Empire Rising: Spain

Chapter 166: Chapter 138: Investing in Shipyards

The treaty signed between the French Government and the Spanish Government is not of a military nature, so there is naturally no need to keep it secret.

In fact, the French need to make this treaty public to help themselves recover from their disastrous diplomatic situation. After all, anyone with a discerning eye can see how difficult things are for France now, surrounded by countries that are not particularly friendly.

Similarly, there is no need for Spain to hide anything. Working with the French can even serve as a smokescreen to confuse the British, prompting them to be more cautious in their diplomatic policies toward Spain.

After signing the cooperation treaty with France, the Spanish Government immediately dispatched a diplomatic delegation to France.

Their primary aim was to conduct a practical assessment of the industrial equipment and related technical expertise that France could export to Spain, in order to select the materials and technologies that Spain needed or that had high strategic value, and find ways to transport them to Spain.

Regardless of whether France’s loans have been disbursed, conducting an on-site investigation of France’s industrial system in advance is also very important. The experience accumulated by the French in industrial matters can serve as valuable wealth, allowing Spain to avoid unnecessary detours in its industrial development.

Currently, Spain has made significant progress in military manufacturing, but these advances are primarily related to infantry weapons.

The Vitali M1872 Rifle owned by Spain is considered a top-notch breech-loading rifle in Europe, and the artillery technology acquired from Austria is likewise first-rate in Europe.

Therefore, when it comes to purchasing French military equipment and technology, Spain mainly focuses on introducing naval technology, followed by French artillery technology, while essentially ignoring rifle technology.

After all, with the future invention of smokeless powder, the rifle technology of various countries will see further improvements. Carlo’s future goal is to develop something akin to the British Lee-Enfield Rifle and the German Gew.98 Rifle, which is the famous predecessor of the 98K Rifle.

These two rifles represent the peak of rifle technology for the United Kingdom and Germany during World War I, and were also the standard-issue weapons widely equipped by these two countries during the war.

In fact, if one had to point out, the Lee-Enfield Rifle has relatively more advantages. Its advantage is its rapid firing rate, with skilled veterans able to fire at least 30 rounds per minute.

However, the downside is also its fast firing rate. On the battlefield, accuracy cannot be guaranteed, and such a high firing rate implies a massive consumption of bullets, presenting a significant challenge to military manufacturing and logistical supply capabilities.

But if Spain’s military manufacturing and logistical supply capabilities can keep up with the consumption of rifles on the front lines, the Lee-Enfield Rifle will unleash its maximum potential and become the most powerful rifle during World War I.

The long rifle version (MLE) of the Lee-Enfield Rifle was born in 1895, and after the Boer War, it was improved into a short rifle version (SMLE), which was in service until 1965.

Being procured and used by the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries for over 70 years, with more than 71 million rifles produced, testifies to its strength.

The Gew. 98 Rifle developed by the Germans is slightly inferior to the Lee-Enfield Rifle in terms of performance but is more famous.

The short rifle version of the Gew. 98 Rifle is the renowned Kar98 Rifle, or 98K Rifle.

The Gew. 98 Rifle is not without its advantages. In terms of operability and precision, it is slightly superior to the Lee-Enfield Rifle.

As a standard infantry firearm, the Lee-Enfield Rifle is undeniably more excellent. However, for special purposes like long-distance precision sniping, the Gew. 98’s capabilities are not inferior to the Lee-Enfield Rifle.

Its lower firing rate also translates to less pressure on military manufacturing and logistical supply. For countries with inadequate military manufacturing or logistical capabilities, a slower-firing rifle might sometimes be the better choice.

Rifles need to be used in conjunction with bullets. A rifle without bullets is no better than a stick, and only with sufficient bullets can a rifle’s full power be realized.

However, whether it’s the Lee-Enfield Rifle or the Gew. 98 Rifle, they were developed more than twenty years later.

By then, smokeless powder was already invented, and the military manufacturing and industrial foundations of various countries had become much stronger. It was only natural to develop more powerful rifles on this basis, and this phenomenon equally applies to warships.

Military vessels have a long history, with sailing warships reigning supreme across the world a century ago.

However, now, the most powerful main battleships of various countries have become ironclads, with industrial strength bestowing ironclads with greater speed and firepower.

When the industrial scale of various countries becomes even larger in the future,

battleships that are larger, more heavily armored, with more firepower, and faster, known as pre-dreadnought battleships, will also be born.

The reason Spain temporarily abandoned naval development was precisely to prioritize the development of industry and economy, preparing for the future birth of pre-dreadnought battleships.

Currently, the British Empire is firmly the world’s top naval power, with no chance for other countries to surpass them under normal circumstances.

The British determine their naval scale based on the world’s second and third-largest naval powers, maintaining a scale greater than the sum of the world’s second and third-largest naval powers, which is the guarantee of the Royal Navy ruling the world.