Empire Rising: Spain

Chapter 84: Chapter 82: Colonial Plan

“How many troops do we have available to deploy to Morocco now?” Carlo pondered for a moment and then asked this question.

Seeing that Carlo had an idea, Serrano quickly replied, “20,000 Spanish Army troops are ready for deployment, Your Majesty.

If we add the troops stationed in Ceuta and Tetouan, we have about 30,000 troops that can be mobilized, which is enough to handle the Moroccan forces.”

Ceuta and Tetouan are Moroccan cities occupied by Spanish force, and naturally require more troops to suppress them.

Spain regards these two cities as bridgeheads for the colonization of Morocco. Whether during Queen Isabella’s time or now, the garrison in these two cities has never been reduced.

“What does the government plan to do?” Carlo turned his gaze to Prim.

“Make the situation in Ceuta more lively, which will affect the whole Moroccan region,” Prim said with a smile. “As long as these Moroccan uprisings cause casualties among Spanish civilians, it will be our opportunity to declare war on Morocco.”

The Moroccan Government cannot escape responsibility for the Moroccan uprisings. As long as they cause casualties among Spanish civilians, Spain has sufficient reason to intervene militarily in Morocco’s situation.

Once war breaks out, the final outcome will no longer be dictated by the Moroccan Government.

If the Powers do not intervene, turning Morocco into a colony directly is not impossible. After all, it’s close to the Spanish mainland, making the suppression quite convenient.

By continuously squeezing Morocco, we can accelerate Spain’s industrial construction and economic growth, and also shift domestic conflicts.

“Very well, let’s do it that way.” Carlo nodded and did not hesitate any longer.

“As you command, Your Majesty.” Prim responded with a smile and nodded, leaving the Royal Palace together with Serrano.

Although Spain is not a Great Power, its desire for colonies is no less than that of the Powers. As the world’s first Sun Never Sets Empire, Spain once owned vast colonies.

Although the current colonies are few and far between, the desire for colonies still exists in the Spanish Government, including Prime Minister Prim.

This was also the norm in European Countries of this era. If Spain and Portugal, through the Age of Great Exploration, witnessed the immense revenue brought by colonization to European countries, then the might of the British Empire further inflated the colonial ambitions of European countries.

Essentially, every European Country has the thought of expanding its colonies.

That countries like Portugal and Belgium have colonies in Africa is enough to prove the influence of colonization on European Countries of this era, which can quickly make a country prosperous without too large an investment.

As Prim and Serrano walked out of the Royal Palace, Carlo summoned Butler Loren.

The desire of Prim and Serrano for Morocco also reminded Carlo. Although Africa is vast, almost all the Powers have focused their attention on this continent.

If Spain does not participate in the division of Africa early, what’s left for Spain in the future might be desolate deserts and uninhabited primeval forests.

Africa, with an area of up to 30 million square kilometers, is rich in various mineral resources, and its economic value is immeasurable.

If just a part of Africa can be occupied, it will be a great asset for Spain.

Since the government’s attention is already on Morocco, Carlo naturally also looked towards other parts of Africa, such as the Congo, which Belgium historically acquired.

Belgium acquired the Congo for many reasons, but fundamentally because several European Powers did not want each other to obtain this land.

The Belgian King appeared at this time, exploring and beginning to occupy the Congo.

Compared to the Congo being occupied by other Great Powers, Belgium, with significantly weaker overall strength, posed no threat.

It was precisely because of this that the land eventually fell into Congo’s hands, snatching this piece of fat from many Powers.

The Congo Colony that Belgium obtained is enormous, with a total area of up to 2.34 million square kilometers, and it contains a large amount of mineral resources.

Congo’s copper reserves are about 75 million tons, accounting for 15% of the world’s total reserves, cobalt reserves are about 4.5 million tons, accounting for 50% of the world’s total reserves, and tantalite reserves are about 30 million tons, figuring 80% of the world’s total reserves.

In addition, Congo also has 206 million carats of diamond reserves and extremely rich iron ore, non-metallic minerals, and other resources.

Besides minerals, Congo also possesses vast reserves of oil and natural gas, with economic value far exceeding a standard colony.

Of course, what tempts Carlo even more is that Congo has abundant uranium mines, and these uranium mines have very high purity.

Uranium-235 is the main raw material used in making atomic bombs. If the Congo can be occupied, it will play a crucial role in Spain’s future atomic bomb research and development.

Higher purity uranium mines can help Spain better refine uranium-235, which is extremely important for Spain’s future strategic planning, and its importance matches that of other mineral resources in Congo.

If nothing else, just these high-purity uranium mines prompted Carlo to decide to take Congo at all costs.

Currently, the biggest enemy for Spain taking the Congo is actually Belgium, or rather, Belgian King Leopold II.

Because Belgian King Leopold II did not use government funds in the process of colonizing the Congo, all expenses came from the Belgian Royal Family’s assets.

This also led to Leopold II turning the Congo into his own dominion after he gained its control.

Carlo wouldn’t believe he would lose to Leopold II in this colonial competition, after all, he can also rely on the Spanish Government, which is far stronger than Belgium.

Even if not rising to a national level, Carlo is confident he can outdo Leopold II.

By the time Spain’s five-year industrial development plan is completed, Carlo’s factories will also be making a huge profit.

At least in terms of pouring money in, Carlo is really not afraid of Leopold II. With the foresight and vast capital from the future, Carlo can always make enough money.

For example, Benz and others are researching engines. Once cars are manufactured and the production cost is significantly reduced through assembly line production, car sales will ensure Carlo never has to worry about funding issues again.

How much fortune does Leopold II have? How much is he willing to risk in this colonial showdown with Carlo?

When Carlo explored the Congo Region earlier than Leopold II, it was already destined that Leopold II would be at a disadvantage in this colonial struggle.