January 25, 1901, spring.
Tsar Nicholas II's extraordinary rage had not yet subsided when news arrived from the British Empire of Queen Victoria's death.
Queen Victoria lived three days longer than in original history, mainly because she heard news of Britain's impending war with the United States in mid-January. This news seemed to give her a burst of vitality, allowing her to hold on for three extra days, hoping to hear good news of a British victory before her passing.
However, on January 25, news of the British defeat in the United States arrived.
This beloved and respected Queen Victoria could not withstand the blow.
Edward VII was overcome with grief, and the entire United Kingdom halted all activities to hold a three-day funeral for Queen Victoria.
It was on this day.
Tsar Nicholas II was extraordinarily enraged.
He immediately declared that he would exercise the Tsar's supreme power to conduct an unprecedented trial against Dutch Van der Linde!
At the same time, he would assist the United States Federal Government in restoring its legitimacy!
Of course, this was merely a pretext, a flag to justify a large-scale military deployment.
In reality, this reason was not legitimate either, but at least there was a reason.
As mentioned before, Nicholas II's desire for conquest was even greater than that of German Emperor William II, but his own strength was far inferior to his cousin's.
However, this still could not hinder his mad ideas.
Compared to him, England and France were somewhat different.
Perhaps this war allowed these two European powers to see the United States' war potential, the difficulty of confronting Mr. Dutch Van der Linde, or perhaps they feared Germany, which had remained inactive throughout, would stab them in the back.
After their front-line forces suffered setbacks, England and the French Empire, uncharacteristically, did not immediately denounce or send troops to save face. Instead, they used diplomatic means to demand prisoners from the Van Der Linde Government and prepare to sign a peace agreement.
January 30, 1901, spring.
Queen Victoria's funeral concluded, and King Edward VII of the United Kingdom officially ascended the throne.
In reality, the ascension should not have been so short; various procedures would take some time.
However, Britain had just suffered a defeat, and the morale of its domestic populace was greatly shaken, giving them a sense of losing confidence.
Moreover, coinciding with Queen Victoria's death, various rumors began to spread.
Many believed that the era of the United Kingdom had passed, and this was God's omen before its decline!
To stabilize public sentiment and to bring some good fortune, Edward VII was compelled to hastily ascend the throne and be crowned Emperor.
And it was immediately after his ascension.
The British Empire and the French Empire each published an international statement in the newspapers.
This caused an uproar worldwide.
"The British Government/French Government firmly supports humanitarian treaties for peaceful development and harmonious coexistence, and has decided to establish peaceful diplomatic relations with the Van Der Linde Government, while also assisting in resolving the issues of peace and stability between the Van Der Linde Government and the United States Federal Government.
Harmonious development is centered on human rights…"
Do not perceive this statement as a sign of weakness; in fact, if it were truly acted upon, Britain and France would have successfully stirred up trouble.
This statement had only two objectives: first, to appease Mr. Dutch Van der Linde, hoping to reclaim their prisoners and warships.
The loss of troops was insignificant, but the loss of warships was a true loss in this era.
They gained nothing from this venture, instead losing dozens of their own warships, which was a huge financial loss.
Adhering to the principle of 'no profit, no early start,' and the idea of not returning empty-handed, their second planned strategy came into play.
Second, they wished to use the pretext of peaceful development to split the United States into two countries, East and West.
Indeed, the so-called persuasion of the Van Der Linde Government and the United States Federal Government was primarily based on this reason.
In fact, by the late 19th century, the prosperity of the United States had already begun to keep these European powers awake at night.
How could these old empires not fear that this barbaric land, which Europe had once looked down upon, now had a total output value higher than that of the British Empire?
They dreamt of finding a way to divide the United States, so as to avoid having such a powerful nation next to their own countries.
And now, they finally caught an opportunity.
As soon as these two statements were released, the entire world was plunged into a maelstrom of public opinion.
The United States Federal Government was furious and held a press conference that very day.
At the conference, Mr. President Roosevelt vehemently shouted, "The United States cannot be divided, just as Jerusalem cannot fall!"
The United States Federal Government issued a stern statement that very day, rejecting the peace proposals of Britain and France.
Meanwhile, Tsar Nicholas, who had only two days prior issued a declaration of war, was bewildered.
What does this mean? I only sent troops because I saw you all fighting!
Now that I'm rising up and ready to go all out, you're backing out and not fighting anymore?
Aren't you treating me, Nicholas, like a fool?
Tsar Nicholas II was furious, absolutely furious!
You're all cousins and uncles, you can't screw me over like this!
Nicholas II immediately wrote to his uncle, Edward VII, vehemently denouncing the British Government's betrayal.
What was he to do?
We could have all ganged up and suppressed the United States together, but now it's just me, and I've just made an oath. How am I supposed to clean up this mess?
Edward VII's wife and Nicholas II's mother were siblings.
Being rebuked by his nephew, he himself didn't feel too good.
Having no choice, Edward VII wrote to his other nephew, William II.
Now that everyone has moved against the United States, you're the only one hiding and staying silent, which makes us very nervous!
What exactly are you secretly planning, young man? You should at least show your hand a little, so we know where you stand?
We are all good relatives, so let's not sneak attack each other!
Before replies to their letters were received, following the statement from the United States Federal Government, the Van Der Linde Government also officially made its stance known.
The Van Der Linde Government's attitude was exceptionally firm!
1. No return of prisoners or warships.
2. No seeking peace, and no agreement to seeking peace.
The United States cannot be divided, and Mr. Van der Linde cannot stand by and watch the American people be slaughtered and oppressed by other nations!
The strong stance of the United States Federal Government and the Van Der Linde Government completely dashed the British's and French's meddling intentions, but it also infuriated them.
Damn it, it's one thing for the United States Federal Government to reject this proposal, after all, it is an internationally recognized legitimate government and has some strength.
But why is your Dutch Van der Linde Government, a pseudo-government of the United States, so unyielding?
What are you?
So what if you won a few battles? What does it matter to win a war with merely tens of thousands of troops, without logistics or support?
What real strength do you have to be so arrogant?
What angered them most was not the Van Der Linde Government's rejection of their proposal, but its refusal to return prisoners and warships!
The loss of soldiers was negligible.
The loss of warships was heartbreaking.
Productivity was already low in those days; a single warship cost a fortune, and it took more than a month to build one.
Such significant losses were truly painful.
The British Empire and the French Empire were enraged.
But before they could voice their opinions, Germany erupted.
February 1, 1901.
William II made a rare public statement.
He first denounced Dutch Van der Linde in newspapers, accusing him of being a wolf with wild ambitions, attempting to invade America by force and declare himself emperor!
Before this news even reached the ears of Americans, William II, with lightning speed, dispatched fifty warships and one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers, sailing majestically across the Atlantic towards America.
His action instantly caused a global reaction.
Well, now the most powerful countries in Europe and even the world had all set their sights on America.
America was in for a tough time!
Germany's reaction almost completely settled the hearts of England and France, and made Nicholas II so happy he wanted to jump for joy.
Great, now everyone could truly send troops over happily.
Although the sick tiger in the East made everyone want a bite, this terminally ill tiger was not urgent; it could be eaten anytime.
But this brown bear fighting itself was different; if it wasn't eaten now, it might not be possible to eat it later, or it might even turn around and eat them.
What to eat, and what was most important to eat, was now clear to everyone, and they acted with remarkable tacit agreement.
The wealth of the East was too little; besides gold and silver, only minerals were worth some money, and not much. After all, the British Empire and the French Empire had their own colonies, and the resources in those places were much more abundant than in the East.
They had no need to pay more for such meager resources.
But America was different; America had developed, and resources and gold and silver were merely the most basic wealth. Its industrial foundation, various large-scale factories, and various machines were the truly valuable assets.
These things, once brought back home, could be put to use; opening the machines could immediately convert to production, which was true wealth.
William II's naval fleet absolutely shocked the world!
He didn't make a move unless it was terrifying!
Fifty warships and one hundred and fifty thousand troops were completely sufficient to establish new colonies overseas.
There hadn't even been such large-scale warfare in recent years.
Now everyone could see that the German Second Reich Empire was getting serious!
True to Germany, true to Prussia. Europe gave William II a thumbs up, praising his boldness.
No advance troops, no probing at all, just a massive deployment of forces from the start, ready to strike hard!
This was simply too arrogant!
With the German Second Reich Empire's deployment of troops, the British Empire and the French Empire could no longer sit still.
Nicholas II even jumped up and cheered.
On February 3, 1901.
Nicholas II made a bold declaration.
"Millions of Russian Empire troops will cross the ocean and arrive in America; Russian Empire soldiers will conquer every inch of America's land!"
As Germany's naval fleet had just finished preparations and set sail into the Atlantic.
The entire Russian Empire mobilized completely.
Tsar Nicholas II frantically conscripted soldiers; countless serfs who had escaped their serfdom status were pulled from their fields by Tsar Nicholas II.
Each was given a gun, and they were marched in a mighty procession towards the docks.
At the same time, today's grain tax was raised again, and troop transports, cargo ships, various warships, one hundred thousand logistical personnel (medical staff, cooks, etc.), along with two hundred thousand soldiers, were majestically preparing to be transported to America.
The entire nation went into full war mode for this conflict, with various cannons and ammunition being frantically loaded onto ships, determined to fight a battle that would display Russia's sharpness!
People have a herd mentality.
Most countries also have this mentality, especially when seeing other countries open up overseas colonies and make a fortune. At this point, countries that haven't gotten on board will feel extremely imbalanced and will then want to compete for a share.
Now the German Second Reich Empire had sent out troops, with a magnificent and astonishing scale.
The Russian Empire had also sent out troops, even mobilizing the entire nation's strength, frantically continuing to conscript soldiers, clearly preparing for long-term, large-scale troop reinforcements.
The actions of these two great empires created a sense of urgency for the French Republic and the British Empire.
Not only did they feel a sense of urgency, but even the declining Spain, Portugal, and other smaller European countries also had different ideas.
On February 10, 1901.
The German Second Reich Empire, whose ships had already majestically left port, declared war on the American Federation.
Immediately thereafter, on February 15, 1901.
Nicholas II followed suit and declared war on the United States of America.
At the same time, their already prepared armies also set off majestically from the Pacific, crossing the ocean towards America.
The declarations of war by these two great empires almost drove other European countries mad.
However, after they paused their aggression in the East, Japan disagreed.
After experiencing 'learning from the barbarians to defeat the barbarians,' the Qing Dynasty's national strength had risen. At the very least, the various foreign warships and weapons it had purchased were now not much worse than Japan's.
The main reason they were able to ride roughshod over the Qing Dynasty was not because they themselves were too strong, but because they had the great powers leading them!
It wasn't that the Russian Empire had always been invading, or that Britain and other great powers had always been oppressing; Japan's own small population and national strength simply couldn't sustain a conflict with the Qing Dynasty.
But now, the Russian Empire was no longer managing its Far East, and the pressure in the Heilongjiang region had ceased; its mind was completely set on America, and it had even proudly led troops and personnel there. The original plan to occupy the north was thrown out the window, and now Japan was anxious.
They couldn't just follow behind and pick up scraps! What to do?
Then why not go along too!!!
The attitude of the great powers had never changed; they always bullied the weak.
Originally, the Qing Dynasty was their best target, easy to bully.
But now America was in civil war, and the profits were greater.
So, a group of them turned their heads and went to America without the slightest hesitation.
This was the essence of the world: bullying the weak, it had never changed.