Empire Rising: Spain

The establishment of the Congo Territory caused a sensation both inside and outside Europe, as it was the first large-scale colony established by European countries within the African Continent.

In addition to attracting the attention of various governments and royal families, it also garnered significant interest from the Spanish nobility.

Currently, the vast majority of Spanish nobles have a common characteristic: they are land aristocrats, relying on the land they own for their livelihood.

Most of the nobles’ income comes from their land and castles, with little involvement in industry and finance.

This has led to the royal family’s landholdings being smaller than those of the nobles, but their total assets soon surpassed those of the nobles.

After all, farming cannot compare to the allure of industry and finance, the most profitable sectors of this era. Especially after the Spanish Government implemented tax deductions and rent reductions on land, the income the nobles derived from land decreased even further.

Meanwhile, the newly established Congo Territory is an undeveloped land with immense economic benefits and potential value.

One should not underestimate the ambition of European colonizers; basically, any area not yet touched by European colonizers was considered barren and not worth colonizing.

Spain’s ability to establish the Congo Territory on the highlands of the upper Congo River Basin indicates that the Spanish Royal Family has determined that this land is valuable for development, and establishing the Congo Territory can bring substantial revenue.

Some nobles indeed have ideas about the newly established Congo Territory, but Carlo has not made any statements, leaving the nobles to give up for now.

After all, Carlo is no longer the young King without any power. Trying to bypass Carlo and establish plantations in Carlo’s Congo Territory is nothing more than wishful thinking.

As the nobles became anxious, Carlo had already arranged for the Church and a few trusted nobles to begin developing the Congo River Basin.

Historically, Belgian King Leopold II earned great wealth through the abundant natural rubber trees in the Congo, but it is clear that Carlo cannot completely imitate this at the present time.

These natural rubber trees indeed represent a huge fortune, but they can only become a source of income when rubber becomes truly valuable.

Although rubber currently has other uses, rubber’s real value will only emerge with the successive invention of tires and automobiles.

Only by significantly expanding the use of rubber did its value continue to grow, with rubber plantations and rubber companies springing up like mushrooms after rain.

Currently, the value of rubber is similar to that of oil; both are priced low due to the lack of discovery of their greatest uses. The rise in oil prices is also due to the invention of various internal combustion engines and the birth of machinery using these engines, which led to the ever-increasing value of oil as an energy resource.

Rubber follows the same rationale. Before the emergence of tires and a series of other rubber products, natural rubber indeed had some value, but it was not high.

Although it’s impossible to make a fortune with rubber plantations, the lands in the Congo still have many uses.

In fact, nearly all of the Congo, irrigated by the Congo River, is quite suitable for agriculture.

However, due to the widespread tropical rainforests in the Congo Basin, rampant diseases and poisonous insects make the environment extremely harsh, making agricultural development extremely challenging.

In contrast, the vegetation in the upstream highland areas is less dense, with fewer poisonous insects, making development relatively simple. Additionally, being located in the tropics, it’s suitable for growing rice, cotton, oil crops, as well as cocoa, rubber, and bananas.

Since rubber plantations are not feasible, the focus can shift to cotton plantations, banana plantations, and so on. After all, there is a large indigenous labor force that can be exploited locally, and once the plantations are up and running, there are various ways to make money.

After the declaration of the Congo Territory’s establishment, the crops and agricultural products from the upstream highlands can be transported in two ways. The first is by rail to the ports of the Spanish Guinea Colony, and the second is by river, following the Congo River downstream to the estuary.

For Spain, naturally, both methods are needed. Although, transportation of materials through the first method of railway can proceed smoothly, the fact that it is a single-track railway limits the amount of material that can be transported.

Secondly, control over the Congo River Basin needs to be strengthened. Since the Congo Territory has been established, the most important task next is to control the entire Congo River, extending through the Congo River Basin, thereby controlling the entire Congo Region.

In this regard, Spain’s biggest colonial competitor is Portugal. Portugal has long been engaged in colonial invasions of the Congo Kingdom and has established its own West Africa Colony.

Although they still do not fully control the lower Congo River, if Spain does not speed up its pace, Portugal is very likely to fully control the lower Congo River before the arrival of the Spanish colonial contingent.

This would not be favorable for Spain, as the upper Congo River is an inland area. Without the support of river transportation and ports, economic development would be somewhat restricted.

On this point, even if relations between Spain and Portugal improve, Carlo will not retreat a single step.

If Portugal decides to compete colonially with Spain in the lower Congo River, Carlo does not mind deploying the Guard Army’s power to forcibly seize the area.