Empire Rising: Spain

Unfortunately, with the unification of Italy, Garibaldi’s Red Shirt Army was also forced to disband or be taken over by the Italian Government, and its combat effectiveness naturally fell apart.

Since it has been determined that the French will not tear their faces, Carlo naturally cannot choose to back down in such unexpected events.

Carlo understands what kind of King the Spaniards need. They need not only a King who can lead Spain in rapid industrial and economic development towards revival, but also a King who will make military achievements, allowing Spain to become a military power again.

Early on, when Spain was formulating plans related to the development of its African Colony, Carlo was already aware that Spain would definitely have certain conflicts with France, possibly even local wars.

Although on the surface, France’s strength is far superior to Spain, Carlo does not have the slightest concern about France.

Describing it a bit more specifically, Spain’s current state is like being barefoot and not afraid of those with shoes. Even if Spain fails in the competition, it can steadfastly hold onto the Iberian Peninsula, and honestly remain a member of the great powers, with no problem.

But the French are different. Let’s not talk about failure; as long as the losses are relatively significant, it will severely impact the living environment of France in the European Region.

Before France has a powerful ally that can deter Germany, the French Government is unlikely to have a fierce conflict with the Spanish Government.

On June 23, 1885, the day after receiving news from the Colony, Spanish newspapers reported extensively about the French Fleet forcibly entering the Spanish Colony’s port and almost engaging in a firefight with the Colony’s coastal defense batteries.

Because there were so many newspaper reports of similar news, this incident quickly attracted a lot of attention from Spaniards.

To Carlo’s satisfaction, upon hearing such news, the attitude of the Spaniards was unusually unanimous, which was that the government should retaliate in kind.

Spain is not any ordinary rabble. As citizens of a powerful nation, Spaniards have extremely high national pride and patriotic enthusiasm.

The French provocations to Spain were like an insult, similar to France slapping Spain’s face. Spaniards are not a cowardly nation to begin with, and with Carlo instilling courage and fearless spirits through bullfighting activities, it quickly ignited the emotions of the Spaniards.

Not to mention France, even if it were the British Empire in person, Spaniards would support their government’s retaliation without hesitation.

Carlo certainly wouldn’t let the Spaniards down. At noon on June 23, Carlo ordered the diplomatic department to hold a press conference, solemnly protesting against France’s provocative actions and stating that the Spanish Government would consider retaliating in kind.

Such tough statements from the Spanish Government immediately triggered wild cheering among Spaniards and curiosity from foreign media.

The people were very supportive of Spain’s tough stance; they believed that only a Spanish Government like this could protect the interests of all Spaniards.

As for the attention of foreign media, they were curious about whether the Spanish government’s statement about considering retaliation in kind was true.

If this is true, it not only represents a sharp decline in Spain-France diplomatic relations in a short period, but it also represents a significant change in the European situation.

France and Spain are both powerful countries, and the diplomatic relations between these two countries inevitably influence the European situation. Moreover, France is already in a state of isolation, so what exactly is the French Government’s purpose in provoking the Spanish Government?

Initially, it was only some newspaper agencies that paid attention to the conflict between Spain and France, but after Spain’s diplomatic department expressed a tough attitude, governments across Europe coincidentally expressed their concern about this incident.

The Spanish Government also had no intention of keeping secrets, and immediately began planning retaliatory actions against France.

Calling them retaliatory actions is actually just doing what the French did all over again.

On the afternoon of June 23, a fleet set out from the West Africa Colony, majestically heading for the French Senegal Colony.

After approaching the coastal waters of French Senegal, the Spanish Fleet proceeded without any hesitation towards Saint Louis, the capital and largest port of Senegal.

Upon reaching the vicinity of Saint Louis Port, the Spanish Fleet sent clear signal flags, requesting to dock at Saint Louis Port and replenish supplies.

By this time, more than a day had passed since the French Fleet initially arrived at the Spanish port, and the French Government had considered the possibility of Spanish retaliation.

But the French Government did not expect that the Spanish Government’s retaliation would come so quickly.

Only a few hours after the Spanish Government’s diplomatic department expressed a tough attitude, how could the Spanish Fleet already be at the doorstep of the French Colony?

The reason for the Spanish fleet’s rapid arrival at the French Colony is mainly because Spain did not deploy its main fleet stationed on the mainland.

Spain’s mainland is over two thousand kilometers in a straight line from the French Senegal Colony, and the journey of the warships is much more extensive.

Based on the current sailing speed of Spain’s main warships, dispatching a fleet from the mainland would take at least over a week to reach the French Colony.

Outside of the mainland, the place with the most Spanish Navy deployment is the Guinea Colony. Due to the Guinea Colony’s location at the bend of the Guinea Bay, it is not far from the West Africa Colony and the Congo Territory, making it the base of the Spanish African Fleet.

However, it has the same problem as Spain’s mainland, which is that it is nearly 3,000 kilometers in a straight line from the French Senegal Colony.

Given this situation, the only place that could dispatch a fleet to reach the French Colony in a short time is Spain’s West Africa Colony.

Although the warships of the West Africa Colony are all small, it is the only naval base that can reach the French Colony in a short time.

After all, Spain’s retaliatory action was merely to deter France, and not to provoke France and cause a war to break out.

Upon seeing Spanish troops appearing at the port, the French Colony’s port experienced the same chaos that occurred more than a day ago at the Spanish port.

Governments from various countries might understand that the two countries would not go to war, but these residents living in the colony might not.

Furthermore, this kind of thing cannot be guaranteed unequivocally. If Spain and France did indeed erupt into a small-scale war, those close to Saint Louis Port would be the first to bear the brunt.

It is worth mentioning that because only a day has passed, the French Fleet that had threatened the Spanish port is still in the Senegal Colony.

When the French saw the Spanish Fleet, their first reaction was to contact fleets stationed at other ports to seek their protection.

Simultaneously, the coastal defense artillery of the French port, like what Spain did yesterday, turned their guns targeting the Spanish Fleet.

Due to the Spanish fleet lacking large warships, it increased the difficulty of the coastal defense artillery’s targeting.

Additionally, since the Spaniards did not make further moves, the French dared not to be the first to open fire.

Although it was currently only a standoff between the French Colony and the Spanish Fleet, if one side recklessly opened fire, this standoff could quickly evolve into a small-scale war.

Spain does not wish to see a war occur, and the French Government shares the same attitude.

This results in both sides being relatively restrained; the Spanish Fleet only lingered at the French port for a few minutes before choosing to withdraw.

Watching the Spanish Fleet gradually leave the port, the French finally breathed a sigh of relief. At least, war didn’t break out, which was good news for the French.

Especially for those French fully relocated to the colony, they absolutely do not want to see war occur.

The good news is that the Spanish Fleet has retreated, ending this crisis. The bad news is that Spain’s retaliatory actions were akin to a slap on the face of every French person present.

The anger felt by the Spaniards a day ago is how intensely the French feel now.

The Governor of French Senegal Colony immediately reported the Spanish fleet’s actions back to France’s mainland and asked for instructions from the French Government.