Empire Rising: Spain

“The government is planning new colonization in New Guinea. If your country is interested, perhaps we can cooperate in the colonization of New Guinea.” Carlo said with a smile.

Joint colonization of New Guinea is the goodwill released by Carlo, as well as the condition for synchronizing railway tracks with Portugal.

Carlo knew that for countries like Spain and Portugal that have already gained enough benefits in colonization, colonizing a new colony is a huge temptation.

Pulling the Portuguese together to colonize New Guinea is a plan that Carlo devised after careful consideration.

As one of the former colonial empires, the Portuguese also have a lot of experience in colonization. More importantly, Portugal also has a small colony in Southeast Asia, which meets the conditions for colonizing New Guinea.

Pulling Portugal to colonize New Guinea together, firstly, the combined power of Portugal and Spain can better respond to the colonial competition of major powers, thereby accelerating the pace of colonization.

Secondly, Spain alone cannot develop the vast territory of New Guinea, and Portugal, which lacks colonies, can just lend a hand.

If the relations between Spain and Portugal continue to remain good, it’s fine, but if intense competition or even war breaks out between the two countries, it will be difficult to say who will govern this colony.

There are indeed differences between the Portuguese and Spaniards, but compared to other populations, they are the easiest to assimilate.

Especially those Portuguese who have already immigrated, to some extent, they do not reject the rule of Spain. Under the premise that the Spanish colonial government respects their interests, they will not cause conflicts for the sake of their departed homeland or the colonial government above them.

Upon hearing Carlo’s words, Louis I was visibly startled.

He never imagined that the price Spain was willing to pay was to invite Portugal to jointly develop the New Guinea colony.

When it comes to developing colonies, who can resist such temptation? For Portugal, which had once been a colonial empire, this is indeed very attractive.

Louis I was stunned for a while before asking, “New Guinea colony? Do you mean Spain is willing to develop the New Guinea colony together with Portugal?”

Portugal certainly knows of New Guinea, after all, Portugal’s colony, East Timor, is separated by the sea from New Guinea Island.

Speaking of Timor, the first arriving colonizers on this land were the Portuguese. But with the establishment of the Dutch East Indies Colony, the Portuguese colonial power was fiercely squeezed and was nearly driven out of Timor Island.

Eventually, through treaties signed with the Dutch a decade ago, the Portuguese finally acquired the eastern part of Timor Island and some nearby small islands, barely establishing their own colony in Southeast Asia.

This section of history is quite humiliating for Portugal, as the first to arrive in Timor Island were the Portuguese, and those nearly driven out were also the Portuguese.

Upon hearing Carlo’s invitation for Portugal to colonize New Guinea together, Louis I was indeed tempted, but also somewhat hesitant.

The main reason is the presence of the Dutch in this region, as well as the British behind them.

Of course, in terms of comprehensive national strength, Portugal is far inferior to the Netherlands.

Spain was once the hegemon of Europe, but Portugal has never been a European hegemon; it merely built its colonial empire by colonizing America.

After Brazil’s independence, Portugal’s colonial empire collapsed.

Although the Dutch are not of massive size, the Netherlands was once one of Europe’s hegemons, with the title of the seafaring nation.

The Lowland Region has always been a relatively developed area of Europe, with shipbuilding and shipping being particularly strong economic pillars for the Netherlands even now.

If we’re only talking about comprehensive national strength, the Portuguese really can’t compare to the Dutch. It’s just that the Netherlands is situated between the UK, France, and Germany, and none of these countries allow the Netherlands to become too powerful.

Louis I’s concerns mainly stem from the Dutch. The British are unlikely to act directly against Portugal, after all, the British would not want Portugal to be swayed towards Spain.

But the problem is, the Dutch are quite unrestrained when it comes to colonization. Even a small island like Timor can attract colonial competition from the Dutch. If the battlefield is placed in a larger New Guinea Island, won’t it trigger even larger-scale colonial conflicts?

Although the temptation is great, the risks are equally significant. If the colonies that the Portuguese painstakingly build are overrun by the Dutch or the Spaniards, wouldn’t it mean that years of Portuguese efforts vanish in an instant?

Seemingly perceiving Louis I’s hesitation, Carlo smiled and continued, “Your Majesty Louis, I’m sure you are also aware of the vastness of the New Guinea colony. It’s not just the Dutch; the British, Germans, and French all have colonial actions on this land.

For these countries, Spain is also just a small country. The colonial cooperation between Portugal and Spain can solve this issue; at least we can unite to secure a piece of land in New Guinea.

We can also establish an alliance treaty between the two colonies, at least as far as the two colonies are concerned, we can reach a certain mutual defense agreement.”

What Louis I is worried about is whether the Portuguese can hold onto the colony, just like what happened previously on Timor Island.