Empire Rising: Spain

Chapter 40: Chapter 39: The Uncertainty of Human Nature

Prim simply nodded slightly after hearing his subordinate’s report, without any words.

He glanced at the man with a playful look, making him feel uneasy under Prim’s gaze.

“Prime Minister Prim, Senator Anrique instructed me to report important intelligence to you.” After swallowing hard and slightly calming his nerves, the man began to speak slowly.

“Oh? What important intelligence?” How can these people hide their thoughts from Prim? Surely, there’s a person within the Basque Rebel Army with ulterior motives who wants to clear their ties before the Basque Rebel Army is annihilated.

“Senator Anrique expresses regret over the situation in Basque. But please believe that Senator Anrique absolutely has no intention of betraying Spain.

It was the rebel leader, Mathis Anhatel, who used force to threaten the senator to support him, leading to the Basque rebellion.

But Senator Anrique has always been loyal to His Majesty and Spain. He is willing to provide you with all intelligence regarding the Basque Army and awaits the arrival of government forces to suppress the rebellion.

This is a letter personally written by the senator, please have a look.”

With a smile, Prim looked at the man, then took the letter, glancing over it briefly.

“Ah, Senator Anrique is truly loyal to the Kingdom!” Prime Minister Prim chuckled lightly, seemingly forgiving the traitor who betrayed the country:

“Go back and tell Senator Anrique, His Majesty already instructed before I came that the ordinary people caught up in the Basque and Catalan rebellions will be unpunished.

Senator Anrique can actively report the enemy’s situation, surely His Majesty won’t pursue it.”

Carlo indeed mentioned the amnesty regarding the Basque and Catalonian rebellion, as most civilians were brainwashed and forced to join the rebels.

And Prim wasn’t wrong; what does Carlo’s amnesty have to do with Prim?

Although Prim is also a Catalan, what he desires is a strong Spain.

For rebels like Anrique, who undermine Spain’s unity, the best approach is to send them to meet their Maker.

A soldier-born Prim has no trace of mercy; since they dared to rebel, they should prepare for the reckoning after the suppression.

“Thank God, Your Excellency Prime Minister, I will convey your words to the esteemed senator. I wish you a swift resolution to the Catalonia rebellion.” After receiving Prim’s willingness to grant amnesty, Senator Anrique’s subordinate noticeably breathed a sigh of relief.

He looked at Prim with fear and gratitude, as if celebrating his continued glory under the prestigious senator.

After sending away the bothersome chap, Prim’s face regained a smile, calling in several generals, with good spirits he said: “Move out, generals.

The Basque people are already divided internally; it’s time to send these rebellious fools to meet their Maker.”

In the letter Anrique gave Prim, not only was there information on the specific location and size of the Victoria-Gasteiz rebels, but also a seemingly detailed list of the rebel leadership.

Anrique spared no effort to clear himself of suspicion.

Of course, the list wasn’t entirely pure either.

There were indeed many rebel leaders within, but also Anrique’s rivals for the Basque Country senator position and some people he simply didn’t like.

Anrique’s plan was simple: by providing this list, he could absolve himself and, in the meantime, eliminate dissidents.

A list that’s eighty percent true and twenty percent false is impossible to discern unless Prim decides to interrogate everyone on the list and gather all intelligence.

But does Prim, a prominent Prime Minister of Spain, truly have the time to sift through the list?

Even if Prim eventually discovers the list’s flaws, Anrique has ample reasons to exonerate himself.

After all, he was forced to join the Basque Army; the rebels guarded against him to some extent, and made him believe more people were among the rebels, which is quite reasonable, isn’t it?

Unfortunately, Anrique will never realize that Prim never chose to forgive him from the beginning. For a military officer-turned-politician, he has long learned to remain cold-blooded to anyone.

Prim sighed in relief.

Though the Basque’s population isn’t large, the significance of the two cities, Victoria in the south and Bilbao in the north, remains considerable.

The southern city of Victoria is the Basque Region’s core; if an attack causes heavy Basque casualties, it would undoubtedly accelerate the estrangement between the Basque and Spain.

The northern city of Bilbao is one of Spain’s few industrial cities, particularly crucial in the steel industry.

If the factories in Bilbao were destroyed, it would be catastrophic for Spain’s already fragile industrial sector.

Now with Anrique proactively providing deployment and scale information of the Basque Army, Prim can calmly address the remaining Basque rebels while protecting the civilians in Victoria and Bilbao from the war’s reach.

As for the authenticity of the information Anrique provided about the Basque Army, Prim is still willing to believe it.

After all, Anrique needs a token to redeem himself. If even the Basque Army’s situation turns out false, wouldn’t that mean Anrique ends up pleasing neither side?

The Basque Army leader Mathis Anhatol has yet to realize that after a betrayal from the Catalans, he suffers another from Anrique.

Given the two men planned the rebellion together, Mathis Anhatol believed he and Senator Anrique’s fates were intertwined, sharing success and failure.

The consequences for both wouldn’t be favorable after a failed rebellion, so Anrique shouldn’t have any reason to betray him, right?

Alas, Mathis Anhatol underestimated human nature and even more so the depths an Anrique-type senator would go to when facing their own life and interests.

It was only a few days before the Spanish Army majestically arrived at a small mountain range south of Victoria.

The location wasn’t far from Victoria, perfect for a brief respite and preparation for artillery positions.

Prim’s plan was to create chaos in Victoria before the Basque had time to react, then have the army forcibly enter Victoria to seize control.

Since the rebels’ exact positions were clear, once the Spanish Army successfully enters Victoria City, these rebels will have nowhere to hide.

After that, things are straightforward. Establish military control over Victoria City, then launch massive raids on the rebel leadership, announcing amnesty for all Basque civilians.

As long as the Basque civilians don’t stir up another rebellion, those on the large list won’t be able to create much trouble.