Empire Rising: Spain

“Officer Menotti, what a vast and deserted fertile land this is!” Anthony Ronaldo Prince Cruise, the deputy commander of the Spanish African expedition, gazed at the endless expanse before him and, after being stunned for a long while, finally spoke slowly.

The leader of the African expedition, Menotti, was equally dumbfounded as he stared at the fertile land before him. After swallowing a mouthful of saliva, he gave his command: “Have you recorded the routes of our journey? How many indigenous tribes have we encountered, and with which tribes have we established contact? I hope there are no omissions.”

“Rest assured, Officer.” The deputy Anthony smiled and nodded confidently, saying, “The brothers are all veteran members of the expedition team, and they certainly won’t forget these procedures.”

“God bless, our efforts of more than three years have not been in vain. Who would have thought such a vast plain was hidden in the Congo River Basin? Perhaps with these lands, we could recreate a Spain!” The excitement on Menotti’s face did not fade; instead, it grew more intense with his imagination.

The African expedition had not lived an easy life in these nearly four years. They prepared in Spain before sailing to the Guinea Colony.

After assembling all the expedition personnel in the Guinea Colony and replenishing firearms, ammunition, horses, and steamships, they then grandly headed north along the Congo River.

After passing through the Congo Kingdom, the expedition first encountered an indigenous force named Anziku, and later entered the realm of the Bantu people.

The further north they went, the more hostile these African natives’ attitudes became. Throughout this journey, the expedition had claimed thousands, if not tens of thousands, of native lives, and just the bullets and firearms reserves had already cost several carts.

However, the good news is that they also obtained a large amount of food from these natives. Explorations, though filled with danger, also bring about an understanding of more unknown things.

Menotti considered himself quite knowledgeable about these Africans, but after delving deep into the Congo River exploration, he realized how ignorant and backward the Africans within the African Continent were.

Throughout this journey, Menotti saw natives eating raw meat, witnessed cannibal tribes, and also saw indigenous nations that existed on a larger scale.

If the expedition did not have enough armed forces for protection, they would likely have already been exhausted from their contacts with these indigenous forces.

The four-year exploration brought Menotti a truth, which is that those who are not of our kin are bound to have different hearts. Regardless of how obsequious and respectful these black monkeys seemed, in their hearts, they harbored nothing but hostility towards the expedition.

Over the years, the expedition had also encountered betrayal from the African natives, resulting in the annihilation of that African tribe.

“How many outposts have we established along the way?” Menotti inquired about the progress of their journey while instructing his men to set up tents for a rest break, directing his gaze toward his deputy Anthony.

“Commander, we have established a total of 22 colonial outposts over the years and made contact with hundreds of local tribes and villages. Under your orders, over a thousand Spanish flags now stand on these lands, enough to prove that Spain is the first colonizer to arrive on this land.” Anthony Ronaldo Prince Cruise respectfully reported to Menotti.

The discoveries made along this journey were significant, not to mention the vast plains discovered in the Congo Basin. Once all of this information is reported back home, this expedition team will certainly gain tremendous merit.

Though Menotti was the commander and in charge of armed forces, Anthony also served as the deputy commander and director of the expedition; the two of them worked closely together on this exploration mission.

Given that deep exploration is ultimately a life-threatening endeavor, Carlo had promised before the expedition set out that no one’s contributions would be disregarded.

Under Carlo’s repeated instructions, Menotti dared not neglect this promise. Every bit of contribution made by anyone since the action began would be recorded, to be honored uniformly when the expedition returned to Spain.

The reason Menotti and Anthony were so excited was, of course, because Carlo himself promised. If the expedition team could discover fertile lands and rich mineral resources inside the Congo River Basin, and seize the opportunity to establish colonial outposts or even establish a colonial domain, they would have the chance to receive titles of nobility.

As the head and deputy of the expedition, Menotti and Anthony were very likely to be granted the title of Baron or even Earl upon their return to Spain, so how could they not be excited?

Although the number of nobles in Spain is relatively high among European countries, the value of Spanish nobility has not diminished as a result.

Moreover, besides the titles of nobility, Carlo also promised a variety of property and financial rewards. Naturally, they trusted the personal promise of a King, and this led both to make up their minds to strive to perfect this exploration mission, aiming for greater achievements and rewards.

By the time the maps of the Congo River Basin and exploration data were sent back to Spain, two and a half months had already passed.

The relevant information immediately drew Carlo’s attention, and he decided to urgently convene a Cabinet meeting to collaborate with the government in the colonial development of the Congo.