Meeting

Arthur and John experienced a small, uneventful naval battle at sea, leading to some very bad conclusions.

Meanwhile, Davey and Mac also encountered a few problems.

A fleet of five British warships was anchored in a Cuban port near Guarma.

Unlike Mexico, where most regions were under autocratic rule at the time—though with some drawbacks, the government clearly held an advantage in diplomacy and internal management, allowing it to govern the vast majority of Mexican territory.

Cuba, however, was far more chaotic.

The Cuban Government Army, Cuban Resistance Army, Cuban Rebel Army, Cuban Revolutionary Army… a series of large and small warlords, much like during the Republican era, militarily carved up Cuban land, establishing their own regimes in their own territories.

The area near Guarma was occupied by the Cuban Government Army.

Although Cuba is small, its population is not, and as the more powerful Cuban Government Army, its soldiers and military strength should not be underestimated.

At the very least, it was not something the two thousand soldiers Davey and his group brought could handle, of course, this was without deploying Tanks or planes.

But no matter what, they couldn't rashly attack the government of a country, even if that country was in severe civil strife.

It's worth noting, however, that the Cuban Government Army is no longer the legitimate authority, because the French and Spain stand behind the Cuban Government Army. Although Spain withdrew from Cuba after the Spanish-American War, recognizing Cuba's independence, the Cuban Government Army was a remnant of the government Spain had established. As France was Spain's main creditor, it took over the remnants of the Government Army to secure its own interests.

The true legitimate authority in Cuba should currently be the Rebel Army, because the Americans launched the Spanish-American War under the banner of supporting the Cubans' uprising for independence. After the victory of the Cuban War, the Rebel Army should have been the legitimate authority in Cuba.

However, the Americans have always been very serious about being unscrupulous; after using this banner, these people became useless. He no longer supports these people who fought for their country's independence; he wants Cuba to become an American colony, so he abandoned the Rebel Army and established the Revolutionary Army to cause internal attrition.

Furthermore, by 1900 at the latest, which is this year, the Americans will issue documents to disband the Cuban Rebel Army. Two years later, a puppet government will be established.

As a fellow rising empire, Germany was delighted by this and also hoped to profit from it, so he supported the Cuban Resistance Army...

In summary, Cuba was simply a paradise for arms sales.

Therefore, everyone wanted to earn a fortune from it, to obtain generous rewards.

And this also made France, the power behind the Cuban Government Army, notice the members of the VDL Party who had come from afar.

At this moment, in the most luxurious villa in the port closest to Guarma, Cuba.

Davey and Mac, dressed in brand-new Van der Linde military uniforms made by Dutch, walked into the villa's living room guided by a servant.

The living room was resplendent with gold. A American with a Little Mustache, who could be identified as French at a glance, stood up from the sofa and greeted Davey and Mac at the doorway with a warm smile.

"Hahaha, gentlemen, hello, I am Barol Mr. Butan. A member of the French diplomatic corps, it's a pleasure to meet you."

It must be said that even though these European countries have interbred for thousands of years, they still retain distinct customs and traditions.

For example, Americans are cunning and malicious; some are exceptionally straightforward, others particularly devious. Of course, this might be related to their ancestors being either unscrupulous merchants, slave traders, or exiled criminals.

Germany is rigorous and clear, everything is meticulously divided.

The British are absolute schemers, but they also have a little pride of their own. Upon hearing the name of the British Empire, even a factory worker who has worked continuously for seventy-two hours would need to inject himself with a stimulant to express the deep pride he feels for his glorious homeland.

The French are warm and intimate, appearing to be good-natured on the surface, but in reality, they're the kind who could sell you out behind your back.

Davey and Mac immediately saw through Mr. Butan's true nature.

"Davey Callander, this is my brother Mac Callander. We belong to the American VDL Party, Mr. Butan, may I ask why you called us here?"

Davey, as the elder brother and somewhat shrewd and reliable, took on the main role in the conversation.

Mac followed behind him, saying nothing at all, to avoid making too many mistakes by speaking too much.

"The American VDL Party? Hahaha, Mr. Callander, I apologize, I seem to have never heard of that name. But if I'm not mistaken, I think I should be hearing that name frequently in the future." Mr. Butan was visibly surprised by their words, but then he laughed.

"Please, have a seat!" He extended his hand, gesturing for Davey and Mac to sit on the sofa, and then, without further ado, picked up the red wine and glasses from the table and poured a glass for each of them.

Mr. Butan handed the red wine to the Callander Brothers, and with a smile, he calmly said, "Why do I say that, Mr. Callander? Mainly because I have heard of the Van der Linde Gang, but never the VDL Party.

According to a piece of intelligence we intercepted from Germany, there seems to be an organization called the Van der Linde Gang in the American West that is selling secret arms to Germany.

I wonder what connection this so-called Van der Linde Gang has with the VDL Party that Mr. Callander belongs to? And what kind of secret arms are they that would make Germany conceal the information and travel thousands of miles to this wild land in the American West to acquire them? They even opened a completely new shipping route for this purpose."