Empire Rising: Spain

After agreeing with the British Government on the specific timing of the diplomatic visit, preparing for negotiations with the British Government became the top priority for the Spanish Government.

Although the current development of affairs was within the Spanish Government’s expectations, this did not mean that the final result of the negotiations would align with those expectations.

As a fellow European country, Spain is well aware of the British Government’s greed. For the British Empire, if it cannot gain more benefits, the British Government would never agree to the terms of exchanging colonies.

Spain hopes to obtain all of Britain’s colonies in West Africa during the colonial exchange process, but this is not an easy feat to achieve.

However, the good news is that if Britain withdraws from the colonial competition in West Africa, only Spain and France will be left to colonize the area.

Although the relationship between Spain and France is quite good, the possibility of the two cooperating to develop and colonize West Africa is nearly zero.

Considering the British people’s disruptive nature, even if the British Government agrees to give up all its colonies in West Africa, it will undoubtedly dig a pit in the diplomatic relations between Spain and France.

Given France’s awkward position in Europe, a deterioration in diplomatic relations between France and Spain could likely trigger a series of changes.

Even Carlo is seriously considering Spain’s diplomatic position. Once the Triple Alliance breaks down, the historically classic German-Austrian Alliance against the Franco-Russian Alliance would instantly appear.

In this confrontation between the two major military alliances, where should Spain go? According to familial ties, Spain should naturally be closer to Austria-Hungary.

If Spain acquires all of Britain’s colonies in West Africa, this would also deepen conflicts with France. Spain, desiring to fully annex Morocco and control the West Africa Colony, would have to stand against France and even the United Kingdom.

But the problem is that the German-Austrian Military Group plus Spain is obviously not a match for the five major powers: England, France, Russia, Italy, and the United States.

Unless a revolution can erupt in Russia early, and Italy can be prevented from switching sides, it might achieve a scenario of England and France vs. Germany, Italy, Spain, and Austria.

If such a scenario can be reached, Americans would surely remain neutral, not easily joining the war.

While Carlo was still pondering a way to break the stalemate, time quickly moved to September.

The British Government assembled a grand team for the diplomatic visit, openly heading to Spain for a diplomatic visit.

Such a diplomatic visit is quite rare for two countries with not-so-good diplomatic relations like the United Kingdom and Spain, and the diplomatic meeting between the two has drawn the attention of many European Countries.

Neither country would disclose the contents of what would be discussed before reaching an actual agreement, which leads to media across European countries speculating about what the two governments are setting out to discuss during the British Government’s visit to Spain.

At the Madrid Royal Palace, Carlo received the British Government’s diplomatic mission. The fact can prove that the British consider the proposal for colonial exchange very important.

The newly appointed Prime Minister, Gladstone, personally appeared, along with multiple Cabinet Ministers, making the size of such a delegation quite extravagant.

Although Carlo personally appeared to meet the British diplomatic mission, he would not appear in subsequent negotiations with the British Government, with the purpose of extricating himself from the matter.

No matter the result of the negotiations between the Spanish and British Governments, the land Spain ultimately gains from the colonial exchange will certainly be of lower value than Cuba.

This also means that the officials who facilitated this clause are likely to face public criticism or even scolding. As the King of Spain, Carlo needs to avoid such situations.

As long as Carlo does not participate in the negotiations between the two governments, he will not have to take the blame for this matter.

In this era of rampant monarchy across Europe, it is quite common for the Cabinet Government to take the blame for the Monarch. Particularly when the Conservative Party is in power, the interests of the party, Cabinet Government, and the Monarch are aligned, and taking the blame for the Monarch is quite necessary.

If the Monarch’s prestige is damaged and even leads to public resentment, the monarchical system would be impacted, which is not a good thing for the Conservative Party.

The Conservative Party mostly comprises landowners and nobles, who are naturally part of the Royalist Faction. If the monarchical system collapses, the special privileges they enjoy would also disappear instantly.

This has formed an understanding among European countries that, in risky situations, the Cabinet Government must take the blame for the King.

After all, the Cabinet Government relies on elections; if worse comes to worst, the Prime Minister’s position can be dismissed, and another election can be held.

Taking the blame for the King is not a political stain. Under media promotion and whitewashing, officials can even participate in the next Cabinet election and quickly return to the stage of government.

Prime Minister Gladstone obviously understands this situation well and showed considerable respect to Carlo, as both Spain’s comprehensive strength and the status of the Spanish Royal Family within Europe are enough to make the British Government maintain a respectful stance.

If Spain’s comprehensive strength wasn’t strong, Britain wouldn’t even need such diplomatic negotiations; threatening with military means would be enough to gain colonies.

After all, this is an era of survival of the fittest. The only reason for the two countries to engage in diplomatic negotiations is fear of each other’s comprehensive strength, unwilling to offend the other unless absolutely necessary.