Empire Rising: Spain

Under Carlo’s command, a beverage company branded as Coca-Cola was officially established, and immediately discussions about the production and packaging transport of Coca-Cola began.

This carbonated beverage’s most critical aspects are production and transportation. Even a slight gas leak can drastically alter the taste of the beverage.

The establishment of the Coca-Cola Company was just a minor episode, given Carlo’s vast business empire. Even if it could generate huge profits in the future, its importance is completely disproportionate to industrial enterprises like military and automotive companies.

Just as Carlo’s vacation ended, over in the East Indies, the long-schemed colonial war finally reached a conclusion.

This not very large-scale colonial war ended in a comprehensive victory for the Spanish East Indies Colony.

First was the Philippines, where neither the loose local indigenous tribes nor the more organized Magindanao Sultanate had any capacity to resist under the Spanish Army’s guns and cannons.

These indigenous people had never seen an army with such powerful firepower, not even the Dutch Colonial Army was this powerful.

Facing the bombardment by the Spanish Army, these indigenous troops quickly surrendered. Do not overestimate their hostility to the Spanish colonial troops, for fear of death is an instinct of humans.

Compared to the relatively smooth conquest of the Magindanao Sultanate, conquering the Sulu Sultanate was somewhat more complicated.

However, the overall outcome was still good. The British indeed expressed dissatisfaction with Spain’s forceful occupation of the Sulu Sultanate, but by then Spain had basically achieved its strategic objectives, and no matter how unhappy the British were, they could not threaten war against Spain.

After all, colonial competition exists among all countries. If every colonial competition escalated to conflict or even full-scale war between nations, it would be somewhat unnecessary.

Although the economic crisis losses for the United Kingdom were not as severe as those of Germany and the United States, it does not mean Britain could rest easy.

Compared to the small Sulu Sultanate, the British were more concerned with competition with other regions and other more powerful powers.

After the Spanish Army occupied most of the Sulu Sultanate’s land, they finally faced British opposition.

Or rather, opposition from the British colonial forces in Kalimantan. But this opposition was not intense, as the British needed to report level by level to the British Government before finally deciding on their stance on Spain’s colonial actions.

Ultimately, the British Government chose to yield, permitting Spain’s contest over the Sulu Sultanate in exchange for Spain’s promise not to interfere with the British actions in the Brunei Empire.

Not interfering with British colonial actions in the Brunei Empire essentially means promising not to continue westward colonization. From the current map of the situation in Kalimantan, if Spain does not continue westward, they can only choose the southward direction.

The southward path crosses the Brunei Sultanate, which leads to Dutch colonial territory. The British’s objective was clear, to incite colonial competition between the Dutch and Spanish, then control the situation in Kalimantan as a mediator, preventing both Dutch and Spanish from fully controlling Kalimantan.

This method is actually a common tactic of the British Government, aimed at muddying the waters of a region to maintain independence from the situation while controlling it.

If Spain and the Netherlands engage in colonial competition, the British would join the Dutch side without a second thought. After all, the Dutch are relatively weaker, and Spain’s comprehensive strength can definitely be considered among the great powers, albeit a weaker one.

The British quickly conceded not only because the colonial rivalry in Kalimantan was not that important and they wanted to incite competition between Spain and the Netherlands but also due to an aspect related to India.

For the British, this was not bad news, as Britain was preparing for the establishment of the Indian Empire and the coronation of Queen Victoria as Empress of India.

This matter is quite complex, but it is significantly related to the establishment of the German Empire.

Before the establishment of the German Empire, there were three major empires on the European Continent: Napoleon III’s Second French Empire, Francis I’s Austria-Hungary, and Alexander II’s Russian Empire.

The Second French Empire’s legitimacy stemmed from the Napoleon Empire, Austria-Hungary inherited from the Holy Roman Empire, and the Russian Empire claimed its legitimacy from the Eastern Roman Empire, all considered reasonable.

The establishment of the German Empire disrupted this balance, but that was not the primary issue. What was more significant was that as the most powerful nation in Europe or even the world, the United Kingdom was merely a kingdom.

Looking at Britain’s competitors in Europe, France had once been an empire, Germany, Russia, and Austria-Hungary are currently empires, leaving only Italy and Spain as kingdoms.

But Italy had just unified, and Spain had been in decline for a long time, so it was natural for them to remain kingdoms, lacking the qualification to become empires.

Excluding Italy and Spain, who are not qualified, all Britain’s other main competitors in Europe were empires or used to be empires.

This placed the British in an awkward position. Should the British follow suit by establishing their own empire, or continue to maintain their kingdom status?