Chapter 88

"Your meaning is, to have me, Germany, seek and occupy a port from the Philippines?" Looking at the area where Qing Ying's finger touched, a complex expression flashed across Wilhelm's eyes, a mix of greed, eagerness, and reluctance. After a long while, he slowly spoke, "In fact, I have already considered this. The Spanish Empire is like the setting sun in the sky now, though it was once extremely glorious, it has now become a second-rate nation in Europe. It is a great waste of colonial resources for such a country to still occupy such good colonies. However, this is their most traditional sphere of influence; they have been operating in these islands for over 300 years. If Germany were to act rashly, it would have a very negative impact internationally. After all, in recent years, European countries have maintained a tacit understanding of non-aggression in their colonial endeavors. No country has ever plundered the colonies of another European nation; even Britain has not plundered the Philippines or Indonesia."

"Father, didn't you just mention the marginal effect? The old colonial powers, Britain and France, already have vast overseas colonies and countless bases and ports. It's like a person who has already eaten nine slices of bread; their desire for the Philippines is naturally not as intense. On the other hand, Germany has nothing in the Far East and is almost starving. In this situation, we must quickly seize this last piece of bread to satisfy our hunger! Moreover, compared to the formidable Beiyang Fleet of the Qing, the Spanish naval forces in the Far East are practically a pile of dung: their only combat-capable ship is an outdated 3,000-ton fourth-class cruiser. Taking a port from them would be completely effortless!" Qing Ying said with some urgency.

Wilhelm glared at Qing Ying and said, "Of course, I know that Spain's naval power in the Pacific is completely inadequate! However, often, military force cannot solve everything; we must also consider the international impact. The reason I chose to target the Qing, who have considerable naval strength, rather than the almost defenseless Philippines, is precisely because of this!"

Wilhelm continued, "The Qing's territory is larger than all of Europe, and its population makes up a quarter of the world. However, this country, which possesses so much potential wealth, has only a third-rate military. It's like an infant carrying a large amount of gold, how could it not attract the covetous eyes of other countries? Currently, apart from Britain, which still wants a complete Qing to resist Russian southward expansion, the other major powers have long wanted to take action against this weak and corrupt country, turning it into their colony! Therefore, Germany's territorial plunder of the Qing is something that France, Russia, Austria-Hungary, Italy, and even Japan have long desired. In this situation, they will not come out to criticize Germany's actions but will follow in our footsteps and also make territorial demands on the Qing."

"Spain is entirely different. Although its military strength is even worse than the Qing, it is still a member of the European nations and has no conflict of interest with the major powers. If we were to annex Spain's colonies, it would have a very negative international impact. Apart from Austria-Hungary, no country would stand on our side, which would be very disadvantageous for Germany." Wilhelm tapped his fingers on the table and said, "Therefore, although the ports of the Philippines are easier to obtain militarily, the political impact would be very detrimental to the German Empire. On the other hand, taking a port from the Qing, though more troublesome, would not face any political obstacles if we communicate with other countries in advance and reach an agreement on the distribution of benefits. Do you understand what I mean?" Wilhelm looked at the young man and said.

Qing Ying nodded slightly. Historically, Wilhelm II personally went to St. Petersburg to meet with Tsar Nicholas to secure Qingdao as a base for Germany's colonial expansion in the Far East. He offered to support Russia's occupation of Dalian in exchange for Russia's recognition of Germany's lease of Jiaozhou Bay. Additionally, Wilhelm formulated a very comprehensive plan for the division of spoils and used diplomatic means to secure the acquiescence of Britain, France, and Japan, who were either long-standing rivals or potential competitors. When German warships entered Jiaozhou Bay and the Qing government sought mediation from other countries, they found that these usually contentious Western powers had all laid down their arms and were unwilling to provide even a bit of public support. Seeing no hope for mediation and with the Germans brandishing their weapons at their doorstep, the Qing had no choice but to swallow the bitter pill and "lease" Qingdao to Germany.

Wilhelm sighed lightly and said, "Actually, how could I not want to take the Philippines from the Spanish? The archipelago is almost half the size of the empire, with abundant rainfall and rich resources. The 9 million natives living there are the best carriers for the empire's colonial plunder and commodity dumping. However, attacking a colony of white people has always been a taboo in Europe, and we have no reason to go to war with Spain. To seize this land, we must be patient and wait."

Hearing Wilhelm's thoughts expressed in a tone of resignation, Qing Ying began to ponder. From the current situation, Wilhelm had never given up the idea of annexing the entire Philippines. For this 260,000 square kilometer land, this monarch obsessed with colonial expansion had every reason to be eager. A year ago, Qing Ying had also set a strategy for Germany to gain a foothold in the Philippines: whether to cater to Wilhelm's colonial ambitions or to secure a true forward base for Germany in the Far East, the Philippines was a region he was determined to acquire. However, Qing Ying was not as concerned about the Spanish as Wilhelm was, because, knowing the course of history, he understood that it would be incredibly easy to carve out a piece of the Spanish territory.

Since Spain declared its sovereignty over the Philippines, the natives living there had never let the Spanish have an easy time. Small uprisings every three years, major revolts every five years, and countless small-scale disturbances were commonplace. According to statistics, since the Spanish occupation of the Philippines, there have been an average of five uprisings per year, with 102 major revolts. The Spanish army, which ranks at the bottom among European nations, was unable to fully suppress these uncivilized and barbaric rebels. For centuries, the empire has been in a state of semi-war and semi-peace with the natives of the colony, with the gains from the Philippines almost entirely used to suppress the uprisings. In the past, Spain could still barely suppress these resistance movements with its resources, but since the mid-19th century, as Spain's national strength declined, its ability to suppress the local rebels has also weakened.

In 1896, an unprecedented uprising erupted on the Philippine archipelago. The rebels, with the goal of "establishing the Philippine Republic," aimed to completely expel the Spanish colonizers from the Philippines. To break free from the long-term enslavement by Spain, the rebels made more thorough preparations than in any previous uprising: they signed a weapons purchase agreement with Japan, which included 100,000 firearms and corresponding ammunition, and even 150 artillery pieces. Although the Japanese arms ship carrying these weapons sank in a storm, and only a few weapons reached the rebels, the scale of the weapons purchase clearly indicated the intensity of the uprising. As long as the situation became chaotic, there would be an opportunity to take advantage of the confusion.

"During peacetime, Germany indeed finds it difficult to find a reason to act against the Philippines. However, the natives of these islands are not good-natured. They launch large-scale uprisings against the Spanish every few years, which is our opportunity to gain a foothold in the Philippines. Currently, the natives of the Philippine archipelago are in a new round of rebellion. We can claim that the rebellious natives are threatening the safety of German expatriates in the Philippines and must send warships to protect them. Once German warships enter the desired port, the rest will be up to us." Qing Ying proposed the simplest method to seize a port in the Philippines.

"Hmm?" Wilhelm's brows furrowed, a look of confusion in his eyes. Although he was not as hands-on as Frederick the Great, who slept only four hours a day, the current Germany was not the Prussia of old, and there were still many matters that required the emperor's personal review. In his memory, he did not recall any news of a large-scale uprising in the Philippines. After a moment of contemplation, Wilhelm suddenly stood up and, to Qing Ying's surprise, retrieved a large stack of documents from a file cabinet behind him and began to review them quickly. Qing Ying felt a bit nervous, as the declaration of independence for the First Philippine Republic was not until mid-June 1896, and it was only March now. However, these unruly natives should already be in conflict with the Spanish, right?

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