Though the scene looked far better now, Lincoln knew it still was not enough to move the legislators. He had to lay out the stakes for both sides.
In truth, this was his—or rather, the North's—real objective.
"Gentlemen, how did the Austrian Empire rise to power? Through war?"
At the same time, inside the Royal Palace of Madrid, Ferdinand II straightened in his seat. He was about to announce something momentous.
"The Americans have declared war on us!"
At the word "war," panic immediately swept through Spain. Though it had only just recovered New Granada with the Austrian Empire's help, Spain's own problems had not fundamentally improved.
Moreover, taking over New Granada had consumed immense manpower and material resources, tightening Spain's national strength even further.
In truth, the earlier proposal to trade Catalonia for New Granada had not merely stemmed from fear of the Austrian Empire. Spain was already unable to bear the cost of controlling that region.
If war broke out at such a time, there was no guarantee Catalonia would not grow even more turbulent, perhaps even rise in revolt.
Yet when they heard that their opponent was the Americans, an atmosphere of joy instantly filled the entire court. Spain might no longer possess the glory of the empire where the sun never set, but they still looked down on the barbarians of the Americas.
Though, of course, nearly all of Spain's high officials at this time came from Italy.
Carlo Ferrantini had once been prime minister of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and he was still Ferdinand II's chief minister. To demonstrate his loyalty, he was the first to speak.
"Those savages from America are utterly ridiculous! We should strike back at them hard!"
People around him immediately echoed his sentiments, but most of the officials