Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 370 Britain's Concession

What Carlo said was not a lie.

On April 1895, 4, before the British Navy had time to reach the Strait of Gibraltar, joint exercises between the Spanish and French navies had already begun.

It is called a joint exercise, but in fact it is just the navies of both sides gathering together, using a few old and obsolete warships as targets, and practicing target shooting together.

The power systems inside these warships and ships used as targets underwent simple repairs to ensure that they could sail at a certain speed for a period of time.

The task of the Spanish and French navies was to simulate the process of discovering and sinking enemy warships. Whoever could sink the so-called enemy ships in a shorter time and with fewer shells would naturally be the one with the best performance.

As the planner of this joint naval exercise, Spain has also made careful preparations for the exercise.

A total of 12 obsolete warships that had undergone simple repairs served as targets, allowing the Spanish and French navies to have enough fun at once.

Although it is a joint exercise, the performance is related to the reputation of each navy after all, so the navies of both sides attach great importance to this exercise.

In order to show its strength to France, Spain dispatched its two newest battleships, Ferdinand II and Isabelle I, in this joint naval exercise.

Only when Spain demonstrates its strength will France pay attention to Spain and offer more generous conditions to win over Spain.

You know, France is one of the most powerful countries in the world today, and their battleship Brunrus is still in the dock of the shipyard.

As a latecomer, Spain has already built two battleships, a speed that the current French Navy cannot match.

In this joint naval exercise, the performance of the two Spanish battleships was so outstanding that even the French naval soldiers were envious and almost drooled.

法国的布伦努斯号战列舰早在1889年1月12日就已经开工建造，在1891年10月17日就已经开始下水测试。

Normally speaking, a completed battleship like this can be officially put into service after 1 to 2 years of launching and testing.

France had hoped to be one of the first countries to own battleships, but the construction of the battleship Brennus played a huge joke on the French Navy.

Since its launch in October 1891, this battleship, which the French Navy had placed great hopes on, has been repeatedly undergoing three stages: launching tests, discovering problems, and returning to the factory for renovation. So far, it has not been officially put into service.

Originally, the French Navy wanted to include the battleship Brennus in the joint naval exercise between the two countries to demonstrate the strength and heritage of the French Navy.

But unfortunately, the modification of the battleship Brunus has not been completed yet, and the navy cannot possibly drive a half-finished battleship to participate in the joint exercise.

This is also the reason why the French Navy drooled at the Spanish battleships. Spain really built battleships. They built five ships at a time and the construction speed was very fast. How can people complain about this?

In fact, this joint naval exercise will not take long, but the French government also knows the purpose of Spain organizing this naval exercise. They do not mind helping Spain in such small matters and bringing Spain closer to their side.

It is for this reason that this relatively small-scale exercise lasted for three full days.

On the second day of the exercise, a British squadron arrived at the Strait of Gibraltar and sent a message using flag signals to the Franco-Spanish joint fleet in the Strait of Gibraltar, requesting to pass through the Strait of Gibraltar.

The Spanish and French fleets had no objection, but when the British fleet passed through the Strait of Gibraltar, the coastal defense batteries on the Spanish coast and the guns of the two battleships had already aimed at the British fleet.

If the British fleet was just passing through the Strait of Gibraltar normally, there would be no problem. But if the British fleet wanted to cause trouble, Spain would not mind a naval battle with Britain.

The total size of the British fleet is indeed overwhelming that of European countries, but the British fleet is not only in Europe. Judging from the fleet currently in Gibraltar, their size is not as large as the fleet participating in the Spanish naval exercise, so there is naturally no need to worry too much.

The unusual behavior of the Spanish Navy immediately attracted the attention of the British Navy and the French Navy.

Aiming from the artillery was no joke, and once the Spanish gave the order to open fire, it was likely that several British warships would sink in the Strait of Gibraltar.

Coastal artillery is not a small-caliber artillery. The smallest caliber of the coastal artillery deployed by Spain around the Strait of Gibraltar is 234 mm, and the most important one is the 343 mm giant artillery of the same type as the battleship, which can severely damage the battleship with one shot.

This shows that the British fleet's intentions were indeed impure. Although the British had no plans to go to war with Spain, they had never given up the idea of ​​using the navy to deter Spain.

Although the British fleet in front of us is not large in size, it includes three battleships, namely HMS Sovereign, HMS Vengeance and HMS Resolution.

HMS Sovereign is the first ship of the Sovereign class and the first warship to pioneer the pre-dreadnought era. Since its official completion in May 1892, HMS Sovereign has been serving in the British Channel Fleet.

The same goes for the battleships HMS Revenge and HMS Resolution. They both served in the British Home Fleet. This time, Britain transferred them to the Strait of Gibraltar, obviously wanting to rely on the numerical advantage of battleships to deter the Spanish Navy.

But what the British Navy did not expect was that the Spanish were not afraid at all. Instead, they seemed indifferent to life and death and were willing to fight back if they didn't obey.

This stunned the British fleet and made them dare not take any other action.

No one could guarantee that Spain would not open fire first. If we were careless and let Spain launch a surprise attack and lose a few battleships, that would be a big joke.

The British were indeed wealthy. Not only did they pioneer the pre-dreadnought era, they also built eight Sovereign-class battleships in one go.

But this does not mean that the British can accept the result of losing several battleships in a short period of time. The total construction period of any battleship is more than two years. Even if the British build a strategic ship, it will take 2 to 3 years from the start of construction to the completion stage after launching and testing.

If too many battleships were lost at once, not only would Britain's naval advantage over other countries be wiped out, but other countries would also catch up with Britain in terms of pre-dreadnought battleships, which Britain could never accept.

"Commander, the Spanish coastal artillery is already targeting us. Do we still want to continue passing through the Strait of Gibraltar?"

On the British fleet's flagship battleship HMS Sovereign, the messenger looked at the fleet commander with a worried look on his face.

At this time, the fleet commander was somewhat unsure of the Spaniards' thoughts. At such a critical juncture, any choice could completely change the diplomatic relations between Britain and Spain.

After a moment of silence, the fleet commander issued his order: "Pass it down and continue through the Strait of Gibraltar.

Change our destination and go directly to Malta. Also, send a telegram home to inform of our situation.

If there is any desire to fight the Spanish at home, let them send more battleships.”

Although it has certain advantages in battleships, the overall size of the Spanish Navy is larger than that of the British fleet.

What's more, Spain has deployed a large number of coastal defense batteries around the Strait of Gibraltar.

The role of these coastal defense batteries is no less than that of battleships. If a fight really breaks out at this time, the British fleet will have no chance of winning.

Under the close watch of the Spanish Navy, the British fleet carefully passed through the Strait of Gibraltar. After crossing the strait, the British fleet immediately headed east to Malta without any intention of stopping in Gibraltar.

Although Gibraltar is an important naval base of the United Kingdom, under the current circumstances, there is no difference between stationing in Gibraltar and breaking into the enemy's encirclement.

Although Malta is a little far from the Strait of Gibraltar, its advantage is that it is relatively close to British colonies and friendly countries.

Even if a war breaks out, this fleet does not have to worry about being surrounded by the Spanish Navy. They can choose to station in Greece or Egypt, or evacuate through the Suez Canal to the more distant India.

Not long after, the British government also received relevant information.

They were amazed at the bold behavior of the Spanish Navy, and the British government was also worried that if it continued to deter Spain, it would trigger a war between the two countries.

But Britain is Britain after all, and relevant protests must be made even for the sake of its own face.

Shortly after the incident, the British government formally protested to the Spanish government.

They accused Spain of having no right to blockade the Strait of Gibraltar, and said it was a barbaric act to use artillery to target the British fleet as it passed through the Strait of Gibraltar.

Such behavior would not only damage the diplomatic relations between Britain and Spain, but would also lead to unnecessary disputes and conflicts between the two countries' fleets.

Following the protests, the British government demanded an explanation from Spain and a promise that such brutal acts would not happen again.

Spain does not care much about the British government's diplomatic protest.

Diplomatic protests actually represent compromise, in other words, war is basically impossible to happen again. If Britain still wants to go to war with Spain at this time, they will not adopt such a weak method as diplomatic protests.

If protests can bring about the results they want, then the great powers will no longer need armies. Only war can make other countries surrender, and diplomatic protests are only for the sake of saving face.

Since the British government wants to save face, the Spanish side should give them face.

In response to the British government's diplomatic protest, the Spanish government also made a relevant statement.

First, Spain explained that the so-called batteries aimed at the British fleet were just a misunderstanding.

At that time, the Spanish Navy was conducting joint military exercises with the French Navy, and the Spanish Navy's artillery was only aimed at targets in the same direction as the British fleet.

The Spanish government also provided several photos, in which the targets hit were indeed in the same direction as the British fleet entered the Channel.

As for the British government's claim that Spain blocked the Strait of Gibraltar, that is even more of a misunderstanding.

After all, the fact that the British fleet passed through the Strait of Gibraltar safely proved that the Spanish blockade did not exist.

The French government also provided some evidence to prove that the Spanish navy at that time was indeed aiming at the target determined by both parties, rather than the British fleet that crossed the channel.

Since the Spanish and French governments have said so, the British government naturally gave up its diplomatic protests.

Continuing the dispute will not only fail to save face, but will also make the relationship between Britain and Spain more tense.

British Prime Minister Archibald Primrose was no fool. He agreed to launch the Boer War because Britain was in an absolutely advantageous position.

If Britain had planned the war with its toes, the probability of it winning the war would have been extremely high.

But Spain is different. At present, Spain's naval power can be said to be firmly in the top three in the world. If it were just the navy that was strong, it would be fine. Spain's army is also quite good.

If Britain fought a war with such a Spain, it really couldn't be sure who would win or lose.

Although Britain could indeed reduce the supply of materials from mainland Spain to the front line by blocking the Strait of Gibraltar, this would ultimately not change the situation in which Morocco was at a disadvantage in the war.

The presence of the British army in person did slow down the Spanish army's offensive, but it was only a slowdown.

The British government is very self-aware of its own army. The British Army can indeed bully some powerful countries with weak combat effectiveness, but in front of a country with a relatively strong army like Spain, the British Army's combat effectiveness is still not enough.

Although giving up Morocco will affect Britain's control over Gibraltar to a certain extent, as long as Gibraltar is not lost, Britain will still be the country in control of the Strait of Gibraltar.

This incident could only be handled in this way, exchanging Morocco for the opportunity for Britain to deal with the Boers with peace of mind.

It would not be too late for Britain to consider the layout of the Strait of Gibraltar after it has dealt with the Boers.

At most, they can increase investment in the Mediterranean Fleet and still control the two outlets of the Mediterranean. At least in terms of the navy and the speed of naval construction, Britain is not afraid of any country in the world.

The British Empire is the only country in the world that can build battleships at a speed as fast as making dumplings.

While this farce was taking place in Spain and Britain, the Guards' attack on Morocco was going quite smoothly and had already pushed the front line to Arraish, an important city in northwestern Morocco.

Because of the abundant logistical supplies, the Guards soldiers enjoyed the fruits, beef and mutton from Spain while mercilessly firing their bullets at the Moroccans.

Although there are only 8,000 troops in northern Morocco, during the war in the past few days, the Guards have consumed millions of bullets and nearly six figures of artillery shells.

The consumption of these ammunitions was not in vain. In addition to the smooth attack of the Guards, they also caused huge casualties to the Moroccan army.

The northern region has always been where the Moroccan army is heavily stationed, with tens of thousands of Moroccan soldiers here.

After Spain declared war on Morocco, the Moroccan government organized its army to defend the south while strengthening the defense of northern cities.

There were originally thousands of soldiers stationed in Tangier and Tetouan respectively, but after the outbreak of the war the number of soldiers had increased to tens of thousands.

During the Spanish attack on Tangier, these tens of thousands of Moroccan troops were almost completely wiped out. Thousands of Moroccan soldiers died in the fierce bombing of the Spanish army, and thousands more were captured and held in the prisoner-of-war camp established in Ceuta.

Spain did not intend to establish a permanent colony in Morocco, so it did not mistreat the captured Moroccan soldiers too much.

Except for those more extreme Moroccan soldiers who are highly hostile to Spain, the remaining Moroccan soldiers will be treated well and are guaranteed two meals a day.

Although these captives needed to help Spain transport supplies under the supervision of soldiers, such labor was not unpaid.

Canned fruits and meats were the most direct rewards and also the most popular items in the POW camps.

For these Moroccan soldiers, fruits and meat were things they could not eat until a long time ago.

Being a captive, they were able to eat fruits and meat, which was quite merciful treatment.

After the Guards captured Alaysh, the number of Moroccan prisoners held in the camp had risen to over ten thousand.

The more prisoners there were, the harder it was to manage them. To prevent any accidents in Ceuta, Andrew decided to disperse the prisoners and re-establish a prisoner-of-war camp in Tangier.

Although Tangier was a city that Spain had just occupied, because it was a port city, officials and soldiers sent by Spain to maintain order had already arrived in Tangier, and militarized management had begun a few days ago.

At present, the order in Tangier is relatively stable, and there is no problem in accommodating some prisoners of war.

After dispersing the prisoners, Andrew set his sights on Fort Kebir southeast of Arraish.

Not far to the east of Kasbir is the Maihaijin Reservoir, which provides a large amount of drinking water and agricultural irrigation water to the surrounding cities, and its strategic value is evident.

As long as Spain could capture Kerala, its influence would be able to expand to a radius of dozens of kilometers around it.

Further south is Rabat, the capital of Morocco, and Meknes and Fez, important cities in central Morocco.

As long as we nibble away at these cities step by step, it will only be a matter of time before this war ends.

The 8,000 Guards also suffered a lot of casualties during the fighting during this period. The good news is that the total number of deaths and serious injuries is less than 100, which is also one of the benefits of firepower coverage.

Those soldiers whose injuries were not too serious could basically return to the battle after simple treatment in the occupied hospital set up in Ceuta.

Those soldiers who are more seriously injured need to be transported to the mainland by transport ships and receive treatment in hospitals in major cities in the mainland.

Hospitals in Seville and Valencia are ready to receive the injured, and the treatment of the injured is going relatively smoothly.

Although the offensive on the front line was going smoothly, Carlo did not intend to let these soldiers fight the war all the way. Carlo's goal was to let these guards see blood and experience the real battlefield and war in person.

After the Guards soldiers on the front line adapt to the war, other troops will still need to be rotated.

This Moroccan War was a good testing ground, allowing most of the Spanish army to experience the cruelty of the battlefield firsthand and strengthen the soldiers' will.

Of course, whether it is the Guards or the Royal Army, there will definitely be casualties when they enter the battlefield.

This was inevitable. Using a small amount of controllable casualties in exchange for the Spanish army's complete transformation after the war was a good deal.

As for the soldiers who died on the battlefield, their families will be well accommodated and receive a considerable amount of pension as a reward for their death on the battlefield.

I am too sleepy at night, so I will take a nap first. Sorry.



(End of this chapter)