Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 634 The Smoke of War Rises

As the main force in the special military operation against the United States, Britain, France and Spain will each send at least 20 troops to fight against the United States, totaling about 60 troops.

If we include the troops sent by Italy and other countries in the international coalition, the total number of international coalition forces in this special military operation against the United States will reach one million.

A million troops are clearly sufficient to deal with the United States in the short term. Although the United States has the industrial and economic strength of a superpower, in terms of military strength, especially its army, it cannot even compare with the middle-level powers of Europe.

On the one hand, the United States pursued a policy of splendid isolation and rarely participated in wars on the European continent. On the other hand, the United States did not have any particularly powerful enemies around it, and therefore did not need a very strong army to protect its territory.

While it would take some time for other countries' armies to assemble, Britain, France, and Spain could not wait that long.

Compared to other countries, Britain, France, and Spain possess stronger organizational capabilities, enabling them to mobilize and transport troops to the United States in a shorter time.

Now is the time when the United States is at its weakest. Under such circumstances, a sudden blow to the US government could cause widespread chaos in the country, thus forcing the government to be unable to retaliate.

If the US government were given more than a month to prepare, by the time the international coalition arrived in the US, the US military would already be on high alert.

Even if the US military has little actual combat capability, these armed troops can still inflict significant casualties on the international coalition.

Although defeating the United States would allow for a substantial share of the benefits, casualties in this special military operation must still be minimized.

After all, European countries have just emerged from the flu outbreak and have not yet fully recovered. Although Spain was not significantly affected by the flu, this does not mean that Spain is willing to bear excessive casualties.

Despite the fact that Britain, France, and Spain mobilized as many as 60 troops, it was a piece of cake for these three countries, which possessed powerful navies, to mobilize such troops.

According to the plan of the international coalition joint operations command, the offensive against the United States would officially begin after French and Spanish troops arrived in Canada.

Because the United States has a very large land area, this special military operation is destined not to cover the entire United States, but will select some important cities and regions to disrupt the order of the United States as much as possible, thereby achieving control over the United States.

The United States at this time was different from that of later generations. Although the total population of the United States had exceeded 100 million, the majority of the population was concentrated in the eastern region of the United States.

Apart from the more populous state of California, the international coalition will not set foot in the rest of the western region, as there is indeed no need to concern themselves with these sparsely populated areas.

The eastern United States was the main focus of the international coalition's offensive. Besides New York, there were many other important American cities, and controlling the eastern United States was tantamount to controlling the entire country.

Given that the main offensive was planned for the eastern United States, it's easy to understand why the coalition forces chose Canada as their assembly point.

After all, Mexico, another neighbor of the United States, is too far from the eastern United States. If an attack were to be launched from there, it would have to start from Texas and fight its way through the entire United States.

Immediately upon deciding to wage war against the United States, Britain, France, and Spain blockaded the Panama Canal. This canal was a lifeline for the United States; with the Panama Canal blocked, communication between the east and west coasts of the United States would have to be routed around to the southernmost tip of South America.

The seemingly powerful U.S. Navy was also directly divided in two, with neither the Atlantic Fleet nor the Pacific Fleet able to stand alone against the combined fleet of the international coalition.

Of course, even if the US East and West Coast fleets could join forces at this time, they would still be no match for the Combined Fleet.

After all, the combined fleet consisted of the world's number one navy, Great Britain, and the world's number two navy, Spain.

On February 2, 1921, the League of Nations announced a three-month special military operation against the United States, citing the United States' refusal to comply with its obligation to cooperate with the investigation.

A diplomatic spokesperson for the international coalition declared that the military operation was a brief one, targeting only the U.S. government, and would not affect the daily lives of Americans.

Where the League of Nations forces arrived, the League of Nations would also provide material assistance to the local Americans to ensure that the local population would not be affected by the war.

Once the U.S. government agrees to the League of Nations' request for an investigation, the League of Nations will immediately cease its special military operations and will no longer launch attacks against the United States.

To demonstrate the impartiality of this military operation, the League of Nations' diplomatic spokesperson answered numerous questions from reporters on the spot, including the true purpose of this special military operation, the participating countries, and the number of troops involved.

Manipulated by public opinion in European countries, even in special military operations initiated by the League of Nations, the European public still believed that the League of Nations was on the side of justice and that the United States was not the so-called victim.

This kind of public opinion spread widely across the United States, filling the American public with distrust of the government. Even though the US government attempted to salvage its reputation, all efforts were in vain; the public was no longer willing to believe the US government's statements.

Another major reason why many people believe the international coalition is on the side of justice is precisely because of the number of countries involved in this special military operation.

It is no exaggeration to say that almost every member state of the League of Nations participated in this special military operation. Smaller countries sent only about a thousand troops, while larger countries sent anywhere from several thousand to tens of thousands.

The four major powers of the League of Nations naturally sent the largest number of troops. Britain, France, and Spain each sent 20 troops, and Italy sent 10 troops.

All these various military forces combined brought the total number of troops involved in the special military operations against the United States to nearly one million. At that time, the number of active-duty U.S. troops was only a few tens of thousands, a mere fraction of the coalition forces of the international coalition.

Such a disparity in troop numbers makes it hard for the American public to believe that the government can win this war.

What were the consequences of cowardice? Before the League of Nations forces even reached the United States, the American people were already panicking.

Many Americans living in cities fled to the countryside, while many Americans living on the East Coast moved westward.

Although both are part of the United States, the situations in the East and West are vastly different. The western United States is mostly barren mountainous terrain, and traveling to these areas could greatly increase the chances of avoiding war.

If they remain in the East, even if the international coalition doesn't harm them, the United States will force them into service, and they will have no choice but to go to the battlefield to serve for the United States.

For Americans today, the idea of ​​fighting for their country is hardly on their minds. The US government's attitude towards soldiers during World War II is still fresh in their minds; both laid-off soldiers and their families are well aware of the government's callousness.

Through word of mouth, many Americans developed a resistance to fighting for their country. Even those simply seeking to avoid military service chose to flee westward to the mountains. With the special military operation officially underway, the international coalition had no time to concern itself with the domestic situation in the United States.

At least regarding the duration of the special military operation, the diplomatic spokesperson for the League of Nations did not lie at all.

After discussions at a military conference within the League of Nations, all countries unanimously decided to shorten the duration of this special military operation to approximately three months.

First, a three-month special military operation would not cause too many casualties to the armies of any country. At present, no country can afford to suffer too many casualties, let alone sustain a long-term war.

Secondly, the mere three months allowed the special military operation to be declassified as a war. The League of Nations' declaration of war against the United States was utterly absurd; after all, the League of Nations is defined as an international cooperative organization and should not possess the power to declare war on any particular country.

If it is defined simply as a special military operation, it aligns with the original intentions of the League of Nations. After all, the League of Nations was founded for the peace and development of most countries, and the purpose of this special military operation was not war, but to maintain peace globally.

As for the target of this special military operation, the United States, they are by no means innocent. The great flu pandemic originated in the United States, and it was even linked to a chemical plant leak in the US.

It would be quite unfair to other countries suffering from the flu if the role the United States played during the major flu outbreak in the US were not thoroughly investigated.

As an international organization, the League of Nations naturally had to uphold the fairness and rights of the majority of countries. As for the United States, it was not a member of the League of Nations, so there was nothing more to say about it.

If the League of Nations were a member state, it could discuss solutions through internal meetings. Since the United States was not a member, the League of Nations had no choice but to unite against such a powerful superpower.

To ensure that the United States could be defeated within three months, the three major powers of Britain, France, and Spain, along with other countries involved in the special military operation, went all out.

As agreed, the navies of Britain, France, Spain, and Italy will contribute a portion of their forces to jointly form a fleet far exceeding the size of the U.S. Navy.

In addition to confronting the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, this fleet also needs to escort transport ships of the League of Nations to ensure that ships transporting supplies and troops are not attacked by the U.S. Navy.

In order to create greater chaos in the United States, the Combined Fleet will not only attack the East Coast of the United States, but will also form a small fleet on the West Coast to harass the West Coast from time to time.

As a typical country straddling two oceans, the United States has a significant geographical advantage. Of course, this geographical advantage can also turn into a disadvantage when it provokes widespread anger.

Spanning two oceans, the United States is potentially vulnerable to naval attacks from two directions. Coupled with Mexico to the south and Canada to the north, this geographical location places the US in a precarious position of being surrounded by an international coalition.

With multiple countries joining forces to besiege the United States, its existing military strength is simply insufficient to break the deadlock. This encirclement will only continue to shrink, eventually strangling the United States.

This special military operation against the United States caused such a great stir that even Russia, which was embroiled in a civil war, planned to get involved.

Yes, it was Tsarist Russia under Nicholas II. There was no way around it; the interests behind the special military operations against the United States were simply too enormous. Even a tiny fraction of those interests would have been enough to keep Tsarist Russia afloat for much longer.

Europe may look down on America’s military strength, but it has never looked down on America’s industrial and economic strength.

Even if Russia doesn't get any American territory, just receiving compensation would be enough to keep the Russian government's finances comfortable for a long time.

If Russia could acquire a portion of American land, whether to govern it as its own territory long-term or to exchange it for other countries in exchange for greater profits, it would be a very good deal for Russia.

Moreover, Russia and the United States also have a history of conflict.

Alaska was Russian territory decades ago, and the United States acquired the land in a manner that was almost like taking advantage of the situation.

Alaska covers an area of ​​171.8 million square kilometers, which is larger than the land area of ​​all European countries except Russia.

Although most of the land is located in the frigid Arctic Circle, this vast area possesses extremely rich mineral resources, making its overall value very high.

For Russia, if it can regain Alaska, it will become the only country in the world that spans three continents, with its mainland area covering Europe, Asia, and North America—an unparalleled achievement.

Alaska could also allow Russia to extend its reach into North America. Both its abundant mineral resources and strategic value were enough to tempt Nicholas II to take a risk.

Russia lacks many things, but it doesn't lack people. After discussions with the four permanent members of the League of Nations Security Council, Russia decided to deploy 15 troops to participate in a special military operation against the United States.

Unlike other member states of the international coalition, the 15 soldiers sent by Russia, apart from receiving basic military training, did not carry any weapons or equipment.

This also means that the weapons and equipment of these soldiers need to be provided by the international coalition, in exchange for the international coalition not having to worry about the soldiers' compensation.

To put it bluntly, Russia traded 15 cannon fodder for the opportunity to participate in the partitioning of the United States, while the international coalition only needed to provide weapons and equipment for 15 people to obtain 15 cannon fodder in return.

Although the Russian army was generally not very strong in combat, fortunately, these Russian soldiers had experienced the civil war and were not completely clueless greenhorns.

Moreover, the combat effectiveness of the US military is not very strong. Given their numerical advantage, these Russian soldiers can still play a certain role, especially when attacking fortified positions.

Although the total number of troops involved in the special military operation against the United States has exceeded one million, the four permanent members of the League of Nations have no reason to refuse to send 15 cannon fodder.

In any case, it's just the weaponry and equipment for 15 people. The four permanent members of the Security Council each share the burden, so on average, each country only needs to contribute weaponry and equipment for less than 4 people. This is certainly a piece of cake for the four major powers.

Spain, in particular, as a strategic partner of Tsarist Russia, provided Tsarist Russia with a large amount of weapons and equipment every year.

Spain still has a considerable stockpile of weapons and equipment; if all of these were used, it would be sufficient to cope with this special military operation against the United States.

(End of this chapter)