Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 429 Repaying others with their own methods
The British government reacted swiftly. Upon learning that the news of the heavy losses suffered by the Mediterranean Fleet was not a rumor, the British government immediately formulated a series of countermeasures to prevent itself from suffering repeated defeats in this war.

The first thing to be completely rejected was the British government's original plan to confront the Spanish navy head-on.

The Mediterranean Fleet has already suffered heavy losses, and Britain's remaining main warships from the Home Fleet and the Channel Fleet are insufficient to maintain an advantage in a decisive naval battle with Spain.

The naval battle that broke out in Malta has proven one thing: Spain possesses a new type of warship whose performance in all aspects surpasses that of the Duncan-class battleships.

If a crucial naval battle were to break out between Britain and the Spanish navy at this time, which would determine the outcome of the war, Britain's current fleet size would be insufficient to guarantee victory.

Besides, even if we win, what then? Spain wasn't founded on its navy; its army is the real threat.

As long as Britain cannot penetrate into Spanish soil and help the Portuguese Republicans win the civil war, the war will never end.

Even if Britain gained the upper hand in naval battles after the Spanish occupied Portugal, what difference would it make? Wasn't this war started because of the Portuguese civil war?
With this in mind, the British government shifted its focus from the naval battle to the situation of the Portuguese civil war.

To some extent, the outcome of the Portuguese civil war would also influence the outcome of the war between Spain and England.

Sure enough, within a few days, Britain sent a volunteer army to Portugal to assist the Portuguese Republican government in quelling the domestic rebellion.

Although such behavior constitutes blatant interference in Portugal's internal affairs, the British government hypocritically provides a protective shell for it.

Under the guise of the British government, this volunteer force, composed entirely of British army soldiers, was actually a volunteer unit spontaneously formed by the British civilians.

According to official British news reports, this volunteer force was mostly composed of British farmers and workers, with only a few commanders being veterans who had served in the British Army.

To make it appear that this volunteer army had no support from the British government, they traveled to Portugal in a very low-key manner, dispersing themselves and then traveling by cruise ship.

Before arriving in Portugal, the soldiers were not only unarmed, but also lacked standardized uniforms.

The British government did this to make the army appear to be a genuine civilian-organized force, rather than an elite force drawn from the British Army.

The first batch of so-called volunteers numbered just over five thousand, all selected from the elite of the British Army. The British hoped to use their elite troops to quickly control the situation in the Portuguese civil war, help the Portuguese Republicans win the war, and thus prevent Portugal from falling into Spanish control.

Britain's self-deceptive behavior may fool the general public, but it certainly cannot fool the governments of other European countries.

Spain was naturally aware of the news that Britain had sent out so-called civilian volunteer troops, and the Spanish government was also well aware of the British conspiracy.

Since the British had decided to intervene directly in the Portuguese civil war, Spain naturally wouldn't back down. Spain had more advantages than Britain: firstly, Spain shared a direct border with Portugal, and secondly, Spain had a large immigrant population from Portugal.

If it was unreasonable for the Spanish to enter Portugal to fight, wouldn't it be more reasonable for these Portuguese to return to their homeland and join the more righteous side?

As for whether those who returned to Portugal to fight were actually Portuguese, that's none of your business; if Spain says so, then so be it.

Spaniards and Portuguese people look quite similar, and their languages ​​are also very similar. If a Spaniard were to impersonate a Portuguese person, perhaps only native Portuguese people could tell the difference.

But at this time, the Portuguese were preoccupied with their own civil war, so how could they possibly have the time to distinguish the true nationalities of some soldiers who returned to Portugal to fight?
Can't their language be influenced by Spanish culture simply because they've lived in Spain for a long time? Isn't it normal for them to learn Spanish after becoming Spanish citizens?

With this in mind, the Spanish government also devised a plan to bring Portuguese immigrants back to Portugal to fight in the war.

Compared to Britain's actions, which were akin to burying one's head in the sand, the Spanish government's approach was far less shameless.

Of the first batch of soldiers to return to Portugal to fight, nearly one-fifth were genuine Portuguese immigrants. Spain invested heavily to persuade these immigrants to join the Spanish army.

Every Portuguese immigrant willing to join the army received a resettlement allowance immediately. Their treatment was exactly the same as that of the Spanish, and they enjoyed all the same policies as the Spanish.

Such generous policies have indeed attracted some Portuguese immigrants, after all, the salaries and various subsidies of the Spanish army are quite substantial.

The Spanish army also has clear compensation standards. Even if someone is killed in battle, their family can receive a large sum of money to ensure that they do not lose their source of income because of the loss of a member of the family.

Britain sent 5,000 volunteers, and Spain quickly followed suit with 5,000. Although the numbers were equal, Carlo believed that the Spanish army was a level above the British in combat effectiveness.

Putting aside other factors, the nationwide bullfighting activities alone, which boost national consciousness, ensure that the Spanish army is unlikely to have any soldiers who desert before the battle.

In order to enhance the fighting spirit and morale of the Spanish army on various levels, Carlo also made various modifications based on some strategies of later armies.

The uniforms of the Spanish Royal Army and the Royal Guard are specially designed. The Royal Army's uniform is gray-green, while the Royal Guard's uniform is generally gray, both of which look very imposing and powerful.

These two military uniforms alone subtly boosted the enthusiasm of Spaniards to enlist. After all, who wouldn't want to wear a smart military uniform and fully demonstrate their might and power?
The Royal Army and the Royal Guard also have their own official marches, which are used to encourage and boost morale.

Whether it's the Royal Army March or the Guards March, the last verse of both contain these stirring words:

Great warriors who defend our homeland, please give everything for our country and for His Majesty the King!
This passage actually describes the function of the bugle call. During the final stage of the siege of Gibraltar, Carmen Esposito ordered the final section of the Royal Army March to be played, which was also the Royal Army's exclusive bugle call.

When the soldiers hear the march, there's no need for any mobilization from officers at all levels; it's already the most inspiring mobilization preparation.

In addition to sending volunteers to Portugal, Carlo also decided to give the British something to do, so they wouldn't just be watching Spain's doorstep all day long.

How to cause trouble for Spain? Of course, start with the British in Portugal, which is Ireland.

Actually, the histories of Britain and Spain are quite similar.

Although the United Kingdom is called Great Britain or the British Empire, its official name is the Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

Great Britain is composed of England, Scotland, and Wales, which is similar to how Spain was composed of countries such as Castile and Aragon.

In contrast, Castile and Aragon, which make up Spain, have a good union, and most people in Spain identify as Spanish.

With the exception of a few exceptions, such as the Catalans and Basques, most of the population in Spain recognizes this unified nation.

Britain, however, is not as good as Spain in this respect. Leaving aside the animosity between the Irish and the British, even among the Scots, who together make up Great Britain, many do not identify with the United Kingdom.

Even in the 21st century, Scotland still held an independence referendum, although 55% of the votes were against it, which is why Scotland remains part of the United Kingdom.

However, if 55% of people support remaining in the UK, then about 45% of people also support Scottish independence.

This is a dangerously high percentage, proving that nearly half of Scots do not approve of British policies, believing that they have not enjoyed enough rights and that their interests have not been adequately protected under British policies.

These events also demonstrate that Britain itself was not stable. Spain had at least resolved its domestic problems, while Britain, even in later generations, still hadn't solved the problems of Scotland and Ireland. Since the British were determined to cause trouble for Spain in Portugal, Spain could easily turn the tables and cause trouble for the British in Ireland and Scotland.

If the troubles in Scotland aren't that big yet, then the troubles in Ireland are like a powder keg about to explode for the British.

Ireland had been invaded by England since 1169, and the King of England was crowned King of Ireland in 1541, marking the beginning of English rule over Ireland.

Logically speaking, after hundreds of years of British rule in Ireland, the local population should have been assimilated long ago.

After all, the population of the UK is several times that of Ireland, and with centuries of experience, the assimilation process should have gone very smoothly.

But as it turns out, assimilating a country and a people is not so easy.

The British did indeed rule Ireland for centuries, but they never considered the Irish as their own, and the Irish were treated very differently from the British.

In 1845, a large-scale famine broke out in Ireland due to a potato crop failure.

At the time, Britain imported large quantities of grain from the Americas. In principle, the British government should have allocated a portion of the grain to help the Irish through the crisis, since the Irish were also British citizens.

But what did the British do? The British landowners only cared about exporting grain and livestock, and never cared whether the people of Ireland would starve to death because of this famine.

Although Britain imports a large amount of grain from the Americas every year, and a considerable portion of this grain is transshipped through Irish ports.

But most of this food never entered Ireland and was never distributed to the Irish.

The Irish could only watch helplessly as these vitally life-saving foods were taken away before their very eyes, and they could only endure the suffering brought by the famine.

Ultimately, the famine resulted in a quarter of Ireland's population being wiped out.

In addition to those who died of starvation, disease, and other causes of famine, approximately one million people were forced to emigrate overseas due to the famine.

Before the famine, Ireland had a population of approximately 850 million; after the famine, the population dwindled to less than 650 million. Due to the prolonged effects of the famine, Ireland's population has continued to decline.

This year, Ireland's population is just over 4 million, roughly half of what it was 50 years ago.

Even in later generations, Ireland's population was only slightly over 500 million, still far less than the population size before the Irish Famine.

This also shows how profound the impact of the Irish famine was on the Irish region and its people.

The impact of this famine and the inaction of the British government during the famine reveal why the Irish have not integrated into Britain for centuries, and why they harbor hatred towards Britain.

Since there is hatred between the Irish and the British, Carlo doesn't mind helping the Irish out and letting the British know what it means to give them a taste of their own medicine.

At this time, the most famous anti-British organization in Ireland was the Irish Republican Brotherhood, a civilian force.

The Irish Republican Brotherhood orchestrated the Easter Rising in 1916, which, although ultimately unsuccessful, is considered a significant milestone in the establishment of the Republic of Ireland.

This uprising also ignited the Irish people's resistance and ultimately sparked the Irish War of Independence in 1919.

The Irish War of Independence was arguably timed well. The British had just fought in World War I, and most of the British people did not want their country to fall into the abyss of war again.

In addition, the Irish people's anti-British sentiment was quite intense, which ultimately led the British government to allow the 26 counties in southern Ireland to form a free state.

Although Ireland, now a free state, remains part of the Commonwealth, the Irish have gained much of the power to govern Ireland.

This was also an important reason why Ireland was able to successfully promulgate a constitution and declare itself a republic. Britain then completely lost its rule over Ireland, and the Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was officially renamed the Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

On August 5, 1904, the Spanish Royal Security Intelligence Service officially dispatched intelligence personnel to contact a series of anti-British organizations in Ireland, including the Irish Republican Brotherhood.

Carlo didn't expect to push for Irish independence at this time with these anti-British organizations, but if he could provide some support to them, the situation in Ireland would likely give the British government even more headaches.

In addition to creating trouble for the British people within Britain, Carlo also planned to gain more diplomatic support, forcing the British to consider the consequences of continuing to fight Spain.

Although this war was necessary, Spain had no need to continue fighting the British to the death. For Spain, as long as the war could achieve its two objectives—the recapture of Gibraltar and the annexation of Portugal—it would essentially be over.

It would be very difficult for Britain to invade Spain, and equally difficult for Spain to invade Britain. Unless another country intervened forcefully, the consequence of continuing the war between Spain and Britain would only be the needless depletion of the wealth of both countries.

If Spain could use the diplomatic support of other countries to deter Britain from backing down and end the war by giving up Portugal and Gibraltar, that would be acceptable to Spain.

After all, Britain had vast colonies, and in a simple comparison of wealth expenditure, Spain could not match Britain's foundation.

The wealth provided to Britain by just one Indian colony was enough to surpass the total wealth of all of Spain's colonies combined.

Carlo did not want Spain to expend too much of its resources in this war, as this would leave Spain without the capacity to change the outcome of a future world war.

The outbreak of war between Britain and Spain was quite sudden for European countries, but that did not mean they did not want to see the war break out between Britain and Spain.

For superpowers like Germany and France, they actually hoped that Spain and Britain would fight for as long as possible.

Because Spain and Britain share a common characteristic: they are both outside the two major military blocs in Europe and possess considerable industrial, economic, and military strength.

Before the outbreak of this war, both Germany and France were quite wary of Britain and Spain, two superpowers that were outside the two major military blocs.

However, after the outbreak of this war, Germany and France's fear of Britain and Spain had greatly diminished. If this war could weaken both Britain and Spain, it would naturally be ideal for Germany and France.

This means that when a world war breaks out in the future, no powerful force will interfere with their confrontation.

Then you only need to worry about dealing with your own enemies. As long as you can defeat the enemy on the main battlefield, you can easily end this war.

This is precisely why it is actually very difficult for Carlo to find a country with sufficient power to diplomatically deter Britain.

Germany and France certainly wouldn't do that; they'd much rather Britain and Spain fought a fierce war. After all, this war wouldn't drain their national strength. If Britain and Spain could completely deplete their elite army and navy, that would be the best possible news.

(End of this chapter)