Empire Rising: Spain

Chapter 87: Chapter 84: Declaration of War on Morocco

Carlo was still waiting for the expedition team to be assembled, trying to secretly explore the Congo River Basin while the government planned to colonize Morocco.

But Carlo clearly underestimated the government’s ambition for colonizing Morocco.

Serrano and Prim returned from the Royal Palace, and overnight they formulated an action plan for Morocco, and determined the timing of the operation.

It was now September 21, 1870, and the action date set by Prim and Salano was exactly one week later, on September 28.

A week was just the right amount of time to mobilize the military to ensure enough troops were available for military action against Morocco in the early stages of the operation.

Ceuta is located at the northernmost tip of Moroccan territory, facing Gibraltar across the sea, which is why the British are reluctant to have Spain occupy too much territory near Ceuta.

Because of this, Prime Minister Prim specifically divided the operation against Morocco into two parts. The main force would depart from Ceuta, heading south to Tetouan, and west to Tangier, completely occupying the small northern tip of Moroccan territory.

Southern Spain similarly has a small protruding tip, which together with the northern Moroccan tip forms the western gateway to the Mediterranean.

Because of this reason, the British would most likely not agree to Spain occupying this area. Therefore, in Prime Minister Prim’s plan, there would also be a troop expanding northward from the fishing base in Ifni previously occupied by Spain along the coast, occupying the southern Moroccan city of Agadir.

Even if the first plan fails due to British intervention, as long as the second plan is completed and Agadir is occupied, it wouldn’t be a loss for the Spanish Government.

For European countries of this era, when they wanted to take action against indigenous African nations, justifications were indeed too easily found.

Sometimes, they didn’t even need an excuse; expanding colonies itself was the best justification.

With lessons learned from the last time, Prime Minister Prim decided to prepare in secret, delivering a sudden strike to the Moroccan Government.

The best scenario would be to achieve strategic goals before the European Powers could react, so as to hold the initiative in subsequent negotiations.

On September 28, 1870, the Spanish Army assembled in Ceuta and, without any warning, launched a fierce attack on surrounding Moroccan indigenous tribes.

Twelve hours later, the Spanish Government declared war on the Moroccan Government, citing that an attack orchestrated by Moroccans resulted in the death of at least five Spaniards in Ceuta.

An hour before declaring war on the Moroccan Government, Prime Minister Prim sent a telegram to Italian Prime Minister Giovanni, requesting the Italian Government to express support for the Spanish Government in this war.

The Spanish Government’s reward would be the strong support Italy would receive for its colonization activities in the regions of Tunisia and Libya, and both sides would establish a military alliance concerning North African colonization.

The alliance between Spain and Italy was a matter that both governments were constantly discussing. Considering the relationship between Carlo and Emanuele, it was quite normal for the Spanish and Italian Governments to gradually converge under their influence.

Spain’s and Italy’s interests would not conflict with each other. Spain wanted Morocco, Italy desired Tunisia and Libya, and between them was France’s Algerian colony.

With France as a common strong enemy being adjacent to both countries, the relationship between Spain and Italy was actually quite friendly, at least in certain aspects, such as colonial cooperation.

However, compared to Prime Minister Prim, Italian Prime Minister Giovanni possessed much less power. Though the Kingdom of Italy was also a constitutional monarchy, who could ignore the influence of King Vittorio Emanuele II?

Upon receiving the Spanish Government’s telegram, Prime Minister Giovanni immediately sought an audience with King Vittorio Emanuele II to inquire about the King’s stance.

“What does the Prime Minister think about this matter?” Vittorio Emanuele II did not express his opinion but rather asked Prime Minister Giovanni for his thoughts.

Though the two royal families were related, it did not imply that the governments were united.

This matter concerned the interests of the Italian and Spanish Governments, so naturally, it couldn’t be decided by the Royal Family.

Vittorio Emanuele II was well aware of this. He was a good father, but equally, he was a good King.

If this action was to harm the interests of the Italian Government, Emanuele II needed to carefully consider the relationship between the two governments.

“Your Majesty, I believe what Prim said is reasonable to a certain extent.” Prime Minister Giovanni pondered for a moment and then replied, “Spain’s colonial demands do not conflict with ours, and on this point, Italy’s interests will not be harmed.

Moreover, France has colonial activities in both Morocco and Tunisia, and can be seen as a common enemy for Spain’s and Italy’s colonization efforts in Africa.

If we rely solely on ourselves to deal with France, we are destined to compete unsuccessfully with the French. If we don’t want to see France occupy large territories in North Africa from Morocco to Libya, the best choice is to cooperate with the Spaniards.”

“So is the Prime Minister’s opinion to agree to cooperate with the Spanish Government?” Vittorio Emanuele II asked with a smile.

He could accept whether the Italian Government cooperated with the Spanish Government or not, but if there was an opportunity to help the Spanish Government, Vittorio Emanuele II would naturally like to see that happen.

The stronger Spain becomes, the more benefits Carlo would gain from it. As long as it doesn’t harm the interests of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II certainly hopes his son can rule a stronger country.

“Your Majesty, the last war between Spain and Morocco triggered British intervention, and I’m afraid this time it will be the same.

The biggest enemy Spain faces in colonizing Morocco isn’t France, but rather the United Kingdom, which is thousands of miles away from Spain. It’s manageable if we deal only with France, but if the British get involved as well, I’m afraid our support will not be enough.” Prime Minister Giovanni mustered his courage and expressed his speculation.

“The British?” Vittorio Emanuele II nodded, finding Prime Minister Giovanni’s speculations quite reasonable.

Ever since the United Kingdom became strong, it had turned into the notorious meddler of the European Continent. The British would intervene in any international event to ensure that the balance on the European Continent wasn’t disrupted.

If Spain’s action in Morocco were to be targeted by the British, then it seems unlikely that the colonization of Morocco could be completed under British opposition.

Vittorio Emanuele II sighed and looked at Prime Minister Giovanni, who was waiting for his orders, and instructed: “Provide diplomatic support to the Spanish Government as we previously agreed. Also inform the Spanish Government that if this colonial action triggers intervention from other Powers, Italy will be unable to intervene.”