Chapter 733 - 339: The British Reaction (2)

The meaning of William, the Secretary of State for War’s words, is also quite simple, namely to remind the Prime Minister that the current British army is incapable of intervening in this war breaking out on the European Continent, and the British Government should consider its own position and capability before making decisions.

Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil nodded silently, clearly aware of Britain’s deficiencies in regard to its army.

It cannot exactly be called a deficiency; after all, Britain is an island nation detached from the European Continent. As long as the North Sea and the English Channel are secured, no country can threaten the British mainland.

This is also why Britain focuses only on building its Navy, somewhat neglecting its Army. After all, if enemies can’t even reach the homeland, what is the point of maintaining a large standing army? It would only increase defense spending unnecessarily.

In this respect, Britain’s offspring, the United States, has epitomized and even surpassed Britain’s thinking.

While U.S. industry and economy rapidly grow, its military power remains the bottom among the great powers, especially in terms of its Army. Because there are no powerful countries in the North or South, and oceans both to the East and West, the U.S. Army numbers have always been pitifully low.

Only during the Civil War did the United States expand its Army to over a million in an instant, but it quickly contracted afterward. As of now, the U.S. regular army numbers just a few tens of thousands, not even reaching a fraction of Europe’s various countries.

The insufficient number of regular troops can lead to poor combat effectiveness if a large-scale war breaks out, and the rapidly expanding army might suffer from quite a chaotic military system, thus impacting the outcome of the war.

But on the other hand, fewer troops mean more manpower is available for industrial and civil production.

The reduced military budget can be redirected to other government departments, or at the very least, into civil sectors, enhancing subsidies for various industries and businesses, thus promoting industrial and economic growth.

Don’t be fooled by just a difference of some tens of thousands in troop numbers, the gap in defense expenditures is quite significant.

Spain’s current annual military spending reaches billions of Pesseta, which enables Spain to maintain over two hundred thousand domestic standing troops plus a large colonial army.

If it could reduce its army size to the scale of the United States, Spain’s annual budget could increase by over 1 billion Pesseta, which is a considerable amount.

Of course, for Carlo, regardless of the circumstances, it is impossible to reduce the army to such a small scale.

Spain isn’t like the United States or the United Kingdom; Spain is part of the European Continent, which means it must guard against potential threats from the Continent.

"Your Excellency, Prime Minister. My concern is not the scale of this great war. I’m worried that during this war, the Russians already have a tendency to align themselves with France.

Currently, it seems that Russia is quite wary of the German-Austrian alliance. If they ally with France to counter the German-Austrian alliance, it will be quite a dire situation for us.

In terms of comprehensive national power, we, France, Germany, and Russia are the four most powerful nations on the European Continent. If the Franco-Russian alliance becomes a reality, our advantage over the other European countries will be gone.

Germany has Austria-Hungary as an ally, whereas we, have no allies on the European Continent (among the great powers).

This great war may not concern us, but if a similar-sized war breaks out next time and it is closely related to us, what then can we do?" The Secretary of State for the Colonies raised his viewpoint.

This core issue is indeed the essence of Britain’s policy of splendid isolation and regional balance, which is that Britain maintains a superior position over other countries by acting as the world’s primary power and hegemon.

Whether it is France, Germany, or Russia, they are somewhat less powerful when compared to Britain.

However, if the Franco-Russian alliance is formed, Britain’s original advantage in facing the German-Austrian or Franco-Russian combination will not seem so apparent.

To put it plainly, either the German-Austrian or Franco-Russian allies may not be any weaker than Britain.

If they truly unite, Britain’s policy of splendid isolation will lead to real isolation. That is not what Britain wants; its splendid isolation is meant to avoid entanglement while retaining a voice in European affairs.

But if isolated by a united combination of European Powers, Britain might not even retain a voice, and the British mainland could fall into jeopardy.

"Germany and Austria, France and Russia..." Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil’s gaze moved to the map of Europe hanging in the meeting room, then shifted to observe the European Powers outside those mentioned.

Spain? Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil decisively shook his head.

Leaving aside the troubled relations between Spain and the United Kingdom, a strategic alliance with Spain would signify abandoning the current ally, Portugal.

What would British abandonment of Portugal signify? It would mean Spain would annex Portugal. A unified Iberian Peninsula would pose a major threat, something the British do not wish to see.

Moreover, although Spain has rapidly progressed in comprehensive national strength through reform, achieving excellent results industrially and economically.

The issue is, Spain suffers from a congenital population deficiency, which is the largest flaw for a major power.