Holy Roman Empire-Chapter 1032 - 46, Diverting Trouble Eastwards

Chapter 1032: Chapter 46, Diverting Trouble Eastwards

Moroccan tribes, already hostile towards Spain, naturally had predictable outcomes after acquiring a large amount of arms and ammunition.

Since the sale of arms was already disguised under the guise of the British, it was even less of a stretch to continue pretending it was the British Government supporting the Moroccan anti-Spanish movements.

Having supported the Cuban independence movement before, covertly supporting the Moroccan anti-Spanish movement seemed a very natural maneuver.

At least, from the Moroccan tribal chieftains’ way of thinking, there was absolutely no reason to suspect anything. Besides, while many things could deceive, genuine arms and ammunition couldn’t lie.

Differences in understanding flawlessly patched up the last loophole in this deceit. The chieftains could never have imagined that the weapons and ammunition, which they considered invaluable, were as cheap as potatoes and wheat in the eyes of others.

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Guns were the courage of Moroccans, adhering to the saying “With a gun in hand, the heart is steady.” Once the chieftains received the weapons, they gained confidence when facing the Spanish colonists.

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Suppressing their grievances was not an option. Knowing they had the backing of the Great Britain Empire and seeing the British warships inside the Strait of Gibraltar brought unparalleled confidence to the chieftains.

Driven by hatred and interests, the Spanish immigrants in the Moroccan Area suffered terribly. Being knocked over the head was the least of their worries; those lucky enough to escape with their lives were fortunate, while the unlucky ones were sent to meet their maker.

Fortunately, there were no cannibal tribes in the Moroccan Area, else some might have ended up on the grill.

It was the government’s role to take the blame for civilian conflicts, which was entirely reasonable. The corrupt Moroccan Government could not control the tribes domestically and dared not offend the powers abroad.

Just like in the original timeline, the Spaniards and the local Moroccan tribes had fought several battles, with the Moroccan Government turning a deaf ear.

The decaying Moroccan Sultan Government worried, and the Spanish Government, also trapped in endless troubles, were having a tough time.

On one hand, they needed to ensure the safety of the expatriates’ lives and properties; on the other hand, exhausted Spain was no longer capable of opening a third front.

The diplomatic strong-arming was actually just a bluff. The native tribes were not buying it, and merely intimidating the Moroccan Government was futile.

…

Madrid, Cabinet meeting room.

From the moment he entered the room, Prime Minister Antonio tapped on the table with his fingers, seemingly lost in endless thought.

“Everyone is here, so let’s start today’s meeting! I believe you have all received the news, and unfortunately, what we feared most has happened.

Following the uprisings in the Philippines and Cuba, the situation in the Moroccan Area is also unstable. The native tribes hostile to us have received support from the British, and they are now causing us trouble.

The measures we need to take next, to protect the interests of the Empire, are what we need to discuss today.”

Regardless of whether the British actually supported the Moroccans in their anti-Spanish movements, it was now necessary to assume they did, for political reasons.

To this day, whether the Spanish Government likes it or not, they must stand against the British.

The money from the Vienna Government wasn’t for nothing; if they didn’t clarify their position soon, it wouldn’t just be the Moroccan situation that was unstable, but also that of Spain.

Differing drastically from the notorious and isolated British across the Channel, the Holy Roman Empire wielded a formidable influence on the European Continent.

If the Vienna Government withdrew their support and instead supported the Revolutionary Party, Spain would not only lose its colonies, but its homeland would also plunge into chaos.

Despite serving as the bastion of the Conservative movement, the Vienna Government could not possibly support the Revolutionary Party now, but the Spanish Government did not know that.

Politics are unpredictable. There were too many instances in politics where open hostility was coupled with covert support.

Since relations between England and Spain had always been poor, and recently, Spanish lives had been half-lost due to colonial issues caused by the British, they might as well go all-in and be overtly anti-British.

Of course, the extent of Spain’s anti-British efforts was limited to politically shouting a few slogans to clarify their stance. The real heavy lifting in opposing Britain was still done by the Holy Roman Empire.

If Britannia truly were to fall, Antonio would not mind kicking them while they were down, but otherwise, it was better to leave some leeway in his actions.

“Military actions are clearly inadvisable. The conflict in the Philippines has not ceased, and suppressing the Cuban rebellion has reached a critical moment. It’s not only the military that can’t bear this, the finances cannot handle it either!” said Finance Minister Siegfried earnestly. It wasn’t that he wanted to make excuses for the military, but rather that the government truly was short on funds.

Even though the Foreign Minister had gone out and secured two huge loans, which were more than expected, no amount of money could sustain a gold-eating beast.

Faced with the expectant gazes from everyone, Foreign Minister Ruenior frowned, and his good mood instantly disappeared.

“Don’t hold too much hope. The Kingdom of Morocco has only nominal control over the tribes below it. Even if we reached an agreement with them, it can’t bind the natives.

We can’t expect to negotiate with uncivilized tribes, can we? There are thousands of tribes, big and small, in the Moroccan Area, more than our diplomats.”

In his heart, Ruenior had already complained secretly: Did they really think the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was omnipotent and could solve anything?

Knowing well that the situation in the Moroccan Area was unstable, with manipulation happening behind the scenes, yet still hoping to solve it through negotiation, was simply…

Colonial Minister Marquis Tabyada said coldly, “Military action is inadvisable, and diplomacy doesn’t work. We can’t just leave things unmanaged, can we?

Those uncivilized natives know nothing about international norms. If the government doesn’t take measures early to curb their arrogance, the next attacks won’t be isolated incidents.

Spain’s dignity has already been trampled into the ground, and if this continues, I’m sure everyone is clear what will happen.”

In fact, the conflict between Spain and the Moroccan native tribes had happened more than once or twice.

To resolve this crisis, the Spanish Government had deployed troops many times. However, the results were consistently pathetic.

In the original timeline, Spain had continued to clash with the Moroccans until 1926, and finally occupied northern Morocco by dividing it with the French.

Although the original Spain lost its wealthiest colonies during the Spanish-American War, damaging its national power severely, the current Spain wasn’t much better off.

Apart from regaining the Ruseiyong region, which gave them face, there wasn’t much difference in substance.

Cuba and the Philippines, although in Spanish hands, were both agitating for independence. They could not only not bleed into the national coffers but were continuously leeching from the Spanish Government.

Faced with such a dilemma, any government would find it painful.

And for the inefficient Spanish Government, it was even more needless to say. They met daily to discuss but could not come up with a viable plan.

…

London

As the international situation continued to deteriorate, John Bull, the undisputed hegemon of the era, naturally would not sit and wait for his doom.

The Vienna Government resorted to diplomatic means, continuously encircling Britannia, which was almost an open secret. Limited by geopolitics, the British Government could not compete with Shinra on the European Continent.

Anyone with clear eyes could see that if things continued at the current pace, the longer it dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for Britannia.

But delaying was also not an option, although the Holy Roman Empire was Britannia’s biggest competitor, the directions of their development were completely different.

One was centered on land power, supplemented by sea power as wings, while the other was purely centered on sea power, abandoning land power development.

If they laid their cards on the table now, neither could do anything about the other. The key was in the attritional confrontation, Britannia was likely to be dragged to death by the other party.

With an insufficient population, lagging industry, and a lack of allies, how could the British Government dare to confront them openly?

Without tearing off the masks, Britannia’s hegemony could still be maintained. Once they truly turned against each other, they could immediately fall.

A sensible government obviously would not gamble the nation’s fate on the trivial games of chance, frequently throwing all in on the poker table, which was not suited for a player who was already wearing shoes.

As an old-fashioned Empire, Britannia was best at stirring up trouble. However, the current situation in Europe limited their effectiveness.

These difficulties, however, did not scare the British. If there were no conditions, they would create their own.

Striking Spain was just the first step. It seemed that Britannia did not gain much from it, but it had cut off one of Shinra’s arms.

The only problem was they overestimated Spain’s strength and misjudged Spain’s importance to Shinra.

However, this could only be considered misfortune for Spain, as Britannia would not confront the three great powers alone and needed to find opportunities to divide the relations between Russian-Austria and Shinra.

If the Russian-Austrian Alliance was hard to break, then it was necessary to target Spain. The discord sown between Austria and the West was indeed successful, but Spain was almost ruined, and the animosity between the two countries greatly intensified.

Old and new grievances added together meant that the relationship between England and Spain was completely ruined. Fortunately, Spain had declined and lacked the capacity for retaliation, otherwise, the London Government could have capsized this time.

The process was twisted, but as long as the final result was good, that was all that mattered.

Although there were not many substantial gains, by pulling Spain down, Britannia remained the nominal victor.

The potential “Russian-Austrian-Spanish Anti-British Alliance” was shattered, and yes, it was merely because of a “possibility” that caused Spain’s downfall.

At this stage, the competition among the great powers was just that brutal. Feeling threatened, you could strike pre-emptively to bring someone down; the rationale was that simple.

At 10 Downing Street, the British Cabinet meeting started once again.

Prime Minister Robert Cecil said, “The Russian-Austrian Alliance has lasted for almost half a century, tracing back even further, it could extend to the last century.

Due to the long-term alliance, the interests of the two countries had intertwined, relying solely on traditional methods, it’s difficult for us to separate them.

But this alliance poses too great a threat to us. Once they turn against us one day, we will have to face the threat from two strong nations.

The Russians moving south to India, Shinra coming out of the Mediterranean. Europe, Asia, America, and Africa could all become battlefields, and the Empire does not have the capability to handle so many fronts at once.

The time to test us has arrived, if Britannia’s hegemony wants to continue, we must break the Russian-Austrian Alliance.

At the very least, during times of conflict, one of the countries must remain neutral; the Empire cannot face two enemies simultaneously.

Time is running short for us, and the Vienna Government’s assistance to Russia in constructing the Central Asia Railway has already completed one third of the project, with the railway likely to be operational before the year 1900.

Mentioning only the Russian-Austrian Alliance without discussing the Continental Alliance was certainly not an oversight by Robert Cecil. Mainly because the Russian-Austrian Alliance is well-established, while the Continental Alliance is merely makeshift.

Despite playing a significant role in addressing the previous economic crisis and intervening in the Philippine campaign, the Continental Alliance enhanced its cohesion.

But a makeshift is still makeshift, and sorting out the internal resentments and grievances within the alliance cannot be accomplished in a short time.

Letting European countries serve as wings and cheerleaders presents no issue. However, if these nations were to deploy troops and wage war against Britain, Vienna’s influence would not be as effective.

Of course, the most important factor is still power. After the decline of Spain, only Russia and Austria remained as major powers in the Continental Alliance, and the rest of the countries lacked the strength to even dare to engage in a struggle for dominance.

Even if Shinra tries to drag these smaller countries into the conflict, one cannot expect these opportunists to truly exert themselves. The existence of the Continental Alliance is purely more politically significant than militarily.

In contrast, the Russian-Austrian Alliance is undeniably a presence that Britain cannot ignore. Russians taking over India and Shinra seizing the remaining colonies and dominance of Britain, the dispensation of interests is clear.

Foreign Minister Cameron: “We have tried to destabilize the Russian-Austrian relations, but as everyone knows, each attempt has been futile.

The bureaucracy of the Tsarist Government is already corrupted by interests, and the Russian-Austrian Alliance is tied to their personal gains; anyone trying to cut off their financial avenues would face fierce retaliation.

Not to mention the Vienna Government, internally stable to a terrifying extent, and backed by an Emperor of the Habsburg dynasty with the highest prestige since its establishment.

If it were just these issues, it would be one thing; the key lies in the fact that since the Tsarist Government’s strategic shift to the south, there are no core conflicts of interest between Russia and Austria.

No matter how we try to sow discord between the two countries, Russia’s primary strategic target has always been India, and Shinra’s aim is global dominance.

Unfortunately, we concurrently block the paths of both Russia and Austria, making us their common enemy.”

Common enemy + common interests = closest allies.

This truth formula is laid out here, and no one can refute it. Expecting the Foreign Office to split the Russian-Austrian Alliance is indeed a challenging task.

“Perhaps we should divert the trouble eastward?”

Economic Minister Aquina suggested: “The strategic target of the Russians is not only India; to the east lies land just as rich as India.

Inside the Tsarist Government, there is also a Yellow Russian strategy; the only issue is transportation. Since the Austrians can help the Russians build the Central Asia Railway, we can equally assist the Russians in constructing the Siberian Railway.

Given the greed of the Tsarist Government, they will not give up their ambitions for the East. No one who can be the leader would want to remain a miserable second.

The Russians are well aware that once Shinra achieves dominance, it signifies the end of their secret treaty period.

Once Shinra secures dominance, even if they capture India, the disparity between the strengths of Russia and Austria will not reduce but will further widen.

We are now offering them a new option, a chance to surpass Shinra. There’s no reason for the Tsarist Government to refuse.”

In the business of setting traps and planting mines, Britain is absolutely a grandmaster.