As a major participant in this conflict, the United States will certainly not agree to France's mediation, which is why the ambassadors of France and Spain have come to First Town together to negotiate with East Africa.

Before long, Ernst, with a smile on his face, entered the reception room. Although he had a rough idea in his mind, he still asked Gleid and William, "I wonder what brings the two ambassadors here together?"

"Prince Ernst! You must have heard about the incident that happened the day before yesterday, where the American cruiser Maine was mysteriously sunk. Now the U.S. government is directing suspicion toward Spain, so our government hopes East Africa will join us in playing a role in this incident to maintain peace and stability in the international order." This was Gleid's statement.

The Maine incident, which was the trigger for the Spanish-American War in previous history, occurred precisely according to the historical timeline. Of course, on that very day, East Africa's intelligence service had already relayed the information back, so Ernst was not only aware of the Maine incident but knew about it more swiftly than other external countries.

"It's that American warship, isn't it? I also heard it exploded in Cuba, but I'm not fully aware of the details. So it was called the Maine." Ernst feigned ignorance while knowing full well.

"Yes, it's the Maine. The Americans are adamant that the Spanish government was behind this, and now relations between the two countries are very tense, so our country is very concerned about the regional peace situation," Gleid said.

Currently, in the international community, only the French can speak for Spain, as France is Spain's main creditor, and due to the two countries' historical and economic ties, their interests are closely linked. For instance, much of the Spanish navy consists of French-made warships.

In fact, after Spain's decline, with the advent of the era of steel battleships in the 19th century, the first ironclad ship introduced by Spain was built by France. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Furthermore, after the Franco-Prussian War, Spain became a significant investment area for France's surplus capital. Similarly, East Africa has grown economically closer to France, especially after the mutual "courtesies" over territorial issues. This was all part of the original deal, which is why relations between East Africa and France are good, and hence the French government dispatched Gleid to test East Africa's stance.

As for the relationship between the Heixinggen Royal Family and the Prussian Royal Family, it is entirely negligible. After all, East Africa allied with Austria and not with the closer Prussia, which says a lot. This is viewed by the French government as part of East Africa's independent national policy.

Especially after the recent territorial negotiations between the two countries, the French government is more convinced of its thoughts, so international communication is still crucial to breaking some misunderstandings.

At least France has proven one thing: East Africa has its own national interests, unlike the Romanian royal family, which merely echoes Germany. This makes it worthwhile for France to woo East Africa. After all, if Germany, Austria, and East Africa were to ally, the world order might change dramatically.

This is precisely East Africa's concern; getting too close to Germany and Austria could easily draw global fire, potentially forming two major camps almost instantly.

After the South African War, East Africa became a "playboy" who only talks money, not emotions, and is not afraid of offending Germany. After all, Germany needs East Africa more than East Africa needs Germany.

The reason France became East Africa's third-largest creditor is also due to this dynamic. Now, French capital is part of the economic influx into East Africa's coastal cities.

Of course, East Africa does not turn away anyone; even countries with a subtle relationship like France or past adversaries like the United Kingdom and Portugal are welcome to invest in East Africa.

Regarding Gleid's remark, Ernst said, "East Africa and France are important economic partners with common interests. However, as for the Maine incident, East Africa might find it difficult to intervene, aside from giving some rhetorical support to Spain since, as a country that loves peace, we don't want regional peace and stability to be disrupted."

Gleid said, "That might not be enough, considering the Maine incident is filled with conspiracy..."

William added, "We, Spain, are completely innocent; this is entirely an American government's premeditated plan..."

That a major power's ambassador would attempt to peddle such vulnerability to East Africa left Ernst somewhat lamenting internally over what William said about the U.S. government's long-standing plot.

If it were the previous world, the cause of the Maine explosion might be dubious. However, Ernst is now quite certain that this is a "self-directed and self-acted" script by the U.S., as Ernst has already led history astray. The fact that the timing of the Maine incident aligns precisely with past occurrences cannot be explained away as an "accident." Even the date of the First Sino-Japanese War changed significantly due to East Africa's influence and was advanced, despite being a longstanding preset in Japan's invasion plans, the Tanaka Memorial.

Therefore, according to Japanese policy, the First Sino-Japanese War was inevitably going to break out following their strategy from Korea to the Far East. However, the explosion of the Maine is an entirely different rare event.

Coupled with Ernst's previous experiences, he was more convinced of his assessment, considering the old hand the U.S. was in these affairs in the previous world, with the most famous example being the Iraq "laundry detergent" incident.

"Whether accidental or conspiratorial, changing the U.S. government's stance might be nearly impossible. Over the years, the development of the U.S. Navy shows the government's ambitions. If your two countries go to war, facing the most severe tests is unavoidable, not just in Cuba, but even other Spanish colonies, and perhaps even the Philippines in Asia, could become American targets."

Here, Ernst offered some foresight to the Spanish government. How Spain ultimately defends against a potential U.S. strike on the Philippines is not Ernst's concern.

Nonetheless, Ernst's stance still moved William greatly, as at least on this issue, East Africa was leaning toward Spain.

This was certain, not only because of royal ties between the two nations but also because Spain had recently sold Mindanao Island to East Africa, creating a bond that made East Africa's attitude towards Spain largely positive.

Ernst continued, "Regarding the conflict between America and Spain, East Africa's stance aligns with France's. Ambassador Gleid, does your French government have any concrete plans?"

The dirty work certainly can't be done by East Africa. As the world's second strongest country, and Europe's second strongest, naturally, the French should take the lead, and East Africa would just back France. East Africa might even lend a hand if France were to aid Spain in attacking the United States.

Of course, France is unlikely to do so, as France's primary concern remains Germany, and thoroughly offending the United States for Spain's sake is wholly unlikely.

Thus, France's ultimate measure is to "smooth things over," which is also Spain's only option. Now, apart from France and the "idle" East Africa focusing on economic development, no other country supports Spain.

The United Kingdom and Russia, due to their interest competition in the Far East, have adopted a policy of wooing the United States. Germany, as a later developing nation, hopes the United States will disrupt the existing colonial system, letting them reap benefits. The Austria-Hungary Empire, not even worth mentioning, may have some say in the Mediterranean Region, but it's excessively demanding in the Asia-Pacific and Caribbean regions.

In this situation, France is Spain's only option, with East Africa playing a minor role. However, if France can persuade East Africa to support its position, France's room to maneuver increases.

The United Kingdom and France possess a unique position among the major powers, particularly in terms of international influence. If France adopted a strong stance, perhaps, though unlikely, they could prevent U.S. actions. However, they might manage to help Spain reduce some losses.