members show expressions of despair one by one, and they all sighed.
As the most powerful naval country in the world, Britain has more battleships than any other country.
But now, those battleships have all become obsolete?
This is by no means a minor issue.
"What's even worse is that according to the intelligence, all the major powers have been coveting the HMS Dreadnought. Starting from the United States and Italy, which have witnessed the power of the HMS Dreadnought, countries like France, the Russian Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and even Spain are paying attention.
Even Japan has implicitly proposed the possibility of returning the Mikasa and using that money to build an HMS Dreadnought.
Of course, the British government and Vickers Company categorically rejected this absurd request.
Fortunately, Japan, eager to engage in war with Russia, had no choice but to accept this result and leave resentfully. But the reactions of the other major powers were quite different.
If Britain had been the first to master the "Dreadnought," the situation might have been different. But the fact was that the German Empire was the first to possess the "Dreadnought," forcing Britain to launch a naval construction race on a global scale.
In the original history, just the naval construction race with Germany had already exhausted Britain. Now, the current situation was even more unbearable for Britain.
"Admiral Cole, how do you plan to take responsibility for this?"
"This, this..."
"I asked you if everything was really okay. What was your answer at that time? You said that the 'Dreadnought' posed no threat to Britain's maritime hegemony!"
Precisely because of this, Balfour had greatly underestimated the threat of the "Dreadnought" and almost completely ignored its existence.
And now, he was paying a heavy price for it.
"How long have I been the prime minister!"
Criticisms and curses from all over the country came one after another.
There were even rumors that angry citizens were burning dolls made in his likeness.
After all, as a symbol of the British Empire, the loss of maritime hegemony was something that would make anyone furious.
"If things continue like this, I'm finished."
Even within the Conservative Party, which had firmly supported him, voices calling for his resignation had started to emerge.
If he was forced to resign at this time, it would be impossible for him to return to the position of prime minister.
Balfour couldn't bear to suffer such humiliation just a few months after taking office.
"Admiral Cole, you will immediately be relieved of your position as the First Sea Lord! And those idiots who went to Germany and came back babbling that the 'Dreadnought' was insignificant will also be dismissed!" "Prime Minister, this, this is too..."
"Do you think you can still keep your position after making things like this? Hmm?!"
"No, I don't dare."
Admiral Cole had wanted to protest against Balfour's unilateral notice, but under the other's coercion, he finally lowered his head.
After all, no one would speak up for him.
"However, to save your reputation, I will give you a chance to resign on your own. This is my last act of kindness."
"...Yes."
"Furthermore, I have decided to promote Sir John Fisher, the Second Sea Lord, to the position of the First Sea Lord. I heard that Sir Fisher has always insisted on introducing the 'Dreadnought'? The current cabinet needs such a person."
It had to be Fisher.
Just thinking that Fisher, who had a bad relationship with him, was going to take his place made Sir Cole feel like vomiting blood.
To be honest, Sir Cole also felt that he was rather wronged.
He had only drawn the conclusion that the "Dreadnought" was nothing to be afraid of based on the reports of the naval attachés sent to Germany.
"If those idiots hadn't been as blind as two lumps of wood, how could I have ended up in such a humiliating situation!"
But it was too late to regret now.
The only thing he could do was to go home and play with his grandson.
"Also, regarding the issue of Venezuela, we must resolve it as soon as possible. We don't have the energy to deal with these small South American countries any longer."
Coincidentally, Theodore Roosevelt of the United States had offered to mediate the negotiations in Venezuela.
He also added that if Venezuela didn't cooperate, they would be forced to come to the negotiating table.
Although the Yankees' act of sending their fleet into the Caribbean Sea was very annoying, for Arthur Balfour, who was already overwhelmed by the "Dreadnought" issue, this was undoubtedly a godsend.
"However, Prime Minister, will the German Empire accept the mediation plan proposed by the United States?"
"Hmm, well..."
The problem was still with that damned German Empire.
There was a provision in the agreement between Britain and Germany that neither side could unilaterally negotiate with Venezuela without the consent of both parties.
If the conditions proposed by the United States didn't meet Germany's wishes, Germany would refuse, and this would prevent Britain from extricating itself from the quagmire of Venezuela.
"What do you think the Germans will demand? Do they really want to turn Venezuela's territory into a colony?"
"Although there are some rumors saying so, judging from the current situation, the German Empire and the Emperor have no such intention. However, they will definitely try to obtain all kinds of compensation, such as compensation for property losses caused by the civil war, from Venezuela."
After listening to the Marquess of Lansdowne, Arthur Balfour frowned and nodded.
For Britain and the United States, money is not an issue now.
They are even going crazy with anxiety and just want to get out of this matter as soon as possible.
But Germany is different from Britain and the United States. They value money the most, and Venezuela will do everything possible to delay and refuse to pay these compensations.
In the end, the negotiations will reach an impasse and drag on for a long time, and Britain will be firmly caught up in the Venezuela issue because of this.
"We must find a way to persuade the German government and the Emperor."
Fortunately, Emperor Wilhelm II is currently living with his family at Sandringham House.
"It seems that we can only make a request to His Majesty."
Although his previous remarks on the "Dreadnought" issue might incur the reproachful gaze of King Edward VII, there's no time to care about that now.
Britain must get out of the Venezuela issue as soon as possible.
Only in this way can Britain have the strength to deal with the "Dreadnought" issue.
"...So, Willy, do you think it's time to put an end to the Venezuela issue?"
"Uncle, if it were Grandma Victoria, she wouldn't say that."
However, as always, that Emperor once again let down Britain's expectations.