Empire Rising: Spain

The actions of the First and Second Defense Corps were quite swift, eliminating the disparate indigenous tribes of Mindanao in just one day and engaging in battle with the Magindanao Sultanate.

Although the Magindanao Sultanate had firearms, their numbers were few, and they had no artillery.

The British and the Dutch are not fools. They can trip up Spain, and Spain can just as easily cause trouble for them.

A small country like the Netherlands controlling such vast lands as the Dutch East Indies is already a strain. If Spain were to specifically sabotage from behind, it would certainly make things more difficult for the Dutch Government.

Although the United Kingdom is more powerful, if Spain were intent on causing trouble, the British wouldn’t be able to handle it either.

After all, the larger the colony, the more severe the colonial rebellion crisis. Not to mention other areas, just India alone is enough to give the British headaches.

The struggle for independence by the Indian people has never stopped, and the British Colonial Government can only force the Indians to submit through continuous military suppression.

But military suppression can only solve superficial problems and cannot address the fundamental issues.

When nationalism gradually awakens, combined with the diminishing power of the British, India will eventually become independent from the British colony.

While the First and Second Defense Corps were battling with the Magindanao Sultanate, on the other side, the Third and Fourth Defense Corps had already landed on the Sulu Archipelago.

The Sulu Archipelago was controlled by the Sulu Sultanate, which was the most powerful indigenous force in the Sulu Sea.

Thus, to control the Sulu Sea, one must first control the Sulu Sultanate. To control the Sulu Sultanate, one must control its core area, the Sulu Archipelago.

Suppose the Magindanao Sultanate maintains good relations with the British and the Dutch, the Sulu Sultanate is the opposite extreme.

Hundreds of years ago, the United Kingdom and Spain undertook colonial invasions against the Sulu Sultanate.

The territory of the Sulu Sultanate has been continuously eroded and annexed by other indigenous forces from Borneo.

This once-dominant powerful Sultanate in the Sulu Sea is now no different from other small indigenous forces.

The only concern for the Spanish Army is that an attack on the Sulu Sultanate might draw the attention of the British, who may also want a share.

The British would certainly target the Sulu Sultanate’s territory on Borneo. Should the British succeed, it would make it difficult for Spain to enter Kalimantan.

Therefore, it’s imperative to occupy the Sulu Archipelago before the British can react and move the army to Borneo.

Even if there should be negotiations with the British later, Spain can ensure an undefeated position to participate in the partition of Borneo.

Apart from a few indigenous forces, Borneo also hosts two somewhat unique countries, the Lanfang Republic and the Sarawak Kingdom.

The Sarawak Kingdom was founded by a British explorer, who, after discovering this land, used various means to conquer the local indigenous people and establish his kingdom.

Because the King of the Sarawak Kingdom is British, the British have a relatively friendly attitude toward this country.

As for the Lanfang Republic, it is a well-known country. The establishment of this nation is nearly a hundred years old and holds a high standing locally.

However, since the population of the Lanfang Republic consists of immigrants from the northern Qing Country, both the British and the Dutch have low regard for this country.

Spain’s ambition to have a stake in Borneo could also find leverage in the Lanfang Republic.

It might even constrain the Dutch from advancing in Borneo by fostering the Lanfang Republic.

The Spanish Army is quite familiar with the Sulu Sultanate. In reality, these indigenous nations pose no significant threat to Spain, and even the Colonial Defense Corps could easily crush them.

The defense of the Sulu Archipelago is not strong. Taking advantage of the night, two Defense Corps quietly landed and soon had the archipelago completely under control.

The high-ranking officials of the Sulu Sultanate were still in sweet dreams when their capital was already occupied by the Spanish Army, reducing them quickly to prisoners.

The attack on the Sulu Archipelago went surprisingly smoothly, allowing the landing on Borneo to happen earlier than expected.

Nevertheless, the sooner the landing on Borneo, the greater the hope for Spain to annex the Sulu Sultanate.

With the support of the Navy, the Third and Fourth Defense Corps left a small force for defense, with the rest of the army moving entirely to Borneo.

If the defense of the Sulu Archipelago seemed quite lax, the defensive arrangements of the Sulu Sultanate in Borneo were totally unorganized.

Perhaps the previous colonial appetite of Spain and the United Kingdom wasn’t large, giving the Sulu Sultanate the wrong impression. It could also be that the recent economic crisis in Europe provided some relief to the Sulu Sultanate’s leaders.

In any case, the defensive arrangements of the Sulu Sultanate were a complete mess, and the quality of their army was extremely poor.

On Borneo, the Third Defense Corps finally encountered a sizeable Sulu Sultanate army.

However, with just a round of suppressive fire from the Third Defense Corps, the indigenous troops scattered in panic as if chased by death incarnate.

This sight left the Spanish soldiers dumbfounded, even forgetting to pursue the retreating forces.

Driving off these indigenous troops had already achieved the Spanish Army’s goal, as the most pressing matter was to quickly occupy the Sulu Sultanate’s land, confirming Spain’s presence on Borneo.

The attacks by all four Defense Corps were highly successful, taking less than a week to essentially capture all territories of both Sultanates and several indigenous tribes.

To stabilize the local situation and prevent trouble from the British and the Dutch, Marquis Rogers ordered the four Defense Corps to temporarily station in the area to maintain order, awaiting the Colonial Government of the East Indies to dispatch officials to assume control of those lands.