Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 512 The Ottoman Empire's Plea for Peace

Although the defeat on the Eastern Front was not a major problem for the Allied Powers, they would certainly retaliate regardless. Russia suffered heavy losses as a result of this defeat, and the task of retaliation naturally fell to France and Spain.

The Western Front is currently impregnable by the German army, and even if the French army joins forces with the Spanish and Italian armies, it is impossible to break through the German defenses in a short period of time.

For Germany, defending the west and attacking the east was indeed a pretty good option.

The Eastern Front was much larger, and because it was located on the East European Plain, the German army could launch large-scale strategic attacks, outflank and encircle the Russian army from the rear, and deal with the other Russian forces in the same way they had encircled the Russian Tenth Army.

But the situation was different on the western front.

The Western Front was much narrower than the Eastern Front. The French established numerous military fortresses along the Western Front, making it virtually impregnable.

The German army's usual flanking maneuver strategy was completely ineffective on the Western Front, which meant that to achieve any results on the Western Front, they had to slowly chip away at the French defensive positions.

After the strategic shift, the German army was free from these troubles. The Russian army on the Eastern Front was far inferior to the French army in both combat effectiveness and command structure.

On the Eastern Front, the German army was like college students beating elementary school students; the Russian army posed no real threat to the Germans and only became a source of victory for German officers.

France had initially used the relatively narrow western front to build military fortifications and defensive works to impede the German advance. Now, however, the German army was reaping the benefits of those advantages, and the French army was experiencing the same bitter consequences that the Germans had once faced.

Especially as the front lines gradually approached the original Franco-German border, the German army's will to resist became extremely strong.

Advancing into the Western Front under such circumstances was even more difficult than when the German army invaded France.

While the German army strategically shifted eastward and launched a large-scale offensive against Russia, France, in alliance with Spain and Italy, attempted a counter-offensive against the German army on the Western Front.

The results were not significant; the front lines not only failed to advance much, but the combined forces of the three countries also suffered considerable casualties.

The French army suffered the most casualties, followed by the Italian army, while the Spanish army suffered the fewest.

This was not because the Spanish army was the strongest, but because the French army had the largest number of soldiers and the Italian army was the weakest.

As for the Spanish army, because its numbers were smaller than those of the French army, its casualties were naturally fewer.

The inability to break the stalemate on the Western Front was causing the French government considerable distress. Carlo was also unwilling to continue fighting the German army to the death on the Western Front, especially since Germany, with British support, could hold out for a considerable time.

The Allied powers' current objective is not to break the stalemate on the Western Front, but to completely end the war in the Balkans, transfer all their forces from the Balkans to the Eastern Front, and gradually wear down Germany in a two-front war.

At present, on the Balkan front, only the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire remain as the Central Powers. The Austro-Hungarian Empire is trapped on the Hungarian border and unable to advance south, while the European part of the Ottoman Empire has been largely occupied, with only a portion of the Anatolian Peninsula remaining under Ottoman control.

Compared to the western front, the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans was clearly an easier target.

After discussions within the Entente powers, it was ultimately decided to prioritize concentrating forces to attack the Ottoman Empire, aiming to reduce the number of allies in the Central Powers by one.

On May 16, 1914, under the planning of the Allied Powers, the Allied forces, led by Spain and Italy, launched a general offensive against Austria-Hungary from all sides.

Hundreds of thousands of troops from various Spanish colonies amassed in the Omani colony and then launched an attack on British-controlled Kuwait and the Mesopotamian plain further north.

Although the Ottoman Empire was no longer at its peak, it remained a vast empire spanning both Europe and Asia.

Especially in the Middle East peninsula, the Ottoman Empire still controlled a considerable amount of land. Carlo ordered the Spanish army to launch an attack on the Ottoman Empire from the direction of Kuwait, partly to force the Ottoman Empire into the predicament of fighting on multiple fronts, and partly to take the opportunity to control British-held Kuwait, thereby occupying most of the Persian Gulf coast.

The value of the Persian Gulf coast goes without saying; the oil alone is enough to bring Spain a huge amount of revenue.

Although Spain has already occupied Oman and the UAE, it doesn't mind having more of these valuable territories.

In Carlo's plan, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar were all within Spain's annexation scope, which also included most of Saudi Arabia's lands along the Persian Gulf coast.

If Spain can annex these territories, it will not only become the world's largest oil producer, but also earn substantial revenue from the oil industry and the export of petroleum products.

It is certain that petroleum has possessed extremely high value for over a century.

Spain would not lose money developing these colonies, and could even use the revenue from the oil industry to develop its navy and air force, preparing for World War II 20 years later.

Speaking of the Mesopotamian plain in the Middle East, the ancient Babylonian civilization once arose here, and its natural conditions are extremely favorable.

This region was not only a vital grain-producing area for the Ottoman Empire, but also a relatively densely populated region. Compared to the vast deserts and wastelands of other parts of the Middle East, its natural conditions were significantly better, naturally enabling it to support a larger population.

Spain had been preparing for this offensive for a long time, and although most of the troops used were colonial troops, they were equipped with sufficient heavy firepower.

Although Britain incorporated Kuwait into its colonial sphere, it primarily cooperated with local indigenous groups rather than establishing a true colony.

This resulted in a very limited British troop presence in Kuwait, amounting to only a few thousand men at most. Faced with an attack by a Spanish army of hundreds of thousands, these few thousand British troops offered virtually no resistance, and Spain easily gained control of Kuwait and the Mesopotamian plain further north.

When Carlo learned that the Spanish army had successfully occupied the Mesopotamian plain, he immediately ordered the Spanish army to suppress the entire plain and sent officials from Spain to take over the land.

The Persian Gulf coast still has great potential for development. More importantly, apart from the Mesopotamian plain, the remaining regions, including Oman and the UAE, actually have very small populations.

By relocating some of the local indigenous population and then migrating a large number of Spaniards to the Persian Gulf coast, Spain could completely control the region, thus gaining another overseas territory.

Although the Persian Gulf coast is quite far from mainland Spain, it is still quite worthwhile to establish overseas territories there, given the value of oil in the Persian Gulf.

Under Carlo's orders, Spain quickly dispatched a group of officials to the Persian Gulf coast to take over the military-controlled areas. Because the Omani colony was relatively small, Carlo's current plan was to incorporate all of these lands into Oman.

Once the Omani colony has developed to a certain size, or once the oil industry along the Persian Gulf has been developed to a certain extent, the entire Omani colony can be broken up, which will make it easier to manage.

An overly powerful overseas territory is not good news for mainland Spain.

Just like the original thirteen North American colonies to Great Britain. Once overseas territories have developed to a certain size and have a relatively large population and economy, the colonies will certainly pursue a higher degree of autonomy or even independence for their own interests.

For at least the next few decades, Carlos still hopes to keep the Persian Gulf coast firmly in Spain's hands.

Combined with Spain's domestic automobile industry, automobile production, and oil industry, Spain is well enough to maintain its position as a world industrial power for decades or even centuries to come.

After occupying Kuwait and the Mesopotamian plain in the north, the Spanish army did not hesitate at all and continued to advance northward to attack the Ottoman Empire's homeland, namely the Anatolian Peninsula.

Today, the Ottoman army in Asia Minor numbered less than 30, with an additional 30 British troops assisting in its defense.

On the Allied side, Spain deployed approximately 40 troops, France and Russia jointly deployed 50 troops, and Italy later added 20 troops, bringing the total force to 110 million.

Because of their numerical superiority, even though the Allied forces attacked the Ottoman Empire from three directions, the Allied armies in each direction were still superior.

In fact, it was obvious to anyone with discerning eyes that the Ottoman Empire could not hold out for long under the combined attack of the three Allied armies.

British assistance was merely a drop in the ocean; unless Britain was willing to send hundreds of thousands or even millions more troops, it could only delay the Ottoman Empire's surrender.

that's the truth.

From mid-May, when the Allied Powers intensified their offensive against the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman Empire could only hold out for less than two months before it was forced to surrender to the Allied Powers.

Large swathes of the former Ottoman Empire's territory were occupied by the Allied Powers, and the Anatolian Peninsula was also being constantly eroded by the Allied Powers.

For the Ottoman Empire at that time, continuing to resist was no longer a good option.

In addition to facing three armies of up to a million men from the Allied Powers, the Ottoman Empire also had to deal with threats from within its own borders.

Like Russia, the Ottoman Empire also had many revolutionary parties and groups opposing the government.

Compared to being overthrown directly by revolutionaries and opponents, the Ottoman Empire would certainly have preferred to surrender and lose some territory.

After all, as long as the Anatolian Peninsula could be preserved, the Ottoman Empire could maintain its current size and not suddenly become a small to medium-sized country with no presence.

Especially in the Middle East, even after losing the Balkans, the Ottoman Empire still wielded considerable influence.

On July 11, 1914, the Allied Powers agreed to the Ottoman Empire's request for peace talks, and the two sides agreed to hold peace negotiations in Constantinople.

The Ottoman Empire's offer of peace infuriated the British government, as the Ottomans simply did not care about the lives of the hundreds of thousands of British troops in their country.

The British army couldn't very well surrender along with the Ottoman Empire, could it? Doing so would not only make Britain a laughingstock among European nations, but would also leave its fate to the Allied forces.

Although European countries all claim to be civilized nations, their actions during this world war were far from civilized.

Both Germany and France used poison gas, and both achieved relatively good results. In this war alone, tens of thousands died or were seriously injured by poison gas.

In addition to the harm that war inflicts on ordinary people, the number of ordinary people who have died or been injured in this world war has reached several million.

Although only a small percentage died, it is undeniable that, in some cases, the armies of European countries rarely considered the lives of civilians in other countries.

If these British troops were to surrender and let the Allied forces decide their fate, it would be hard to say how the Allies would handle them.

After all, these British troops were colonial troops, with only a small number being British. Even if these troops were executed, it would be difficult to cause a major uproar across Europe.

More importantly, if the Allied Powers held these British troops as prisoners of war, it would also be a huge problem for the British government.

The Allied Powers would certainly demand a high price from Britain to ransom these prisoners, and the British government would naturally not accept such a high price.

However, if these prisoners were not ransomed, not only would Britain face pressure domestically, but unrest might also break out in Britain's colonies.

These colonial armies were mobilized from various British colonies, many of which came from Britain's more important Canadian and Australian colonies.

Although most of these colonial troops were not British, they were all legitimate citizens of the colonies.

If the lives and deaths of these colonial troops were completely ignored, even if the British government were willing, the British colonies would most likely not be.

The Allied Powers didn't care about the British government's opinion. After the Ottoman Empire requested peace talks, the Allied forces intensified their offensive against the British army, with the obvious aim of capturing these British soldiers who had fought for the Ottoman Empire.

By holding these British prisoners in their hands, they could control an important pawn that could threaten Britain if necessary.

While the British in the traditional sense might not care about the lives of these soldiers from the colonies, the people in the British colonies would definitely care.

If the British government had ignored these prisoners, it could have taken the opportunity to incite independence movements in the British colonies, or even supported groups opposed to Britain, to launch a war of independence and create even greater trouble for the British.

(End of this chapter)