Empire Rising: Spain

The commercialization of automobiles and the introduction of wired telephones are undoubtedly good news, but they only captured Carlo’s attention for a short time.

After the initial excitement subsided, Carlo once again turned his attention back to the situation in Europe.

The reason Carlo is so focused on the European situation is mainly due to the changes in the European landscape after the Russo-Turkish War.

Although Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Tsarist Russia renewed the Treaty of the Three Emperors Alliance, it was apparent to everyone that the relationship between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Tsarist Russia had already fractured.

The Treaty of the Three Emperors Alliance that the three countries signed seems more like a compromise to avoid disrupting the European situation, and beneath the surface of this treaty, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia are all seeking new solutions.

As expected, by February 1882, the director of the Spanish Royal Security Intelligence Bureau, Kadir, reported significant news to Carlo, that Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Italian Government were engaging in secret negotiations and might conclude a military treaty after these secret discussions ended.

For Spain, even if Germany, Austria, and Italy concluded a military alliance treaty, it would not have a significant impact on them.

In fact, Spain maintains allied relations with both Austria-Hungary and Italy, so this alliance formed by three major powers poses no threat to Spain.

Then why did Carlo order the director of the Royal Security Intelligence Bureau, Kadir, to closely monitor the European situation, especially the dynamics between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy?

The main reason is still to verify whether the European situation in this world will develop as it did historically.

Currently, although there are certain changes in minor incidents, there have been no major changes in the overall direction.

The Treaty of the Three Emperors Alliance is bound to have a day when it collapses. Germany and Austria-Hungary clearly have new plans. The German-Austrian-Italian Alliance, one of the two major military groups that sparked the First World War, is about to emerge.

Though the German-Austrian-Italian Military Alliance might not seem as powerful as the German-Austrian-Russian Three Emperors Alliance, the proximity of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy to France could be an even greater crisis for France.

Originally, Russia in the Three Emperors Alliance was nearly a thousand kilometers away from France, with one in Eastern Europe and the other in Western Europe, and it was impossible for the Russians to launch an expedition against France over such a long distance.

But Italy is different. Italy shares a direct border with France, and there are both new and old animosities between the two countries.

If more intense conflicts break out between France and Germany, France will face joint attacks from the three major powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.

Consequently, once the French learn of the formation of the Triple Alliance, they will undoubtedly increase their efforts to win over the Russians.

After the formation of the Triple Alliance, the Three Emperors Alliance no longer holds much significance, and it would be difficult for Russia to ensure that it is not pressured by the new Triple Alliance to forcibly withdraw from the Balkan Peninsula competition.

Therefore, once the Triple Alliance is formed, the Franco-Russian Alliance will also soon be reached.

When these two major military alliances are established, the European situation will become exceedingly intense. By then, the only European Powers outside these two military alliances will be the British Empire and Spain, and these two countries will surely become the targets that the two major military groups strive to win over.

The Royal Navy, as the world’s number one power, also has a considerable level of army strength. It can be anticipated that once the two major military blocs begin intense competition, the United Kingdom will become the most coveted prize, and France and Germany will try every means to bring the United Kingdom into their camp.

Although Spain does not possess as immense strength as the United Kingdom, due to Spain’s geographical location, both France and Germany will also attempt to win over Spain.

Spain’s position can serve not only as a strategic rear for France but also create another front in the war against France.

This leads to Spain playing a significant role regardless of whether it joins the Allies or the Entente, and the efforts of Germany and France to win over Spain will certainly not be small.

Of course, the dangers involved must also be considered.

Precisely because of Spain’s crucial geographical location, the two military alliances may take some extreme measures in the event that they cannot successfully win over Spain.

After all, outside the two military alliances, there is also the United Kingdom. If the United Kingdom uses its entry into an alliance as a bargaining chip to have one of the military alliances besiege Spain, would this military alliance choose to sacrifice Spain? This is also a question worth pondering.

The negotiations among Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy lasted a long time, arousing the attention of other European powers due to such anomalies.

However, the content of the negotiations among the three countries was kept in strict secrecy, and even the Royal Security Intelligence Bureau, which Carlo had put all his efforts into building, could not ascertain what the diplomatic representatives of the three countries were negotiating.

Besides the three national governments, perhaps only Carlo knew precisely what those three countries were negotiating about.

As time progressed to March 1882, Spain’s large-scale grain planting also began in full swing.

A variety of grains are planted in mainland Spain, including corn, potatoes, wheat, rice, and barley.

For the agricultural development of the West Africa Colony, particularly the Gambia Colony, corn and rice are mainly cultivated.

In the Gambia Colony, rice can be harvested three times a year. Early rice is ideally planted in March, with the earliest harvest possible in June, and the latest harvest by early July, after which mid-season rice is planted.