The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 334: Chapter 291: The Leap of the Leopard and the Italic War

The actions of the Frch in Morocco sparked strong dissatisfaction among the German people and the governmt, and made the already tse European situation ev more intse. War seemed immint.

In order to quell the soaring domestic anger, and because the actions of the Frch had indeed touched upon German interests, William II adopted the strategy of Foreign Minister Kidron, sding warships to the important ports of Morocco as a bargaining chip while watching the developmt of the Moroccan situation.

On March , 9, Germany officially submitted a memorandum to France and other major European powers, declaring that in order to protect the safety of German nationals and Germany's interests in Morocco, the German governmt decided to sd warships to the Agadir Port and withdraw immediately once the Moroccan situation stabilizes.

Before the German governmt decided to act, William II had cautiously consulted Kidron, who proposed the idea.

In response to William II's cautious questions, German Foreign Minister Kidron confidtly stated: "We are only taking corresponding actions and are not hindering France's actions in Morocco. As long as the Frch are willing to pay the corresponding interests in colonies, we can withdraw our warships immediately and recognize Frch occupation of Morocco."

Such words reassured William II slightly, leading him to decide to sd the Panther gunboat to the important port of Agadir in Morocco.

It's worth mtioning that the Panther gunboat did not, as Foreign Minister Kidron said, sit idly by after tering the Agadir port in the face of the Moroccan crisis.

This small warship, with a tonnage of less than ,000 tons, did not communicate with the Frch after arriving at the Agadir port, but directly aimed its guns at the urban city.

This famous historical provocation, known as the "Leap of the Panther," immediately heighted the already tse Franco-German relationship. Many people ev thought that war was immint and began selling their assets in panic.

As the saying goes, antiques are for prosperous times, and gold is for chaotic times. If war did break out, everyone would know that their various assets would be the least valuable.

Only by converting as much as possible into gold and important supplies before the war could they survive better wh the war broke out.

This behavior also filled the German and Frch securities markets. Numerous people sold their stocks, and many small and medium-sized German and Frch companies wt bankrupt overnight.

The people of Germany and France were full of grievances, and their hatred for each other's countries deeped ev more.

The sudd appearance of the Panther gunboat at the Agadir port startled the Frch troops stationed there.

What's more, the small gunboat aimed its guns at the city, or rather the Frch troops stationed in the city, as soon as it arrived at the port.

Such a bold and provocative move directly shocked and angered the Frch troops stationed at the port.

After all, France was still one of the most powerful powers in the world at the time. Ev if Germany's overall strgth had surpassed France, it could not sd such a small warship to provoke France so blatantly.

Although the Frch infantry was furious, there was not much it could do against gunboats. They quickly reported the situation to the domestic governmt, exaggerating the facts, and asked for battleships to be st for assistance.

After being embellished by the Frch troops, the news quickly reached Paris.

The Frch governmt was furious at the sudd appearance of the German warship, and its overt display of aggression, believing that Germany's use of a small gunboat to directly provoke Frch troops and actions was a great insult to an old superpower like France.

But it didn't d there. The next day, Germany st a message to the Frch governmt, demanding that France compsate Germany sufficitly for its actions in Morocco and guarantee Germany's interests.

The operation, which had originally be like a threat, had now become a direct one. Somehow, the news leaked out, and the Frch public became aware of Germany's threats. They took to the streets in protest, demanding that the governmt declare war on Germany to protect Frch interests and the Frch people.

Faced with emies and public opinion, ev a fool would know how to choose.

On March 4, 9, the Frch governmt officially announced to Germany that it was unwilling to accept Germany's diplomatic blackmail and only promised to protect the safety of Germans in Morocco.

The Frch's tough stance and unwillingness to back down led to a stalemate in the "negotiations" betwe Germany and France.

Under Foreign Minister Kidron's "ingious plan," the Germans did not back down, but instead chose to continue their extortion, sding the Berlin cruiser to Morocco.

If the deploymt of the Panther gunboat was just a diplomatic extortion and threat, th the deploymt of the Berlin cruiser in the eyes of the Frch seemed like a war threat and extortion.

Today's France is not the weak country it would become decades later. Faced with Germany's blatant threats and intimidation, Frch public anger was almost unstoppable, ev claiming that if the country backed down, they would overthrow the cabinet.

Do not underestimate the voice of the Frch people; if they say they will overthrow the cabinet, they really dare to do so.

At this time, the Frch governmt was also very angry, so it chose to continue to be tough on Germany.

After Germany continued its extortion, the Frch governmt refused to see the German ambassador to France, demonstrating France's tough stance.