Empire Rising: Spain

Before launching the war against the Bam Kingdom, Giotto contacted the Governor of the Congo Territory, requesting the Governor to reach out to the Sokoto Caliphate and the Alo Alliance in the name of the Congo Territory government, to maintain neutrality in the war through the form of material transactions.

These indigenous countries had no industrial base, and European industrial products were still very popular in Africa. Spain could also demand these countries remain neutral by gifting firearms; with these firearms, they would feel unafraid of Spanish invasion, and naturally, there would be no need to support countries with hostile relations to themselves.

Of course, the firearms given to these natives were definitely not Spain’s most advanced rifles. As a country that did not ban guns, Spain still had many shotguns and pistols domestically, which could be sold to these indigenous countries.

The current shotguns were mostly muzzleloaders, with extremely slow loading speeds, and limited bullet range and power.

As for pistols, there’s no need to say much; their range and power were even weaker than shotguns, with an effective range of only 50 meters.

Such firearms had a relatively weak impact on the war; even if given to these natives, it had no effect on Spain.

However, the more firearms these natives possessed, the more likely they were to inflict greater damage on the Spanish Army.

But the problem was that Spain’s indigenous army was composed of natives, which were more than abundant in Spain’s colonies, enough for Spain to squander.

Just the populations of Morocco, the Philippines, and Lanfang were sufficient to arm an army of hundreds of thousands, not to mention the Congo Territory was full of Black people who could arm an army of millions.

Upon hearing Giotto’s request, the Governor did not hesitate and immediately sent diplomatic representatives to the two indigenous countries.

Since both indigenous countries had trade relations with European colonizers, under the premise of no outbreak of war between the two countries, the Spanish diplomatic representatives faced no life-threatening danger.

Though African natives do not have the tradition of killing envoys in times of war, they also understood that if the Spanish diplomatic representatives faced any danger, they would face the might of Spain’s military.

The first to receive the news was the closer Alo Alliance. Given their proximity to the Bam Kingdom, the relations between the Alo Alliance and the Bam Kingdom had always been strained.

While not exactly sworn enemies, there was a competitive relationship between them. Both countries earned income from the palm oil trade, so it’s unlikely their relations were good.

Learning that Spain was willing to exchange industrial products and firearms for the neutrality of the Alo Alliance, the Alo Alliance did not hesitate to agree to the deal.

Of course, they weren’t foolish. Spain’s attack on the Bam Kingdom revealed its ambitions, and the Alo Alliance hoped to purchase more firearms from Spain to ensure the security of their territory.

To persuade the Spaniards to agree to sell more firearms, the Alo Alliance confidently claimed that their purpose for purchasing firearms was to fight against the Niger Kingdom in the west.

In comparison to the Bam Kingdom and the Alo Alliance, the Niger Kingdom was a relatively special existence.

The kingdom’s founder was Eli, about whom there are not many documented records. Locally, there’s a legend about Eli being a ”heavenly presence,” believed to have descended to Earth and then established the Niger Kingdom.

These legends had a mythical quality but gained deep trust from the local populace.

The Niger Kingdom was also a relatively chaotic existence, attracting many who were rejected by their own countries to seek refuge, contributing to the Niger Kingdom’s ethnic diversity.

Numerous natives whose lands were taken by Western colonizers chose to come to the Niger Kingdom, which also expanded the Niger Kingdom’s population.

As the Niger Kingdom grew, it naturally affected the living spaces of neighboring countries. The so-called attack on the Niger Kingdom by the Alo Alliance was half-true; with enough firearms, such an invasion plan might be a reality.

After negotiations, Spain agreed to sell 1500 shotguns and 20,000 bullets in exchange for the neutrality of the Alo Alliance.

However, due to the time required for transport, these firearms and bullets would take more than a month to reach the Alo Alliance.

To reassure the Alo Alliance, after a verbal agreement was reached between the parties, the Congo Territory collected over 200 shotguns and 500 bullets to send to the Alo Alliance, expressing Spain’s sincerity in fostering cooperation.

The Alo Alliance was very pleased to receive the firearms and assured they would not interfere in Spain’s war against the Bam Kingdom.

After confirming that the Alo Alliance would not interfere with the war, Giotto did not hesitate and immediately ordered the troops to advance towards the Bam Kingdom.

Even though there was no word from the Sokoto Caliphate, it was no longer important for Spain.

The capital of the Sokoto Caliphate, Tibili, was nearly a thousand kilometers from Bam Kingdom’s capital, Fuban; even if Sokoto Caliphate wanted to support Bam Kingdom, such a distance would be enough to dissuade them.

A distance of over a thousand kilometers was an impassable chasm for African countries. This journey had neither trains nor roads, and these natives would need to cross several indigenous tribes and mountains to reach the Bam Kingdom.

By the time they reached the Bam Kingdom’s border, Spain’s war would likely have concluded. Not only would they be unable to support the Bam Kingdom, but they would also jeopardize relations with Spain.

To defeat the Bam Kingdom more quickly, Giotto chose to divide the army into two routes.

The Colonial Division would set off from Guinea, advancing northwards to the Bam Kingdom’s border. With a force of 20,000, they could face the Bam Kingdom’s 30,000 troops, and the border between Guinea and the Bam Kingdom would become the main battlefield of this war.

That’s not the end. The remaining three Colonial Defense Corps would temporarily merge and launch an attack from the direction of the Baka Tribe towards the Bam Kingdom.

The Baka Tribe was an indigenous tribe already conquered by Spain, located exactly in the east of the Bam Kingdom.

The Bam Kingdom was shaped like a rectangle, with the capital situated in the eastern-central part of the rectangle.

There was a distance of 200 kilometers from the Guinea Colony to the Bam Kingdom’s capital, Fuban, and due to the numerous mountains, it would be difficult for the Spanish Army to quickly conquer Fuban.

But attacking from the direction of the Baka Tribe was different. The capital of the Bam Kingdom, Fuban, was only 30 kilometers from the eastern border, and if the Spanish Army’s offensive went smoothly, they might even surround Fuban by the next day.

Even if the Colonial Division advancing north from Guinea faced difficulties in their attack, they could hold off most of the Bam Kingdom’s army.

Then it would be the best opportunity for the three Colonial Defense Corps to launch a surprise attack. If the Bam Kingdom placed most of its troops on the southern border, their eastern border would become exceptionally vulnerable.

If they also stationed some troops on the eastern border for defense, then the Southern Colonial Division, without numerical disadvantage, defeating the Bam Kingdom would only be a matter of time.

Such a deployment could be considered quite reasonable, with little room for resistance from the Bam Kingdom.

Their forces were insufficient to deal with attacks from both the south and the east simultaneously, and it would be too late to conscript an army spontaneously.

Once they learned there were Spanish forces attacking both the southern and eastern borders, any thoughts of resistance would be futile.

By then, the Spanish Army could trap them like catching turtles in a jar, completely encircling the Bam Kingdom’s forces. As long as an advantage was gained on either the southern or eastern front, the Bam Kingdom’s troops would only be able to retreat continuously.

The territorial area of the Bam Kingdom was limited, so where could they retreat to?

The south and east were full of Spanish troops, the west had the not-so-friendly Alo Alliance, and the north was the Sokoto Caliphate.

While they could retreat to the Alo Alliance or the Sokoto Caliphate, with the Am Kingdom already occupied by Spain, fleeing to the Alo Alliance or the Sokoto Caliphate would not earn them any favor. They might even be apprehended and respectfully handed over to the Spanish Army.