"Mr. President, the Germans have issued us an ultimatum, demanding that we withdraw from the Azores within twenty-four hours. Otherwise, they will take every measure to strike back," US Secretary of State Bryan said.
"What? So urgently? Didn't our ambassador to Germany explain to the Germans that this was a misunderstanding?" President Woodrow Wilson said with a smile. This so-called misunderstanding was nothing but a joke. Its sole purpose was to buy a little more time, allowing the United States to make more thorough preparations in the Azores. Unfortunately, the Germans did not seem to be taking the bait.
"The German reaction was extremely fierce. They did not listen to our explanation at all and simply made their demands as though issuing orders," Bryan said.
President Woodrow Wilson nodded. "That is hardly surprising. Germany is the world hegemon, the strongest nation on Earth. They naturally have the right to be so arrogant and overbearing."
"Gentlemen, how are our preparations proceeding? The German Counterattack will likely arrive very soon. If we can hold the Azores and force Germany to acknowledge that the Azores belong to us, it will be a tremendous victory for the Republic of America. If we fail once more, we will certainly suffer considerable losses," President Woodrow Wilson said.
"Mr. President, preparations are underway. The Atlantic Fleet is already in the waters near the Azores, awaiting an opportunity for battle. The entire 1st Marine Division has landed in the Azores and is now constructing defensive fortifications. In addition, the 2nd Marine Division and the British 1st Marine Brigade will land in the Azores over the next two days. That will bring the forces deployed on the islands to more than forty thousand men. Given the size of the Azores, that is an extremely high troop density. If the