Chapter 365: The Moroccan War

The British, who initiated the war, were full of confidence, believing that it would only take one month to resolve the Transvaal and the Orange Free State, two countries that kept causing them trouble.

The idea was beautiful, but reality is often cruel. The Boers quickly gave the British a heavy blow, letting them understand what true combat effectiveness meant.

With the "defend home and country" buff, the Boers erupted with unimaginable tenacity. In the first month of the war, despite their weapons and equipment being clearly inferior to the British, they were able to maintain a full advantage, even causing the British to lose quite a bit of territory.

If not for the rapid arrival of British reinforcements, the entire northeast of the Cape Colony would likely have fallen, which would have been a truly heavy loss for the British.

The more intense this war became, the greater the hope for Gao Da to annex Morocco.

One month after the outbreak of the war, Spain shipped a large batch of weapons and equipment to the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State, along with other strategic resources including food and medical supplies.

Compared to history, the Boers today are receiving much greater support.

Historically, the Boers could only rely on gold mine taxes, donations from various European countries, and supplies captured from the British army to sustain the war; when recruiting troops from the populace, the Boers even required citizens to bring their own guns and horses.

But now, with material support from various European countries, the Boers are at least not lacking in weapons and equipment for the time being.

Currently, the main Boer forces have all been re-equipped with standard rifles from various European countries, and one can even see traces of artillery and machine guns in some of the more elite units.

To cause some trouble for the British, Gao Da generously donated 50 artillery pieces and 20 machine guns to the Boers, and these supplies have already been safely delivered to the ports of the Transvaal Republic.

It was not that Gao Da was unwilling to send the Boers more weapons and equipment. It was mainly the concern that the Boers did not have many soldiers who knew how to use artillery and machine guns; if they were captured by the British army, wouldn't that be a disguised form of aiding the enemy?

In any case, Gao Da did not care about the investment. Once this batch of artillery and machine guns was exhausted, new weapons and equipment could still be issued to the Boers through aid.

As long as they could make the British pay greater casualties and expend more military funds, then the aid of these weapons and equipment was cost-effective.

While the war on the African continent was ongoing, Spain was also contacting various European countries, looking for nations willing to support its annexation of Morocco.

Times are different now. Because the European continent has formed a situation of the Anti-Russian Alliance versus the German-Austrian Alliance, Spain, a great power drifting outside the two major military blocs, has become a hot commodity.

For Gao Da, it does not matter which military bloc to join; which military bloc can provide the support Spain needs is what matters most.

In other words, whoever can support Spain in annexing Morocco and Portugal is Spain's ally.

When Spain made such conditions public, the great powers of the two major military blocs were stunned.

They certainly understood who stood behind Morocco and Portugal, and naturally also understood that if they wanted to win over Spain, they might have to become enemies with the British.

Is such a trade-off worth it, exchanging the price of becoming enemies with the British for Spain's support?

Germany was indeed hesitant about this. Although Spain could attack the south of France, putting France in the awkward position of fighting on two fronts.

But if Spain were brought in, the British would also become Germany's enemy. Although Germany at this time was already demanding colonies and sea power, from William II down to the German officials, none believed they would be the enemy of the British.

Germany still held fantasies about forming an alliance with the British, which is also the reason why they chose to remain neutral instead of supporting the Boers during the historical Boer War.

Even before the formal establishment of the Anglo-French-Russian Entente bloc, Germany had always been fantasizing about an alliance with the British.

Unfortunately, the British, as the world's number one, were destined to never ally with Germany, the world's number two; the two were more likely to head toward a hostile relationship.

The Germans in history failed to see this, and naturally, the current Germany failed to see it as well.

However, having said that, at this time Germany's advantage over France had not yet become overwhelming, so it was really hard to say whether the British would conclude an alliance treaty with Germany.

Because of the lingering hope for the British, Germany did not decisively agree to the conditions offered by Spain, even though Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire had persuaded them in every possible way.

In the eyes of King Umberto I of Italy and Emperor Franz Joseph I of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, bringing Spain into the alliance was quite wise.

Spain had good relations with both Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with no disputes regarding territory.

Starting from this point alone, Spain was already a natural ally of the Triple Alliance. Not to mention that Spain's own army and navy were both powerful, and its geographical location was also superior, making it an object that must be won over.

If the Triple Alliance could welcome Spain's entry, the combined navies of Spain, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Italy alone would be enough to easily control the situation in the Mediterranean.

The armies of the four countries would also surround France from different directions; under the situation of being surrounded on several sides, France was destined not to hold out for long.

France clearly thought so too. Compared to Germany, which pinned its hopes on the British, France appeared much more eager to form an alliance with Spain.

Although Morocco was also important, for the sake of the safety of the French mainland, Morocco could also be abandoned.

A few days after Spain stated its position, the French diplomatic ambassador found Gao Da and expressed the French government's attitude very sincerely.

"Respected Your Majesty, we are willing to conclude an alliance treaty with your country to jointly safeguard peace and order in the Mediterranean."

"We respect Spain's interests in the Iberian Peninsula and support Spain's annexation of Morocco. If your country is willing to conclude an alliance with us, France, Spain, and Russia will become the most powerful military bloc in this world." Upon meeting Gao Da, the French ambassador got straight to the point and stated the French government's conditions directly.

France indeed had ambitions for Morocco, but ever since Spain forcefully disrupted France's colonization of Tunisia, France had seen Spain's strength and uniqueness.

Competing with Spain for Morocco would only push Spain toward Germany. At that time, France would face the pressure of fighting on two or even three fronts, and it would be quite difficult to defend its territory.

But if Spain were brought to their side, France would only need to focus on dealing with Germany, this one enemy.

Germany was certainly powerful, but France also had Russia as an ally. By then, once the French and Spanish fleets united, they could easily control the situation in the Mediterranean.

As long as the navies of Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire were blockaded in the Mediterranean, Italy, as a great power, would have no use.

As for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with Germany being dragged down, they would also have no way out.

It was precisely because of this that France was willing to give up its claims on Morocco. As for whether supporting Spain's annexation of Morocco would mean becoming enemies with the British, it did not seem that important in the eyes of the French.

The British were very powerful, but the British strength was entirely reflected in the navy. In terms of the army, the British were not even as good as Spain, let alone France, which once dominated Europe.

Even if they became enemies with the British, France and Spain only needed to blockade the Mediterranean, and the British would have no way to deal with them.

The support of the French government made Gao Da breathe a sigh of relief and also strengthened Gao Da's idea of waging war on Morocco.

If the British insisted on forcefully intervening in Spain's war against Morocco, at worst, Spain would directly lean toward the Franco-Russian Alliance.

Although Russia would withdraw midway through World War I, it was clearly too early for that now, and Russia had not yet reached the point of exhaustion.

Unless the British also quickly leaned toward Germany, Spain, with the support of France, was no longer someone the British could defeat.

This was equivalent to Spain being in an invincible position, which was naturally good news for Gao Da and Spain.

However, before it was absolutely necessary, Gao Da did not want to join the two major military blocs so readily. France's conditions could also be considered a negotiating tactic, which could allow Spain to seek support from Germany.

Even if Germany was unwilling to support Spain, they at least had to keep the three great powers of Germany, Austria, and Italy neutral during Spain's war.

As long as other European countries remained neutral, Spain, facing a British distracted by the Boer War alone, would actually not be afraid at all.

A month and a half had passed since the Boer War, and the Spanish Ministry of Defense and the General Staff finally produced a war plan for Morocco.

The reason why this plan took more than a month to produce was mainly because Spain considered the possibility of British intervention.

In other words, this war plan contained content regarding fighting the British and also took Gibraltar into account.

If the British announced intervention in the war, Spain would attack Gibraltar without hesitation, control the Strait of Gibraltar, and blockade the western exit of the Mediterranean. Gao Da looked at this war plan for a long time, and after confirming there were no problems, he immediately issued his orders.

The first order was to have the garrison in the Congo territory assemble toward the South Morocco colony.

The war against Morocco would utilize two colonial divisions and six colonial garrison regiments, totaling 52, 00 troops.

Besides this, the garrison in Spain itself would also prepare for war to prevent forceful British intervention.

If the British insisted on intervening, Spain would launch a full mobilization domestically, use true conventional troops to quickly annex Morocco, and then slowly fight a war of attrition with the British.

In any case, the British still had the Boer War to fight; even if they fought a long war of attrition, Spain would not be intimidated at all.

Historically, the British invested as much as 200 million pounds in military spending during the Boer War and mobilized about 450, 00 troops.

One must know that the total number of all Boers combined was actually less than 500, 00.

The number of troops mobilized by the British was already equivalent to the total number of Boers; under such circumstances, the war still lasted for nearly three years, and the British still only won a pyrrhic victory, which is enough to show how difficult this war was.

This Boer War would be even more difficult than in history, and it would not be easy for the British to win this war.

If the British also had to open a battlefield with Spain, it would only increase the difficulty of winning the war.

On April 22, 1895, while the African battlefield was raging, Spain was also nervously making war preparations.

On April 25, as the two colonial divisions arrived at the South Morocco colony, Spain's offensive against Morocco officially began.

That afternoon, using the excuse that the Moroccan government had illegally built water conservancy facilities on the Souss River, intending to cut off the water flow to Agadir, Spain demanded that the Moroccan government immediately dismantle the water conservancy facilities on the Souss River and cede Oulad Teima and Taroudant north of Tiddsi as compensation.

The Moroccan government was stunned; how had they never heard of any water conservancy facilities on the Souss River?

But at this time, there was no time for them to think carefully. Only a little over an hour later, Spain declared war on Morocco under the pretext that Morocco refused to comply.

Almost at the same time as the declaration of war, the Spanish army set out from the two lines of Agadir and Tata, marching north along the Souss River to attack Marrakesh, an important town in central Morocco.

The other route marched north along the Anti-Atlas Mountains, with the goal of Beni Mellal, northeast of Marrakesh.

The reason Morocco was still able to maintain its independence was entirely due to the British guarantee of independence.

Now, relying on their own strength to resist Spain, the Moroccan government was instantly thrown into a panic.

The Spanish army fought quite bravely on the front line, breaking through the important hub city of Taroudant on the Souss River that very day.

The Moroccan army couldn't even react; they were beaten by the Spanish army until they threw away their armor and fled, retreating in a hurry to Oulad Berhil further north.

If there was still some resistance on the western battlefield, then the eastern battlefield was simply like entering an uninhabited land.

To the east of this area was the desert, and to the west were mountains blocking the way; Morocco had not set up many defensive forces here.

After the Spanish army broke through the Moroccan border guards, they easily captured several small Moroccan cities.

Regrettably, there were no smooth roads connecting these cities. The better roads were just compacted dirt roads, and the worse ones were equivalent to having none at all.

The Spanish army marching on such routes indeed had its offensive speed slowed down significantly.

It is worth mentioning that the Spanish declaration of war was not notified to the Moroccan government by the Spanish ambassador, but was notified to the Moroccan ambassador by the Spanish government.

The Moroccan ambassador had no time to send the news back to his country; the moment Spain declared war, he was forcibly repatriated by Spain.

There was no time to access the telegraph along the way, and naturally, he had no ability to send news to Morocco.

This also led to the war having been going on for most of the day by the time the Moroccan government received the news of Spain's declaration of war.

The Moroccan government was panicked and hurriedly mobilized troops from the prime areas in the north to march south to resist the Spanish army's offensive.

Since Spain established the South Morocco colony, there had been no conflict between Spain and Morocco.

Although this was all thanks to British protection, the Moroccan government still couldn't help but slack off.

In their view, with British protection, they could sleep soundly.

Even if Spain did not give up, they only needed to resist the Spanish for a period of time, and the British would naturally solve all their troubles.

It was precisely this mentality that left the Moroccan government with no preparation at all the moment the war broke out, and the border guards were quickly wiped out.

Spain's offensive naturally did not just start from the South Morocco colony.

In order to end this war early, Spain also dispatched troops to be stationed in Ceuta in northern Morocco.

Which unit was the Spanish army stationed in Ceuta?

It was a temporary formation composed of the Spanish 1st Guards Infantry Regiment, 2nd Guards Infantry Regiment, 1st Guards Cavalry Regiment, and 1st Guards Artillery Regiment.

Letting the Imperial Guard join this war was a decision Kaluo made after considering it for a long time.

The Imperial Guard's equipment was quite excellent, and the soldiers were all carefully selected from the Spanish Royal Army.

But the problem was that the Imperial Guard had not experienced war for too long, and their combat effectiveness was certainly inferior compared to those soldiers who had been on the battlefield.

Kaluo believed in the loyalty of the Imperial Guard soldiers, but if there was an opportunity to improve their combat effectiveness, Kaluo was not willing to miss it.

Before letting these Imperial Guard soldiers go to the battlefield, Kaluo even personally went to the Imperial Guard's barracks to conduct a pre-war mobilization.

Kaluo personally explained the pension policy for the Imperial Guard and promised to confer titles upon those who performed meritorious service after the war ended.

The encouragement from the King made these soldiers extremely excited, and they could not wait to arrive at Ceuta to fight the Moroccans to the death.

When these Imperial Guard soldiers joined the battlefield, the Moroccans soon saw what an elite army was.

Although these Imperial Guard soldiers had not been on the battlefield, their training had not been reduced in the slightest.

Walking onto the battlefield for the first time was certainly a bit nerve-wracking, but with equipment far superior to the Moroccan army, these soldiers naturally had nothing to fear.

The artillery regiment would clear all obstacles for them, and the Moroccan army had no time to counterattack because they needed to dodge shells that could explode beside them at any moment.

The Spanish army had always upheld the principle of firepower supremacy; if they could suppress with firepower, they would absolutely never use manpower to exhaust the enemy.

Not to mention the best-equipped Imperial Guard, who fired shells as if they cost nothing.

The artillery regiment, adhering to the principle that firing more rounds counted as training, did not feel the slightest bit of heartache when consuming shells.

Anyway, Ceuta and the Spanish mainland were separated by the sea, so they did not have to worry about the issue of material supplies at all.

Every day, transport fleets would travel back and forth between Ceuta and the Spanish mainland, transporting all kinds of weapons, equipment, ammunition, supplies, and other materials for them.

Under these circumstances, the Spanish army did not need to worry about the issue of shell consumption at all. They only needed to fire every shell toward the enemy and make the hit rate of the shells as high as possible.

(End of this chapter)