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The Fox of France - Chapter 458
🕑 Added 2024-04-03 04:14:05 +0000 UTCChapter 458: Chain Reaction (3)
The Spanish have been fighting the Mexican insurgents for years, spending a considerable amount of money and accruing significant debt. Recently, other colonies in the Americas have also begun to experience instability. To stabilize its colonies in the Americas and repay impending debts, Spain had no choice but to negotiate with the insurgents.
Following France's successful approach in handling its Saint-Domingue colony, Spain proposed resolving the Mexican issue using the Saint-Domingue model. Representatives from both sides conducted negotiations in France for a month, leading to Mexico's independence through redemption. As a result, they incurred a significant debt to the French. On the other hand, the Spanish, with the money they received, not only cleared their loans but also had a considerable surplus. Considering this surplus, along with the interest saved from ransoms and the reduction in military and institutional expenditures, the Spanish government found its financial intake not significantly less than when it controlled Mexico.
This situation primarily arose because Spain's extraction efficiency in Mexico was exceedingly low. The annual revenue Spain actually received from Mexico was quite limited. On the other hand, the Spanish's excessive and oppressive taxation in Mexico caused widespread resentment, which could be described as enormously sinful. The reasons the Spanish government didn't make much money are twofold: first, a lot of the money was embezzled by those handling it; second, the cost of maintaining stability due to oppressive taxation consumed a large portion of the revenue.
Among these, the first issue, indeed, impacted influential individuals with significant power and interests. Therefore, despite the treaty bringing back a substantial sum and still recognizing Mexico as a member of the Spanish Federation with the King of Spain as its head, those economically affected strongly criticized the Spanish government for national humiliation.
To counter these accusations, the Spanish government needed to undertake actions to safeguard national interests. Naturally, reclaiming Gibraltar emerged as the best option.
Firstly, Gibraltar is under direct Spanish surveillance. Its reclamation would be visible to all Spaniards, unlike the distant South American territories, regardless of their much larger area. Even if Gibraltar couldn't be reclaimed, the Spanish government's patriotic stance would at least be recognized.
Secondly, with the Roman Empire now labeling Britain as "Carthage," and France slapping Britain with the pretext of "telling you not to wear the hat," it was clear Britain was becoming isolated. Jumping on the bandwagon to reclaim Gibraltar posed virtually no risk to Spain. So, why not shout about it?
Spain's sudden interest in Gibraltar also aligned perfectly with French interests. Even Napoleon remarked, "King Charles IV might generally be dim-witted, but he was quite shrewd on this matter."
Of course, merely shouting was not enough to draw Britain's attention. The Spanish Navy, once mighty during the Age of Sail with ships like the "Santísima Trinidad" boasting four decks and 140 cannons, had quickly fallen behind in the steam era due to a lack of industrial capacity. Spain had to rely on imports for modern warships, a clear sign that true modernization in national defense couldn't be bought.
The Spanish Navy turned to France for warship imports. Military hardware, especially battleships representing the pinnacle of military technology, fetched incredibly high profit margins in trade. Particularly when such trade also carried a protection fee aura. Similar to modern times, where certain countries spend billions on a few fast combat vessels (Littoral Combat Ships), spending far more than some Eastern powers on their large destroyers.
Spain's situation was akin, having purchased five so-called armored cruisers from France at the cost of building four super-cruisers. The high price wasn't because the French were overcharging; indeed, the initial French prices weren't unreasonable for old allies. The price hike came after difficult negotiations between Spanish and French officials.
While reclaiming Gibraltar was a goal, Spain was unwilling to engage in battle due to Gibraltar's formidable defenses. The fortress, essentially a steep rock, had been extensively tunneled by the British, with hidden artillery positions covering each other's firing ranges, making a direct assault suicidal.
However, when Spain sought French assistance for Gibraltar's issue, France proposed a viable offensive strategy: a blockade.
Land blockade was straightforward since Spain controlled the surrounding land. However, Gibraltar's supply primarily came by sea, and Spain's naval power was insufficient for a blockade, especially after the naval technological revolution.
The emergence of naval mines made the blockade feasible. Spain could use mines to blockade Gibraltar under the cover of night.
This act would be tantamount to war. Yet, Talleyrand suggested that as long as Spain denied initiating the attack, France would believe Spain wasn't the aggressor. As for who laid the mines, maybe it was the Americans—who could say?
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