Empire Rising: Spain

If it weren’t for the fact that the Moroccans in the South Morocco Colony were somewhat obedient, Carlo would have planned to establish the Inquisition in Southern Morocco to help with the expansion of Catholicism on Moroccan territory.

It’s just that Moroccans are white; otherwise, Carlo wouldn’t go to such lengths to assimilate them. If they were black, Carlo would have had no plans for assimilation at all, simply extracting all their value until they were disbanded or eliminated.

Counting the two Colonial Defense Corps soon to arrive in the Congo Territory, the Congo Territory currently has less than 7,000 troops.

The fully equipped colonial division Carlo planned will have nearly 20,000 troops, which means there is a shortage of at least 13,000 troops in the Congo Territory.

Since it concerns the colonies, Carlo has significant influence. After communicating with Duke Serrano, Carlo unhesitatingly issued his orders.

Most of the 13,000 troop shortage will be handled by the South Morocco Colony and the Philippine Colony.

The South Morocco Colony will provide 5,000 troops, who will be meticulously screened to ensure their loyalty to Spain.

These 5,000 soldiers and their families will head to the Congo Territory together, where they will be recognized as permanent residents of the territory.

By doing so, they’ll shed their indigenous status at the colony, and it will be easier for them to apply for Spanish citizenship.

Of course, they could completely become residents of the Congo Territory as well. The Congo Territory has vast undeveloped lands, and if they wish to settle there long-term, they can cultivate the land themselves.

After all, Spain acquired a large workforce from the Bangui Tribe, which they can hire to help cultivate the land.

In simple terms, these Moroccans chosen as soldiers will completely shed their indigenous status, gaining a superior status in the Congo Territory, and in turn, will subjugate the local indigenous people.

The remaining 8,000 troop shortage will see the Philippine Colony providing 5,000 people, with the remaining 3,000 being recruited locally from the Congo.

The conditions offered to the Philippine natives will be somewhat less favorable, as they are not white, making assimilation more challenging.

However, as long as their loyalty to Spain is sufficient, they too will have the opportunity to apply for Spanish citizenship. Even if they can’t join Spanish citizenship, they certainly won’t be the lowest class in the Congo Territory, as there will still be African slaves they can easily subjugate.

Similarly, these 5,000 Filipino soldiers can bring their families to the Congo Territory. This not only promotes population development in the Congo Territory but also ensures the soldiers’ loyalty through their families.

If nothing unexpected occurs, their families will live very happily in the Congo Territory. But if the army faces any issues, the families of these soldiers will be used as leverage to threaten these indigenous soldiers, forcing them to obey Spanish rule.

Though it seems somewhat brutal, no one will sympathize with those indigenous people. Compared to the natives who continue to suffer enslavement and oppression in the colonies, those fortunate enough to be chosen as soldiers are much luckier.

As long as they remain obedient, obtaining Spanish citizenship in the future will not be difficult. They too can shed their indigenous status and become privileged people within the colony.

In fact, Carlo could recruit enough troops from the South Morocco Colony and the Philippine Colony to reinforce the Congo Territory, completely avoiding local recruitment.

However, considering the lengthy transportation time and the excessive cost and hassle of moving troops from South Morocco and the Philippines, Carlo ultimately decided to form a regiment-sized local indigenous army.

The loyalty of these local indigenous troops in the Congo Territory is certainly unreliable, but with the presence of oversight teams, using them as cannon fodder remains feasible.

The advantage of these local indigenous troops is that soldiers can be replaced as soon as they die. The entire Congo Territory has at least millions of indigenous people, and even if tens of thousands die, Spain won’t mind in the slightest.

This is only the current scope of the Congo Territory. If they continue to push downstream along the Congo River and occupy the Congo Kingdom, the number of indigenous people will reach tens of millions.

If utilized well, these natives can also become millions of laborers and cannon fodder. With these laborers building the Congo Territory, its development can progress rapidly and become one of the profitable colonies for Spain.

Although this approach indeed solves the manpower issue in the Congo Territory, a new problem arises for Carlo. The South Morocco and Guinea colonies, whose forces have been drawn away, now also face troop shortages.

Before Manuel’s colonial division is formed, Spain has a total of 20 Colonial Defense Corps amounting to 46,000 troops.

These 20 Colonial Defense Corps are distributed across Spain’s Cuban, South Moroccan, Congo, Guinea, and Philippine colonies, and their original force level was barely adequate.

But due to Carlo’s repeated redeployment of troops from the South Moroccan Colony, the forces there now face some shortages.

Currently, Spain’s distribution of the 20 Colonial Defense Corps is as follows:

The most profitable Cuban Colony possesses a total of 6 Colonial Defense Corps, amounting to 14,000 troops. The Philippine Colony, which recently experienced major expansion, houses 6 Colonial Defense Corps and 11,500 troops.