Naturally, Ernst could not possibly tell his subordinates something as stupid as, "I'm a transmigrator. On the surface, the United States will clash with Spain..."
Ernst said, "Of course, we do not intend to offend Spain. After all, I have a fairly good relationship with the Spanish royal family."
The Hechingen Royal Family had once provided tremendous support before Alfonso XII ascended the throne, so relations between the two countries had always been friendly. Of course, Alfonso XII had passed away in November 1895, and Spain's king was now his son, Alfonso XIII. Relations between the two countries had not changed simply because the king had changed. Leaving aside the ties between the two nations, East Africa's current strength alone was enough to make Spain take it seriously.
After the South African War, relations between East Africa and Spain had even drawn closer. After all, Spain and neighboring Portugal were not exactly on good terms. At the time, Alfonso XII had even personally written to Constantin to offer his congratulations.
"So, how we acquire Mindanao is where your Foreign Ministry must show its worth," Ernst continued.
"Your Highness, you mean?" Hermann asked, somewhat puzzled.
"The Foreign Ministry will step forward, and we will purchase ownership of Mindanao from Spain," Ernst explained.
That was indeed one possible approach, but Hermann was not optimistic. It was not as though there were no precedents for selling territory—the most classic example was the Alaska colony purchased by the royal family—but could Spain possibly be like Tsarist Russia back then? Hermann naturally did not believe Spain would consider selling its own colony. After all, when Tsarist Russia sold Alaska, certain news had already spread.
Still, there was no harm in trying. It was more reliable than letting those National Security Bureau agents stage a coup