Dust Settles

With the few of them acting like a pack of wolves, Portugal became the greatest victim. Not only that, but Salisbury also rejected Allen Tal's earlier proposal to reduce Portugal's reparations.

After all, eight million pounds was no small sum. East Africa would play the villain while Britain took the money, so naturally there was no need to let Portugal pay any less. Salisbury even unscrupulously thought that East Africa's initial demand from Portugal had been too low—if it were doubled again, Britain would truly be rolling in it.

This notion earned the contempt of both the Austro-Hungarian Empire and East Africa. Being allies with the British truly led to no good end.

It was Allen Tal who spoke up. "Forty-eight million pounds may already be the limit of what Portugal can bear. If it is doubled, the Portuguese Government will likely simply default. They are no longer the Portuguese colonial empire that once cut such a majestic figure across the world."

In the changes to the world order during and before the nineteenth century, every country had in truth been snatching food from the tiger's jaws of Portugal and Spain. Back then, those two nations had occupied the overwhelming majority of the colonies.

Spain still retained some strength now, but Portugal had declined completely. Portugal's circumstances would certainly grow even more difficult in the future. However, most of the colonies Portugal still possessed were not especially valuable—Portuguese Goa, East Timor, and São Tomé and Príncipe were all merely small patches of territory.

As East Africa and Britain reached a reconciliation, the remaining negotiations became little more than a formality. Portugal's representative, Gels, also noticed Salisbury's change.

For most of the proceedings, Salisbury debated with the East Africans, and the exchanges were extremely heated. But whenever Portugal's issues were involved,