Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 435 The Visitor from Ireland

In order to hold back the Spanish army before the arrival of the British army, the Portuguese Republican government spared no effort.

Although they issued general mobilization orders in the areas under their control, the recruitment situation reported from various places was not ideal. On average, only a few hundred people were willing to sign up for the army every day, which was far from enough to fill the gaps on the front lines.

After intense internal discussions within the Portuguese government, a new conscription order was successfully passed by a majority vote. This new order does not rely on voluntary enlistment as before, but instead mandates conscription in all areas under the control of the republican government.

Portuguese residents in these areas were required to either provide one able-bodied person to enlist in the army or pay a fine of 50 riels per household.

The riel was the official currency of Portugal and its colonies, but due to its small denomination, it was used only within Portugal's sphere of influence.

Because of Portugal's complicated relationship with Spain and the United Kingdom, the British pound and the peseta are also used in small quantities in Portugal.

The specific exchange rates for the three currencies are: 1 pound sterling equals 25 pesetas and 4532 riel.

This shows that the Portuguese government imposes rather heavy fines on families who cannot provide labor for military service.

A whopping 500,000 riel, roughly equivalent to 2750 pesetas, is more than six times the current average annual income in Spain.

For Portugal, where the average annual income is lower than that of Spain, this fine is enough to wipe out the savings of most families, and some families cannot even pay the fine even if they sell their belongings.

The Portuguese Republican government imposed such heavy fines in order to prevent the Portuguese people from choosing to pay the fines instead of providing soldiers.

For the Portuguese Republican government, money was not a problem. With a steady stream of funding from the British government, and with almost all the weapons, equipment, and strategic materials consumed on the battlefield coming from Britain, they did not have much financial worries.

On the contrary, the issue of troop strength has become the biggest problem for the Portuguese Republican government. If the problem of insufficient troop strength at the front cannot be resolved, the collapse of the situation at the front is only a matter of time.

Under the Portuguese Republican government's forceful conscription methods, tens of thousands of new soldiers were indeed recruited in a short period of time.

There wasn't much time left to train these new recruits. The Portuguese Republican government's plan was to use these tens of thousands of recruits as a reserve force, training and fighting simultaneously in positions relatively far behind the front lines.

When the frontline troops can no longer hold out, that's when they'll be able to play their part. With the addition of these tens of thousands of troops, the Portuguese Republican government's army has once again surpassed 100,000 men.

With these troops, we can at least delay the Spanish army for a few more days, by which time the British army will arrive around the same time.

As long as the situation can be stalled until the British army arrives, the British will naturally have to worry about the situation on the front lines, which will solve the biggest problem for the Portuguese Republican government.

In addition to forcibly conscripting soldiers on its own soil, the Portuguese Republican government also issued a war mobilization order to its two major African colonies, requiring the West African and East African colonies to provide at least 10 troops to the mainland within one month, and at least 2 troops to be added every month thereafter.

The West and East African colonies were Portugal's only two remaining large colonies, and also the only places outside of its homeland where Portugal could obtain troop supplies.

Although the large-scale troop movements in these two African colonies could potentially trigger unrest, this was no longer the biggest problem for the Portuguese Republican government.

As long as the current predicament facing the mainland can be resolved, even if the colony remains in chaos for decades, it will be entirely worthwhile for the Portuguese Republican government.

If the mainland were to fall, the colonies alone would be insufficient to defend it. Furthermore, the British government promised Portugal that it would guarantee the safety of Portugal's two African colonies during the war and ensure that no country would invade them.

This is also why the Portuguese Republican government felt comfortable conscripting soldiers in the two African colonies. After all, there were still many natives in these two African colonies, and arming these natives into an army could mobilize at least hundreds of thousands or even millions of troops.

The news of the Portuguese Republican government's forced conscription quickly reached the Iberian Party and Spain.

Carlo was not surprised by the Portuguese Republican government's actions. After all, the other side could not remain indifferent when the front line was about to collapse. They would definitely use various methods to slow down the Spanish army's advance until the British army arrived in Portugal.

But these Portuguese never considered what would happen even if the British reinforcements arrived in Portugal. First of all, in terms of military strength, the British army was no match for the Spanish army.

Secondly, Spain could flexibly deploy its troops based on the situation on the Portuguese front. If these British troops could hold back the Spanish offensive, Spain could send even more troops to Portugal to provide support.

As for Britain, although it could also mobilize its troops, the time required to do so was several times that of Spain, and such a distant solution could never quench an immediate thirst.

The UK does indeed have a large population, with a total population of over 4000 million on its mainland and also has India, a colony with a population of hundreds of millions.

But Spain is no less significant. Spain's population is approaching 3900 million, while the indigenous population of its several African colonies numbers in the tens or even hundreds of millions.

In this situation, whether it was a contest between the elite troops of the homeland or the troops of the colonies, Spain was not intimidated at all.

Furthermore, with Spain already making some subtle moves against Britain, the longer the war drags on, the greater Spain's chances of winning actually become.

Once Britain's homeland and colonies show signs of collapse, not only will the United States, which currently doesn't want to get involved, likely want a piece of the pie, but even the major European powers will probably want a share.

After all, for European countries, nothing is more important than their own interests. If the benefits of intervention in a war far outweigh the risks, even countries with relatively good relations with Britain will inevitably have to consider the pros and cons.

As September 11th arrived, the first batch of 15,000 British soldiers officially sent to support Portugal finally set foot on the port of Lisbon.

The Portuguese Republican government had been eagerly anticipating the arrival of these British troops, and held a small welcoming ceremony for them on the day of their arrival. The troops then went on to fight on the front lines.

These British troops were also aware of the urgency of the situation on the front lines. Although they were somewhat tired from traveling by transport ship these past few days, the situation at the front was also quite tense.

The British government gave a firm order to provide formal support to Portugal: these troops must do everything in their power to ensure the safety of Lisbon, the Portuguese capital, and to eliminate the Portuguese Democratic Republic, a country not recognized by any other nation.

Once the Portuguese Democratic Republic is eliminated, Spain's pretext for intervening in the Portuguese civil war will be completely gone. At that point, unless Spain is willing to bear the stigma of interfering in the internal affairs of another country, Spanish troops will have to withdraw from Portugal.

If such a situation could be achieved, it would be a significant victory for Britain. Even if Gibraltar could not be recaptured, Portugal could still exert some influence over the Strait of Gibraltar, ensuring that this vital strait would not fall under Spanish control.

While the British and Spanish troops who had arrived in Portugal were engaged in fierce fighting, a mysterious group of people who had traveled by ship from Ireland to France and then by train from France to Spain finally arrived in Madrid, the capital of Spain.

The leader of this group was a young-looking intellectual, and the group behind him consisted mostly of young people in their twenties and thirties.

Upon arriving in Madrid, these people gazed upon this bustling metropolis, as vibrant as London, and couldn't help but exclaim, "What a beautiful city!"

Seeing the prosperity of Madrid, their confidence in their mission grew considerably. They were about to embark on an extremely dangerous operation; without Spanish support, it could very well fail or even face a more devastating outcome. "Brothers," they said, "this trip to meet His Majesty the King of Spain is a rare opportunity for us. If we can secure Spanish support, we will have a much better chance of advancing Irish independence."

When you meet His Majesty the King of Spain later, remember to show him the utmost respect. Spain is different from England; His Majesty the King of Spain wields extremely high power.

If we can gain the support of His Majesty the King of Spain, we will essentially gain the support of the Spanish government. Conversely, if His Majesty the King of Spain refuses to support us, we will most likely not gain the support of the Spanish government either.

Even if it means sacrificing some interests, we must gain Spain's support so that Ireland can completely secede from Britain.

For the Irish, for Ireland, comrades, let us unite!

These people are the largest anti-British force in Ireland and key members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood.

The Irish Republican Brotherhood, also known as the Republican Brotherhood Party, is currently led by Patrick Henry Pearce, an official who is a teacher, lawyer, poet, and writer, but is also a nationalist and patriotic politician.

Patrick Henry Pierce was indeed patriotic, but he loved not his nominal homeland, Great Britain, but the region where he lived, Ireland.

In his view, Ireland was not part of Britain. The Irish were a people oppressed by British colonial rule, which is why he formed the Irish Republican Brotherhood and hoped to use his own strength to promote Irish independence.

Because of the British’s brutal oppression of the Irish, Patrick Henry Pierce’s ideas also received support from many Irish people, including several of his own brothers.

The Irish Republican Brotherhood derives its name from this. Members of the Brotherhood consider each other brothers and consider Irish independence their ultimate goal.

The reason these people traveled all the way to Spain was because Spanish intelligence found them and indicated that Spain was willing to provide them with support, but specific details still needed to be discussed in Spain.

Upon learning that Spain, one of the superpowers, was willing to support him, Patrick Henry Pierce, the leader of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, almost without hesitation, immediately led several senior members of the Brotherhood to Spain.

For Patrick Henry Pearce, this was a hard-won opportunity. On the one hand, Britain and Spain were at war, and much of Britain's energy was tied up with Spain.

Although Patrick Henry Pierce knew that Spain was using him, since the war between Spain and Britain was still undecided, if an independence war broke out in Ireland, it would certainly catch Britain off guard and might even force them to send some troops to Ireland to suppress the independence uprising.

But while it could be used as a tool, this was indeed a rare and opportune time. Relying solely on the Irish Republican Brotherhood, pushing for Irish independence would be extremely difficult.

Ireland is a relatively important agricultural production area in the UK, but most of the output and income from these agricultural products do not belong to Ireland, but instead end up in the pockets of local British landowners and nobles.

These British landowners and nobles certainly didn't want to see Ireland become independent, since once it was independent, the land in Ireland would no longer belong to them.

Any income generated from these lands does not belong to them, which is no different from cutting off their source of income.

With the outbreak of the Anglo-Spanish War, if Ireland can quickly launch a large-scale independence uprising while the British government is unable to respond, it will have a greater chance of winning the war of independence.

Although the war of independence inevitably required the sacrifice of some people, these sacrifices were worthwhile and necessary for the entire Irish community and for Ireland as a whole.

This is also why the Irish Republican Brotherhood group resolutely came to Spain. They were not afraid of being used by Spain, but they were afraid that if they could not seize this opportunity, Ireland would have to wait a long time before it could have another chance to launch a war of independence.

Before heading to the Royal Palace in Madrid to meet King Juan Carlos of Spain, the Republican Brotherhood members made a point of finding a hotel, taking a bath, and changing into their best clothes before proceeding to the Royal Palace to see Juan Carlos.

Carlo had anticipated the arrival of the Irish Republican Brotherhood group. In fact, it was Carlo who had his Royal Security Intelligence Service agents handle the contacting of these people.

The reason they were invited to Spain was to test their resolve against Britain, which would determine the extent of Carlo's support for them.

If they only intend to cause trouble for the British government in secret, Carlo will support them, but he will not invest too much money or resources.

If they were determined to launch a war of independence against British rule, Carlo would increase his support for them, since the outbreak of the Irish War of Independence was good news for him.

As long as these Irishmen had enough courage, Carlo would certainly not let them down. He would provide them with everything from weapons and ammunition to medical supplies, including the funds needed to wage a war of independence.

Spain will also help Ireland to the best of its ability, including providing diplomatic support after Ireland's independence.

Getting European countries to intervene diplomatically in the Anglo-Spanish War was difficult, but getting them to recognize Ireland's independence and the legitimacy of the Irish state was much easier.

After all, Britain has been a global superpower for so many years, and it has offended more than just one or two European countries. These countries may not want to confront Britain directly, but they are quite willing to cause trouble for the British.

Even if the British government is very powerful, it is impossible for it to forcefully start a conflict with these countries just because they recognize the independent Irish government.

European countries have the freedom to choose whether to support Irish independence, and even if the British government is dissatisfied, it cannot forcibly interfere with the choices of European countries.

After all, doing so would put Britain in complete opposition to other European countries, and the British government is not that foolish; they would not allow themselves to become the target of public criticism.

Ireland's independence after World War I was actually due to a variety of reasons. On the one hand, Britain had just ended a world war, and the British people did not want to see another war break out.

On the other hand, Britain did not suffer significant losses in the World War, which greatly displeased France and Germany, who suffered the most losses.

After the outbreak of the Irish War of Independence, European countries were eager to see Ireland gain independence from Britain, so as to weaken Britain's power.

This also means that Ireland has already met the diplomatic conditions for independence. All it takes is for the British to see the Irish people's determination to seek independence, and Ireland will be able to successfully achieve its independence.

Although World War I had not yet broken out, the war between Britain and Spain presented an opportunity. The British were forced to either reluctantly recognize Irish independence or fight on two fronts, waging the Irish War of Independence while simultaneously fighting the war against Spain.

Regardless of which option the British chose, it was entirely beneficial for Spain. After all, whether it was Irish independence or fighting on two fronts, it would only affect Britain in the end.

This can be seen as a small act of retaliation against Britain. In fact, Britain has always been keeping an eye on Portugal, which is right next to Spain.

For Carlo, Portugal was a territory he had long coveted. Since the British dared to cause trouble for Spain on its doorstep, Spain could naturally retaliate by causing trouble for the British on their own doorstep.

(End of this chapter)