Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 507 Declaration of War
The signing of the Treaty of Sofia did not give the Allied forces a break. After a few days of staying in Bulgaria, large numbers of troops then headed south toward Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire.

The Russian government will not miss this golden opportunity. This is the closest Russia has been to Constantinople in decades, and its best chance of controlling Constantinople and the Bosphorus Strait.

Even after signing the treaty with the new Bulgarian government, the Russian government had urged the other Allied forces to join the war against the Ottoman Empire as soon as possible.

However, because most of the Allied forces were already quite exhausted, they had no choice but to rest for several days in Bulgaria.

After a period of rest and reorganization, the Russian army could no longer contain itself and advanced aggressively towards Istanbul, seemingly poised to seize the opportunity to conquer the city.

Previously, the Allied forces had used a large number of artillery pieces in their attack on Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Combined with the weapons and equipment transferred after the Bulgarian government's surrender, the Allied forces in the Istanbul area now possess more than three thousand artillery pieces, far exceeding the number of gun emplacements deployed in Istanbul's military fortifications.

In order to capture this fortified city as soon as possible, the Russian government also contacted the French government, hoping to use the navies of both sides to provide sufficient firepower support for the Allied forces during the attack on Istanbul.

This city, formerly known as Constantinople, is located at the easternmost tip of a salient peninsula in the eastern Balkans, right next to the Bosphorus Strait.

Constantinople’s proximity to the strait gave it a maritime advantage, but it also brought the possibility of maritime threats.

Today, the French Mediterranean Fleet and the Russian Black Sea Fleet have joined forces and hold naval superiority in the Aegean Sea and around the Bosphorus Strait.

The Allied Powers naturally wanted to use their naval superiority to cut off the Ottoman Empire's supply lines to Istanbul, besieging the ancient city from all sides.

When the Battle of Istanbul broke out, the British government panicked.

They were not prepared for Istanbul to be occupied by the Allied Powers, nor did they consider how the European war would unfold if the Central Powers were reduced to only Germany and Austria-Hungary.

For the British government, the current situation is urgent and changes must be made to ensure that things do not get worse.

How can we make changes?
The first step was to send reinforcements to the Ottoman Empire in the name of the people.

Britain had already used this method before the outbreak of the Anglo-Spanish War, but it was not very effective.

But at this point, the British government had no choice. Germany and Austria-Hungary could not mobilize too many troops, and the Central Powers could not abandon their only remaining ally besides Germany and Austria-Hungary.

On March 15, 1914, British colonial troops, who had already undergone secret training in the Kuwait region, marched north and openly intervened in the Allied war against the Ottoman Empire under the guise of a volunteer army spontaneously organized by the British people.

When this army appeared on the Ottoman battlefield, it was already late March.

Although these were native troops recruited by Britain in various colonies, the Allied forces still discovered the differences between these British troops and the Ottoman army.

They all used British standard rifles, and after a period of training, they did look somewhat like a regular army.

Unlike the generally well-equipped Ottoman army, these British-organized colonial armies were relatively well-equipped, which was the biggest difference between them and the Ottoman army.

Furthermore, these soldiers from the colonies all spoke English, making them even more distinct from the Ottoman army. The Allied Powers quickly noticed this difference and determined that Britain had secretly sent troops to aid the Ottoman Empire.

The Allied Powers would naturally not tolerate Britain's secret deployment of troops.

France and Russia subsequently announced the British military's intervention in the Ottoman War, condemning Britain for interfering in the war of a non-neutral country while acting as a neutral nation, which seriously affected the stability of the European region.

Spain, as a neutral country, also strongly condemned Britain's inconsistent words and deeds.

Fortunately, the British government was thick-skinned enough to simply ignore the Allied condemnations. After all, the Allies couldn't declare war on Britain over this, and aside from a further decline in its reputation in Europe, Britain faced no other major problems.

It must be said that the large number of British troops moving north from Kuwait did effectively alleviate the pressure on the Ottoman Empire.

While the area surrounding Istanbul is beyond rescue, the situation in Anatolia has been significantly eased.

Some of these northward-bound British troops chose to go to the Caucasus theater to help the Ottoman Empire resist the Russian invasion.

Because of the centuries-long enmity between the Ottoman Empire and Russia, the war in the Caucasus region, though not large in scale, was no less intense than the wars on the eastern and western fronts.

The war between the Russians and the Ottomans was a war of attrition, with no regard for the lives of prisoners.

Even Russia and the Ottoman Empire did not accept prisoners of war. Defeated soldiers did not even have the option of surrendering; they could only become fertilizer for the land and be hastily buried.

In reality, the reasons why Russia and the Ottoman Empire did not accept prisoners of war, besides the animosity between them, were also due to the shortage of supplies on both sides.

Prisoners also needed to consume food, and the wounded and sick even required precious medical supplies. At this time, due to the war, the overall price of food and medicine in Europe had increased several times over.

Even in countries unaffected by war, the prices of food and medicine have risen significantly. Under such circumstances, Russia and the Ottoman Empire certainly wouldn't waste much money on prisoners, or even a single penny.

Rather than accepting prisoners and then torturing them, it would be better not to accept them at all and just bury them alive to end the matter once and for all.

As for why they weren't executed by firing squad, that was obviously to save bullets.

Both Russia and the Ottoman Empire were in dire financial straits. Not a single bullet could be wasted, as neither country's military industry could support domestic consumption, and most of the bullets used on the battlefield were imported from other countries.

Part of the British army went to the Caucasus battlefield, while another part went to Ankara, the core city of the Ottoman Empire in Asia Minor, for defense.

Ankara has a favorable geographical location, situated in the central part of the Anatolian Peninsula, which allows it to radiate its influence throughout the entire peninsula.

Furthermore, because it is located inland, there is no need to worry about naval attacks, and the city's safety can be guaranteed.

The Allied forces have now advanced to Eskişehir, west of Ankara, and are now only a short distance from Ankara.

If Ankara were captured by the Allied forces, the Ottoman Empire would inevitably have to surrender to the Allied powers, just like Bulgaria.

This is why Britain was willing to risk sending troops, because the situation was already out of control.

Spain naturally had to retaliate against Britain's covert deployment of troops.

If Britain were to tamper with the Asia Minor peninsula, which was of interest to them, then Spain would deploy its forces on the more important western front.

On March 17, the Spanish Civilian Corps, which was called upon by an unknown force, was officially established, with a strength of approximately 30,000 people.

After its formation, this army hastily marched north and quickly obtained permission from the French government to travel by train to Paris, where it then joined the fighting on the Western Front. Compared to the relatively clandestine actions of the British, Spain's counterattack appeared much more open and aboveboard.

Although there is no evidence to prove that this so-called civilian legion was composed of Spanish troops, the performance of these troops on the western front shows that it was definitely an elite fighting force.

Now it was the Germans' turn to protest.

Although the number of troops sent by Spain was not large, these troops should all be regular Spanish troops.

On the Western Front, Germany and France had lost most of their original standing armies, and their main forces consisted of reserves or new recruits who had been mobilized later.

Although the troops have also experienced the baptism of the battlefield, their combat effectiveness can never compare to that of the original veterans.

Today, the 3 Spanish soldiers who participated in the battle played a role that even surpassed that of the 5 regular French troops.

These armies may not be very effective in large-scale battles, but they are quite effective in small-scale attacks.

The German government protested Spain's deployment of regular troops, stating that if Spain did not withdraw its troops, it would be considered a declaration of war against Germany, and the German government would have no choice but to retaliate militarily.

Spain will not heed the threats from the German government.

With France blocking their way, even the most powerful German army wouldn't be able to reach Spain anytime soon.

More importantly, it is Germany that is currently hampered, while Spain has no burden at all.

If things get really heated, Spain could mobilize millions of troops to participate in the offensive on the western front at any time, and where would Germany get millions of reinforcements of the same quality?

Although Britain could provide Germany with millions of troops, the British Army's combat effectiveness was still significantly inferior to that of the Spanish Army.

If Spain were to deploy 1 million troops, Britain would need to deploy at least 1.5 million to match them. Furthermore, Spain's total population exceeds Britain's by nearly 10 million; if both were to participate, Spain's role would undoubtedly be far greater than Britain's.

In response to the German government's almost threatening protests, the Spanish government adopted a much tougher stance.

Defense Secretary Lord Menotti went even further, stating that unless Britain completely withdrew its troops from the Ottoman theater, Spain would consider sending more troops to the western front.

Faced with Spain's strong response, Germany and Britain faced a difficult choice: retreat or go to war.

If they were to back down, Spain could withdraw its troops from the western front. However, doing so would mean that Germany's only remaining ally besides Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, would suffer the same fate as Bulgaria.

How significant was the impact on Germany of losing the Ottoman Empire as an ally?

The impact is not as significant as imagined. However, the war has now reached a critical stage, and if the German government backs down, it will inevitably damage the morale of the people and the military.

After lengthy discussions with the British government, Britain and Germany finally reached an agreement to go all out and make the war even more intense.

On March 21, 1914, the German government issued an ultimatum to Spain, demanding that the Spanish government order its troops to cease their offensive within 24 hours and to completely withdraw them within 72 hours.

If the Spanish army still launches an attack on the German army despite the warnings after 24 hours, it will be considered a direct declaration of war against Germany, and Germany will also declare war on Spain.

Almost simultaneously, the British government also issued an ultimatum to Spain.

The British government demanded that Spain remain completely neutral in the war, or Britain would declare war on Spain.

Faced with increasing pressure from Germany and Britain, will Carlo choose to back down?

On the night of March 21, the Spanish ambassadors to Britain and Germany delivered declarations of war to Britain and Germany respectively, formally entering the World War.

Britain and Germany had anticipated Spain's decisive action, and both countries declared war on Spain within hours of each other.

Thus, the world war finally expanded to all the European powers except Italy, and the world war could now be considered a true super war.

Before the outbreak of the World War, the people of Europe could never have imagined that Britain and Spain would get involved in the war earlier than Italy.

After Britain and Spain joined the war, the Western Front was the first to undergo tremendous changes.

On the day Spain declared war, 50 Spanish troops, who had been prepared in advance, traveled north by train and were able to join the western front within just a few days.

Spain immediately launched a nationwide mobilization, expecting to mobilize more than 120 million troops within a month.

In addition, over 80 troops had already been mobilized and were available for deployment in the Spanish colonies.

Because of the declaration of war against Britain, the Spanish troops deployed in Oman will launch an attack on British colonies in the Middle East.

Fierce battles also broke out between Britain and Spain in Africa. It was because of the involvement of Britain and Spain that the scope of the World War expanded from Europe to Asia and Africa.

The day after Spain declared war on Germany, Austria-Hungary, at Germany's request, also declared war on Spain.

Spain then declared war on both the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire, essentially declaring war on every nation in its allies.

After joining the war, Britain and Spain no longer kept quiet about it.

Britain began deploying a large number of troops to support the Ottoman Empire in an attempt to save this ally in dire straits.

Carlo naturally wouldn't give the British a chance.

A large transport fleet carrying a large number of artillery pieces and military supplies set off for the Balkans. The Spanish Navy even dispatched a fleet to protect these transport ships.

Carlo had only one goal: to conquer Constantinople as soon as possible and then gather his forces to attack the Anatolian Peninsula.

If Russia could withdraw from the war sooner, it would be able to catch its breath and sustain the war for a longer period of time.

As for the British troops supporting the Ottoman Empire, since most of them were colonial troops, they did not have much impact on Carlo's plans.

(End of this chapter)