"Your Highness, the Spanish government has already conveyed to us their intention to negotiate peace with the United States. They have completely lost the confidence to continue fighting, and this war is nearing its end," Herman reported to Ernst with the information obtained by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In the Spanish-American War, Spain was originally the passive side taking a beating, and after the complete destruction of its colonial navy, it was utterly helpless.

As a result, East Africa and France, who were on Spain's side before the war, became Spain's preferred mediation countries.

"In such matters, we should follow France's lead. I believe France can secure the best conditions for Spain."

The truth is, if it weren't for France's mediation in the previous life, Spain would have fared even worse. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

However, Ernst's mood is generally good. Even though Spain was defeated, it taught the United States a lesson. Even the bottom line of a power like Spain could cause trouble for the United States. Let alone the United Kingdom and France, whose naval prowess showed no signs of decline. In fact, both countries' navies still have significant room for improvement.

Now, although all countries seem to be moving towards a "great navy," in reality, none have fully tapped into their potential. It would take a world-class war to truly manifest this potential.

November 2, 1898.

France, Paris.

Hosted by France, the diplomats of Spain and the United States gathered in Paris to conclude the Spanish-American War. Ambassador Lawrence from East Africa also attended this mediation meeting.

After the war broke out, relations between the United States and Spain hit rock bottom. With Spain's defeat, the animosity of the Spanish public towards the United States even surpassed that towards the United Kingdom.

Spain, once a world overlord, had many enemies, including Portugal, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and others. However, there's no doubt that in Spain's history, the United Kingdom, which stripped Spain of its maritime dominance, was the foremost opponent. Of course, that's a centuries-old story now.

The impact of the Spanish-American War on Spain was no less significant than the defeat of the Invincible Armada. This time, the Spanish navy once again faced near-total destruction.

If it weren't for the fact that Spain's mainland is still considerable, it could have easily become a third-rate country like Portugal.

After the meeting began, both sides blamed each other as the main cause of the war. The entire venue was filled with tension, making the post-war negotiations a battle in the war for peace.

Soon, after both countries presented their views, France began to mediate, essentially suggesting both sides make concessions to improve relations.

When Ambassador Lawrence spoke, the "battle" reignited. As an even more stalwart supporter of Spain than France, he sarcastically remarked: "Spain is clearly the victim in this war. Although the source of the conflict was the Maine incident, there's no conclusive evidence in the Maine incident. It might well have been orchestrated by a third-party force. After all, illegal armed forces in Cuba have long received support and assistance from third countries, which is the fundamental cause of Cuba's instability."

"In such a geopolitically fragile region as Cuba, there was no need for Spain to clash with the United States. The Maine incident reeked of conspiracy from the start, and the Spanish government had neither the need nor the motive to tamper with the Maine."

From any angle, Lawrence was prepared to speak in Spain's favor. Naturally, his remarks provoked dissatisfaction among American diplomats.

"Ambassador Lawrence, the Maine is a scar for us Americans. Hundreds of American soldiers and citizens lost their lives. We've conducted a thorough investigation of the Maine long ago, the cause having been already pointed out: it was triggered by a mine laid by Spaniards."

Lawrence coldly retorted: "Unilateral investigations are never convincing, especially when evidence can be fabricated. Moreover, the notion that a single torpedo could cause such an explosion on the Maine seems rather implausible."

"We had already stressed beforehand that a Spanish torpedo struck the Maine's ammunition depot, causing a larger explosion," the American side argued.

Lawrence: "The Spaniards were not involved in the construction of the Maine. How could they possibly know the ship's structure so well..."

The debate over the Maine between the two sides, naturally, could not arrive at a conclusion. However, that's precisely what Lawrence wanted to see. What the Americans did doesn't matter; what matters is persuading other countries to suspect that the United States was indeed the Black Hand behind it. Even just sowing doubt achieves the goal.

"Alright, Ambassador Lawrence, without evidence, certain things should not be said lightly. Presumed innocence is necessary to uphold the fairness of this meeting." The Belgian diplomat advised from the side.

The French also timely interrupted Lawrence's speech: "This matter has been unclear from the start. Our focus now should return to the outcomes of the Spanish-American War. As the losing nation, Spain naturally has to bear the consequences of defeat. However, this war mainly took place on Spanish territory, so regardless of any pretext for war, the United States also erred."

The French Government immediately reprimanded both the United States and Spain, continuing: "As the victor in this war, what result does the United States seek?"

At this point, the U.S. government wasn't interested in bickering with Lawrence anymore. It was time to secure their interests first: "As the victorious nation, we demand that Spain withdraw from Cuba, the Philippines... several colonies, and compensate our country's losses from this war..."

The United States indeed suffered significant losses in this war. Including the Maine, the United States lost a total of four cruisers, with an additional five heavily damaged, and various damages to other warships as well.

Of course, compared to the United States, Spain suffered even more. Its colonial navy was completely defeated, and its mainland navy suffered major setbacks in Cuba. After this war, Spain's naval strength would be impossible to recover for several decades.

Spain, therefore, naturally couldn't agree to the conditions proposed by the U.S. government. Ceding territory was already painful enough, yet to also pay reparations was something the Spanish found even more unacceptable.

However, the United States was fearless in Spain's refusal. Given that the Spanish navy had been crippled, if the war continued, it could literally reach Spain's doorstep.

"The value of Cuba alone is enough to cover the United States' losses. As for reparations, mentioning them is unnecessary. The damage to the Spanish navy far exceeds that of the United States and should be reciprocated, with the U.S. compensating Spain for its losses," Lawrence interjected at this moment.

Faced with Lawrence's clownish antics, American diplomats were left speechless. Is Spain East Africa's cherished parent or what? Naturally, Spain was grateful for East Africa's "righteous speech."

However, Lawrence's comments did not incite strong dissatisfaction from the Americans. As he put it himself, just Cuba, as an important global sugar and tobacco producer, had a value sufficient to offset the United States' losses.

Moreover, Lawrence's statements implicitly indicated that East Africa wasn't opposed to the United States annexing Cuba! Therefore, the American diplomats chose to forgive Lawrence's inappropriate remarks.

However, Cuba is Cuba, and the Philippines is the Philippines. East Africa may accept the United States annexing Cuba but cannot tolerate an easy annexation of the Philippines. Hence, the ensuing discussions on the Philippines' fate turned into Lawrence's main battleground.

"The Philippines shouldn't even be on the discussion table. After all, the Maine incident occurred in Cuba, and the Philippines merely found itself embroiled in an undeserved catastrophe. Furthermore, the United States Navy had already begun training in Xiangjiang in June last year, reacting swiftly towards the Philippines after war broke out. Therefore, the Philippine issue should be distinct from the affairs of the Caribbean Sea Region, with Spain continuing to lead the sovereignty discussions over the Philippines."

On the issue of the Philippines, Lawrence encouraged Spain not to give in. After all, being neighbors with Spain was far preferable than being neighbors with the United States. Additionally, using the Philippines as a battleground already seemed somewhat morally questionable on the global stage. The war's fuse was the Maine, and it was reasonable for Cuba to bear the major responsibility. Pulling the Philippines into the battleground was, in a way, an overstepping of boundaries.