Empire Rising: Spain

However, if Portugal chooses to cooperate with Spain, the power of the Iberian union is quite significant, enough to challenge even the major powers.

Unless they plan to completely sever ties, major powers like the UK, France, and Germany can only opt for a relatively moderate competition in the face of Portuguese and Spanish colonial collaboration.

After all, it’s just a battle for colonies and doesn’t need to escalate to the level of homeland competition. Besides the UK, France, and Germany, the remaining Dutch are not to be feared.

Even without the Iberian union, Spain alone is not afraid of the Netherlands, which is not a strong medium-sized country.

The strength of Spain is relative, and so is the strength of the Netherlands. Although Spain has declined significantly, its overall strength is still formidable compared to the Netherlands, a nation with relatively small territory and a modest population.

After all, the Netherlands is merely a nation of over four million people, ultimately limited in scale. Even though its industry and economy are more developed than Iberian nations, it clearly cannot bridge the population gap with Spain.

Upon hearing Carlo’s words, King Louis I nodded, the hesitation in his eyes had largely vanished.

Considering Portugal’s power, King Louis I tended to ponder too much when making decisions, weighing the pros and cons for Portugal.

For now, collaborating with Spain to colonize New Guinea is also beneficial for Portugal. If things proceed as Carlo suggested, Portugal does indeed have a chance to secure a piece of land on New Guinea as a new colony.

Although it’s impossible to acquire extensive land, it would be a considerable gain nonetheless. For King Louis, securing a colony during his reign, regardless of its size or economic value, would be a political achievement to boast about.

Politicians need achievements to promote themselves, and the king is no different. A king who expands the realm is always better than one who takes a moderate stance, and a moderate king is better than an incompetent one.

If possible, which king doesn’t want to expand the realm, establishing a larger dominion for their kingdom?

Although it’s just a colony, Portugal’s most hopeful expansion currently lies in colonial pursuits. After all, Portugal shares a border with only one country, and that is Spain, a country with a disparity in strength. Land expansion for Portugal is much more challenging than colonial expansion.

“I must admit, Your Majesty Carlo, your words are indeed enticing. But as you said, matters of state are not for us alone to decide, they require discussion among the politicians in the government before a decision is made.

But I personally agree with your proposal, and barring any surprises, I believe we will see collaboration between Portugal and Spain on New Guinea.” King Louis I answered with a smile.

While he was more inclined to collaborate with Spain on colonization, the specific matters of cooperation still required discussions among government officials.

It’s not that King Louis I couldn’t decide for the government, but certain interests need to be negotiated by government officials rather than the king personally intervening.

If two kings were to argue and debate over specific interests, it would be quite undignified. Since the general direction of cooperation is already decided, the details and terms are naturally to be discussed by government officials.

Of course, having agreed to collaborate with Spain in colonizing New Guinea, Portugal is bound to make some concessions regarding railway gauges.

The good news is that the gap between Portugal’s railway gauge and Spain’s is only 9 millimeters, making adjustments relatively simple.

Moreover, Portugal doesn’t have an extensive railway network, so if truly committed to adjusting all railway gauges, it can be done efficiently and with minimal costs in a short time.

But for King Louis I, would he really dutifully adjust all of Portugal’s railway gauges to match Spain’s?

Of course not. Even if Portugal agrees with Spain, there are always reasons to delay. Synchronizing railway gauges is surely necessary, as reneging would not bode well for Portugal.

Not only would it further antagonize Spain, but it would also cause a steep decline in Portugal’s diplomatic reputation.

Portugal only has this one neighbor, and while it should be guarded against, that doesn’t mean Portugal wants to engage in a more intense conflict with Spain.

State discussions concluded quickly, and the main topic of the royal families’ meeting was a series of uninterrupted banquets and outings.

After all, as his sister and brother-in-law, Carlo was quite generous with expenses. He not only invited King Louis I and his wife to visit his private vineyard but also organized a grand hunt, allowing King Louis I to have some fun with the Spanish-issued Vitali M1872 Rifle.

Portugal is currently in a transitional period between muzzle-loading and breech-loading rifles and has not fully adopted advanced breech-loading weapons.

There are many reasons for this, aside from Portugal’s small population and lesser emphasis on the army, Portugal’s military technology is not advanced, and it lags in developing breech-loading rifles.

Although the current breech-loading rifle technology is not mature, Spain’s Vitali M1872 Rifle is a second-level improvement on an Italian-modified rifle, significantly better than the most primitive breech-loading rifles.