Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 500 Opening a New Battlefield
The outbreak of this war effectively brought Spain, France, and Russia closer together, and the three governments held meetings from time to time to discuss the progress of the war and some strategic decisions.

Although Spain did not openly join the Entente Powers, both France and Russia knew that Spain was no less important to the Entente Powers than they were themselves.

Furthermore, Spain's repeated participation in the Entente Powers conferences demonstrates its stance; compared to the Central Powers, Spain leans towards the Entente Powers.

The French and Russian governments believed that their respective strengths attracted Spain's allegiance, but they were unaware that Spain's support for the Entente Powers was merely based on the superficial appearance of the two superpowers.

Of the two powers, France was the only true superpower. However, given the devastation of the war, it was already quite remarkable that France managed to maintain its superpower status; any further advancement was wishful thinking.

Russia, of course, needs no further explanation. It is no exaggeration to say that it was quite an achievement that the Tsarist government was able to continue existing after this war.

Such a Russia posed no threat to Spain. Moreover, Russia and Spain, one at the easternmost point of Europe and the other at the westernmost point of Europe, posed little threat or influence to each other and were naturally not something Carlo would be wary of.

The Spanish government naturally wouldn't reveal its thoughts to France and Russia, which made each of them feel that they were also very important allies to Spain, and the talks between the representatives of the three countries were naturally quite pleasant.

Although some were pessimistic about the postwar prospects of France and Russia, at this time, France and Russia were Spain's biggest customers during the war, so it was natural to maintain good relations with the two governments.

根据西班牙各部门的统计，自1912年战争爆发开始，西班牙共计向法国和俄国出口了436万支步枪、4677挺机枪、2452门火炮和4.4亿发子弹、460万枚炮弹。

This arms deal alone brought a total of 23.195 billion pesetas in revenue to Spain's major arms factories, which is almost the same as the total fiscal revenue of major European countries, demonstrating just how staggering this amount of income is.

Of course, this is only the total revenue. The major military factories also incur costs in manufacturing weapons and equipment. After deducting the costs of materials, equipment, and labor, the final net income is only less than a quarter, but it is still close to £2000 million.

This is also why Spain wants to maintain good relations with France and Russia, because Spain is the complete beneficiary in this deal and will not lose anything at all.

There is also trade in food and medical supplies with France and Russia.

Since the outbreak of the war, Spain has exported nearly 564 million tons of grain to France and Russia, earning a total of 10.1325 billion pesetas.

Although it was far less than the revenue from arms sales, it was still nearly £4000 million, and since it came from food exports, it was even more significant for Spain.

Thanks to this grain export, both old and new Spanish nobles, as well as numerous capitalists dedicated to developing farms in West Africa, made a fortune from this transaction.

This effectively stimulated further development of Spanish colonies in West Africa, attracting more nobles and capitalists to invest in the construction of farms.

For Spain, it was certainly a good thing that more nobles and capitalists were investing in agricultural development.

This grain trade has proven that, whether in peacetime or wartime, grain always brings positive benefits, and no country would complain about having too much grain.

Carlo also knew that even after the world war ended, European countries would be plunged into chaos for years or even decades.

During this period, food production in European countries will be severely affected, and food prices in Europe will remain high for a long time.

It is a good thing for Spain to increase its agricultural development at this time. By increasing grain production, it can balance domestic food prices and prevent famine and food crises in Spain.

Another source of income was grain exports. After the war ended, with Spain acquiring substantial industrial equipment and means of production from the defeated nations, Spanish industry would experience another major expansion.

Building industry and infrastructure requires a lot of capital, and it would be ideal to earn some income by selling grain.

Besides the more important arms and food, Spain also exported a large number of industrial products to France and Russia, which were quite diverse in general.

The export of these industrial products also brought tens of millions of pounds in revenue to major Spanish factories and businesses, which is why it is said that Spain made a fortune in this war.

At this time, the European battlefield created a bottomless pit for countries like Spain to sell their resources indefinitely. As long as Spain had enough resources, it could earn enough foreign exchange.

Because of the significant devaluation of both the franc and the ruble, Spain generally uses pesetas or gold to settle accounts when doing business with the governments of France and Russia.

Both France and Russia possess substantial gold reserves, which Spain is particularly interested in.

Although Spain also has a long history, Carlos came to Spain and established a new dynasty. Most of the wealth that originally belonged to the Bourbon dynasty was taken back to France by the remnants of the Bourbon dynasty.

This also meant that in the early years of Carlos's reign as King of Spain, the Spanish royal family's gold reserves were pitifully small, and the Spanish government's gold reserves amounted to only about 100 tons.

Fortunately, after a long period of development and wealth accumulation, the Spanish government now has substantial gold reserves. Even the royal family holds nearly 200 tons of gold reserves.

After the outbreak of war, France and Russia also used nearly 300 tons of gold to purchase supplies, which further enriched the Spanish government's gold reserves.

The Russian government even mortgaged an additional 200 tons of gold in exchange for a low-interest loan of up to 12.5 billion pesetas from the Spanish government.

This low-interest loan has a term of 10 years. If the Russian government is ultimately unable to repay the loan, the Spanish government has the right to seize the 200 tons of gold, which is why Spain was willing to lend to the Russian government.

Without those 200 tons of gold, Carlo would never have been willing to lend money to Russia. After all, the Russian government's finances were, if not on the verge of collapse, practically on the brink.

Lending money to Russia now would not end well. France was willing to lend money to Russia in the hope that the Russian army could help relieve some of the pressure on the German army.

If it weren't for this reason, even the French government would probably be unwilling to lend money to Russia, whose finances are on the verge of collapse.

Moreover, the French government's finances were not in good shape at the time. Its annual military expenditure was nearly ten times its total fiscal revenue, making it unable to provide much more lending to Russia.

This is why Russia had to ask Spain for help. At that time, only Britain and Spain in Europe had spare money, and even more spare money.

Spain does indeed have the capacity to extend loans to France and Russia.

Although Spanish companies benefited from trade with France and Russia, the money actually returned to the government through various means.

The additional tax revenue generated on the surface alone amounts to nearly 100 million pesetas every year.

In addition, the economic boom stimulated economic growth, which led to an astonishing increase in Spain's annual fiscal revenue, which was almost comparable to that of France and Russia before the outbreak of the war.

For Spain today, coming up with tens or hundreds of billions of pesetas is absolutely effortless.

Although not as extravagant as the 50 billion francs reparations easily paid after the Franco-Prussian War, their financial situation was not much different, and they were still quite confident about future wars.

Having secured a loan from Spain, the Russian government felt more confident. At a routine meeting of the Entente Powers, the Russian Foreign Minister proposed a plan to open a new front.

The Russian government believed that since both the eastern and western fronts were deadlocked, it was necessary to open a new front to create more opportunities for the war.

Besides Germany and Austria-Hungary, the current allies also include Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire.

France and Russia could not resolve the issues with Germany and Austria-Hungary in the short term, but that did not mean France was incapable of quickly dealing with Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire.

As the war has progressed, apart from Belgium and Luxembourg, two countries forced into the war, which have already surrendered, none of the major members of the Central Powers and the Allied Powers have yet announced their surrender.

If the Allied Powers could be forced to surrender by opening up new battlefields, it would be a great morale booster.

Although Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire were not major powers, they still caused considerable trouble for the Allied Powers in this war. If these two unexpected factors could be resolved, France and Russia would only need to focus on dealing with Germany and Austria-Hungary, significantly reducing the difficulty of the war.

The French government is quite supportive of the French Foreign Minister's proposal to open new fronts.

There was no other way; the Battle of Verdun was raging, and tens of thousands of French soldiers were being wounded or killed every day.

Even the mighty French government simply couldn't withstand such an extravagant expenditure of resources. They had hoped that Russia would create trouble for Germany's allies on the Eastern Front or in the Balkans, forcing Germany to divert troops to support them.

Unexpectedly, Germany itself suspended its offensive on the Eastern Front, and Russia was also eager for a temporary ceasefire on the Eastern Front to gain a respite.

Although Russia also deployed hundreds of thousands of troops in the Balkans, the Allied forces did not have any advantage over the Central Powers.

The fighting prowess of the Russian army is well-known. To expect the Russian army, leading the Romanian and Serbian forces, to defeat the Austro-Hungarian-led Bulgarian and Ottoman armies without numerical superiority is clearly wishful thinking.

The Russian government has now taken the initiative to propose opening a new front, although it is still aimed at Germany's allies Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire. However, this is already a great achievement for the French government.

At this point, the French government did not expect Russia to launch a counter-offensive on the Eastern Front, as France was well aware of Russia's situation.

The French government's urging might force the Russian army to launch a counter-offensive, but at this point, Russia was unable to afford another defeat on the Eastern Front.

If the counter-offensive succeeds, it will be a win-win situation for the Allied Powers. However, if the counter-offensive fails, it will be a huge disaster for Russia and the entire Allied Powers.

After the diplomatic representatives of Russia and Spain agreed to open a new front, the Russian representative proposed the location of the new front: the Anatolian Peninsula of the Ottoman Empire.

As is well known, the Ottoman Empire was divided into European and Asian parts.

Although the Ottoman Empire had lost most of its European territory after the two Balkan Wars, only a small peninsula around Constantinople remained under its control.

However, because the capital was still in Constantinople, the political core of the Ottoman Empire remained in the European part.

But it's obvious to anyone with a discerning eye that for the Ottoman Empire, the most important territory was undoubtedly the Asian part.

The Ottoman Empire still occupies the entire Anatolian peninsula and controls most of the Middle East peninsula, making it the undisputed regional hegemon at the crossroads of Asia, Europe, and Africa.

The main reason for choosing the Anatolian Peninsula as the new battlefield was its importance to the Ottoman Empire.

Once the Ottoman Empire successfully landed on the Anatolian Peninsula, it would have to withdraw its troops to protect its interior.

As long as the Ottoman Empire withdraws its troops, the Allied forces will outnumber the Central Powers, whether in the Balkans or the Caucasus.

If the Allied Powers could defeat the Central Powers on a new battlefield, there would be hope of forcing the Ottoman Empire to surrender first.

Once the Ottoman Empire surrenders first, the world war will be entirely confined to Europe, and Germany and Austria-Hungary will be trapped like fish in a barrel, making defeat inevitable.

Even if the new battlefield does not yield significant results, it can still force the Ottoman Empire to withdraw its troops from the Caucasus battlefield due to pressure.

This reveals the Russian government's intentions: they want to open a new front in the Anatolian Peninsula, which is actually related to the war currently being fought in the Caucasus region.

The French government saw no reason to object to the proposal to open a new front.

Opening a new front would not be a loss for the French government; in fact, if it could force the Ottoman Empire to surrender, it would be good news for France.

Although France agreed to open a new front, the exact number of troops to be deployed and the proportion of troops to be contributed by France and Russia still needed to be discussed.

The French government certainly wanted to open up new battlefields, but it did not want to deploy too many French troops in those new battlefields.

The French were primarily concerned with the situation on the Western Front. As for the soon-to-be-opened Asian theater, the French could only express their inability to help, at most deploying some colonial troops as cannon fodder if necessary.

On the Russian side, the Russian government was more generous. They stated that Russia was willing to deploy at least 30 troops to open a new front, but because the strait was blocked by the Allied powers, the French and Russian fleets would need to jointly control the Constantinople Strait in order to successfully open a new front.

Seizing the strait was inevitable, and France would naturally not refuse the Russian government's proposal.

In fact, when the Ottoman Empire had just joined the war, the French government had already considered forcibly seizing control of the Strait of Constantinople.

However, this was during the most critical period of the Battle of Verdun, and with Russia also planning its Balkan campaign, the struggle for the Strait of Constantinople was abandoned.

With all three battlefields now at a stalemate, the French government has enough energy to focus on the situation on other fronts in Europe.

The Strait of Constantinople was not only a vital waterway for transporting goods from France and Spain to Russia, but also an important bridge connecting the Balkans and Asia.

Once the Allied Powers controlled the Strait of Constantinople, they would not only be able to successfully disrupt the supply lines planned by Germany from Berlin to the Anatolian Peninsula, but also prevent the Ottoman Empire from serving both its eastern and western interests, turning the European part of the Ottoman Empire into an isolated island at the mercy of the Allied Powers.

After discussions, France and Russia finalized a plan to jointly send 50 troops to open a new front.

Russia contributed 30 troops, while France sent 5 troops from its homeland and 15 troops from its colonies, bringing the total to 50.

This combined army would plan a landing on the Ottoman Empire's Anatolian peninsula after the Allied powers gained control of the Strait of Constantinople.

At that time, because the straits connecting Europe and the Anatolian Peninsula were controlled by the Allied Powers, the Ottoman Empire would naturally be powerless to do anything about the Anatolian Peninsula.

If the offensive goes smoothly, there is hope of forcing the Ottoman Empire to surrender in a short period of time, thus avoiding being divided up.

Once the Ottoman Empire surrendered, Bulgaria, the only remaining territory in the Balkans, naturally could not hold out for long.

If they could force the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria to surrender in succession, how much trouble could the remaining Germany and Austria-Hungary cause?

Spain did not participate in the discussions between the Russian and French diplomatic representatives. After all, Spain had not yet directly joined the war at this time, and the opening of a new front naturally had nothing to do with Spain.

Of course, if we must talk about the relationship, the opening of a new battlefield will increase the consumption of supplies at the front, and Spain will naturally be able to export more of various supplies, thus earning more money.

Carlo was actually quite willing to see France and Russia join forces to open a new front.

At present, Germany is virtually invincible, and Austria-Hungary cannot be defeated in a short time. Only the relatively weaker countries of Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire have a chance of being defeated in a short period of time.

If the Allied Powers wanted to win this war, they could only start with the weaker Central Powers, gradually eroding their spheres of influence and eliminating unreliable allies like Germany.

If Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire can be forced to surrender, then the focus should be on dealing with Austria-Hungary.

Once Germany loses all its allies, no matter how powerful its army becomes, it will ultimately be impossible for it to contend with the entire Entente Powers with its limited land area and resources.

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(End of this chapter)