Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Friedrich Shock
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"This isn't what we agreed on, Ambassador!"
Venezuelan President Cipriano Castro bellowed at U.S. Ambassador Herbert Bowen, forgetting all decorum.
Theodore Roosevelt had clearly promised to dispatch Admiral Dewey and the U.S. Navy to pressure the combined British, German, and Italian fleets.
But the American fleet that actually showed up, true to Roosevelt's word, had simply stood by idly when the European fleets appeared off Puerto Cabello. They hadn't done a thing.
Far from it—they'd watched as the Venezuelan navy was massacred by the Europeans, and just when it seemed like they might confront the Europeans, they hadn't fired a single shot before fleeing north to evade them.
"Puerto Cabello was shelled by those European imperialists! And just moments ago, word came that Fort San Carlos in Maracaibo has been destroyed! So where the hell is the U.S. Navy that was supposed to protect us?!"
Maracaibo was Venezuela's vital port linking Lake Maracaibo to the Gulf of Venezuela.
But the San Carlos Fortress, built to defend it, had crumbled helplessly under the bombardment from the European fleets deploying even battleships, leaving Maracaibo blockaded as well.
"The United States never explicitly declared it would defend Venezuela."
"Ambassador Bowen!"
"Besides, the situation has changed now."
Yet Bowen responded curtly, unmoved by Castro's outburst of rage.
Venezuela was the least of America's concerns at the moment.
'To think the Germans' new battleship was that impressive.'
After receiving Admiral Dewey's report, President Theodore Roosevelt had immediately ordered the U.S. fleet back to the homeland.
He knew it too.
With things as they were, Venezuela had to be abandoned.
And Bowen himself agreed.
"Why not call it quits and accept mediation at this point? America will advocate for Venezuela's position as best it can."
"Ha! You want me to surrender to the European imperialists now?!"
"What choice do we have?"
The European fleets had already seized control of the seas.
Holding out longer would only give the Europeans the perfect pretext to set foot on the American continent.
And that was something America absolutely could not tolerate.
A naval blockade could still be spun as not violating the Monroe Doctrine, but the moment German and British troops landed in Venezuela, everything changed.
'One wrong move, and it's all-out war with Britain and Germany!'
The German navy was the real problem.
The U.S. Navy had originally assumed it held the advantage in any clash with the Germans.
The Caribbean was America's backyard, while for the German Empire, it was distant from the homeland and lacked any decent bases.
But now that the true power of the battleship the British called Dreadnought—now even more famously known as the Friedrich-class—had been revealed, America and its navy had no choice but to rethink everything.
It bruised their pride, but naval calculations showed the current U.S. Navy would need to sacrifice at least three or four battleships to take on Germany's new vessel.
And that was utterly unacceptable for the U.S. Navy, just embarking on its Great White Fleet ambitions.
"This is betrayal. Betrayal!"
Of course, Castro—who believed (and was partly right) that America had abandoned him and Venezuela—couldn't care less about America's perspective.
"Damn it, is anyone out there?!"
"You called for me, Mr. President?"
Castro summoned his aide, his face flushed tomato-red.
And just like in the original history, he ended up playing his worst possible card.
"Round up every British, German, and Italian in Venezuela right now. Do it immediately!"
"President Castro! Stop this foolishness. Do you really want to see Europeans landing in Venezuela?!"
"Shut up! We'll do things our way now!"
Despite the warnings, Castro refused to rescind the order, and a vein bulged on Ambassador Bowen's forehead.
"Fine. Do as you please. But America will no longer consider you a friend."
He'd been patient enough.
Bowen muttered that as he stormed out of Castro's office.
Castro had crossed the line first, so now America would apply all-around pressure to drag him to the negotiating table.
'Five days, and he'll come crawling, begging for mercy.'
Venezuela was in the midst of a civil war.
The government forces held the edge for now, but U.S. intervention could easily turn the tide.
And when it did, Castro would have no choice but to accept American mediation to preserve his power.
"First, I need to meet with the British and German diplomats."
Assuming Britain and Germany were open to American mediation.
Right now, the board was tilted far too unfavorably toward America, thanks to that wildcard Friedrich der Große.
"All this over one battleship."
Bowen grumbled as he quickened his pace.
But the uproar over Friedrich der Große wasn't limited to America.
"I trusted you, Admiral Kerr. I trusted you and the Navy's judgment."
"……."
"So what is this?!"
British Prime Minister Arthur Balfour asked Admiral Kerr— who couldn't even lift his head—in a voice cold as ice.
"What the hell is this?!"
Thwack!
Unable to contain his fury, Balfour hurled the report at Kerr's face.
It was an outrageous insult that would normally demand a gauntlet thrown in response, but no one in the cabinet was defending Kerr now.
The Navy's guilt—and Kerr's—was far too grave.
"Lord Lansdowne. Tell us what Admiral Montgomery's report says."
"According to Admiral Montgomery's observations, Dreadnought boasted impressive accuracy even at 20,000 yards (18 km)."
20,000 yards.
The staggering number from Foreign Secretary Lord Lansdowne left every cabinet minister in the room stunned.
The maximum range of Britain's current battleships barely reached 10,000 yards (about 9 km). An effective range of 20,000?
Anyone with even passing knowledge of the navy would be shocked.
But unfortunately for Balfour and the ministers, the report didn't end there.
"Dreadnought also achieves a top speed of 21 knots (39 km/h) and appears equipped with heavy armor sufficient to protect its main guns. He doubts whether any British battleship could even scratch it."
"Hear that? It's a ship our battleships can't touch. Meaning every single one of our mighty Royal Navy battleships is now just a pile of scrap."
"My God……."
"Lord have mercy."
The cabinet ministers sighed in despair at Balfour's bitter sarcasm.
Britain prided itself on the world's strongest navy and possessed more battleships than any other nation.
For them all to be obsolete overnight?
This was no ordinary crisis.
"And intelligence reports that every major power is already eyeing Dreadnought—from America and Italy, who saw its power up close, to the French and Russian Empires, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and even Spain!"
Japan had even hinted at returning Mikasa and using the funds to build a Dreadnought instead.
The British government and Vickers had laughed it off and firmly refused, of course.
Japan had backed off with regrets due to its pressing war with Russia, but the other powers were different.
If Britain had been the one to pioneer Dreadnought, it might have been different, but now Britain faced a naval arms race against the world after Germany had seized the lead.
Even in original history, the race with Germany alone had bled Britain dry. There was no way they could handle this.
"How do you intend to take responsibility for this, Admiral Kerr?"
"I, uh……."
"I asked you if it was truly fine. And you assured me Dreadnought posed no threat whatsoever to British naval supremacy!"
As a result, Balfour had downplayed the threat to the point of dismissal.
And the cost was immense.
'I've barely been PM for how long?!'
Denunciations and curses were already pouring in across Britain.
Word had it citizens were even burning effigies resembling him.
How could they not rage when the British Empire faced losing command of the seas?
'If this continues, I'm finished.'
Even within the steadfastly supportive Conservative Party, calls for his resignation were emerging.
But stepping down now meant he'd never return to Downing Street.
Balfour had no desire to endure such humiliation after just a few months as PM.
"Admiral Kerr, you're dismissed from First Sea Lord, effective immediately. The same goes for those idiots who went to Germany and spouted nonsense that Dreadnought was nothing!"
"Prime Minister, b-but……!"
"You thought you could bungle things this badly and keep your post? Huh?!"
"N-no, sir."
Kerr tried to protest Balfour's unilateral decree but bowed his head again under the man's threats.
No one was left to back him.
"For the sake of your honor as an admiral, I'll give you a chance to resign voluntarily. This is my final mercy."
"……Yes, sir."
"And I'll promote Second Sea Lord Admiral John Fisher to First Sea Lord. Fisher has been insisting we adopt Dreadnought for some time now. That's the kind of man we need in this cabinet."
Of all people, Fisher.
Kerr felt like vomiting blood at the thought of Fisher—who already despised him—taking his place.
Truth be told, Kerr felt wronged.
He'd only judged Dreadnought harmless based on reports from his naval attachés in Germany.
'If not for those blind fools with knots for eyes, I wouldn't be suffering this humiliation!'
But regrets were too late.
All he could do now was go home and watch his grandchildren play.
"And let's wrap up the Venezuela matter as quickly as possible. We have no bandwidth for some minor South American nation right now."
Conveniently, Theodore Roosevelt had offered to mediate negotiations with Venezuela.
Adding that he'd drag them kicking and screaming if needed.
The Yankees' deployment to the Caribbean irked him, but to Arthur Balfour—whose mind was unraveling over Dreadnought—it was a godsend.
"But Prime Minister, will the German Empire accept America's mediation proposal?"
"Hmm, that's……."
The problem was that damn German Empire again.
The Anglo-German agreement prohibited negotiating with Venezuela without mutual consent.
If Germany rejected America's terms, Britain would be stuck in the Venezuelan quagmire too.
"How far do you think the Germans will push? Surely they're not seriously aiming to colonize Venezuelan territory?"
"Contrary to the rumors, it doesn't seem the German Empire or the Kaiser intends that. But they'll demand full compensation for property damages from the civil war—every penny owed."
Arthur Balfour nodded with a headache at Lord Lansdowne's words.
For America and Britain, money wasn't the issue.
They were desperate to extricate themselves as soon as possible.
Germany, unlike them, prioritized cash, and Venezuela would drag it out refusing to pay in full.
Negotiations would stall and drag on, tying Britain's feet in Venezuela.
"We need to persuade the German government and the Kaiser somehow."
Fortunately, Kaiser Wilhelm II was still at Sandringham House with his family.
"I'll have to ask His Majesty."
He'd have to endure Edward VII's scornful gaze over his prior public dismissal of Dreadnought, but there was no choice.
Britain needed to pull out of Venezuela fast.
Only then could they focus on the Dreadnought crisis.
"……For those reasons, Billy, wouldn't it be best to wrap up the Venezuela matter now?"
"Uncle. Grandmother Victoria wouldn't have said such a thing."
But as always, the Kaiser dashed Britain's hopes.