Chapter 432

Facts have proven that the United States, far across the Atlantic, is also quite concerned about this war that broke out on the European continent.

When the Spanish diplomatic ambassador contacted the US government, the US was actually quite clear about the intentions of the Spanish. However, at this time, the UK was still that powerful world hegemon, and the Americans did not have full confidence that they could successfully seize the Cuban colony from the hands of the British.

In the final analysis, the US's military strength at this time is still too poor. Although the US has already surpassed the UK in industry and economy, in terms of military strength, the US is not even as good as Italy, let alone actively attacking the UK, the world's number one power.

Even if the Spanish diplomatic ambassador offered his conditions, supporting the US in obtaining the equity of the Panama Canal controlled by the UK, the US government remained indifferent.

After determining that it could not win over the US government, Spain had no choice but to abandon its plan. Since it could not force the British government to concede through external forces, Spain had no choice but to defeat the British on the front battlefield, forcing the British to surrender.

On September 8, 1904, multiple Spanish armies marched majestically from the border area into Portuguese territory, formally declaring their intervention in this Portuguese civil war.

Because the British army was still on the way, the Spanish side took advantage. The Spanish army spent less time entering the battlefield, and thus had more sufficient time to carry out full mobilization on the battlefield.

Time came to September 9, and the Spanish army had completely entered Portuguese territory from the border of Extremadura, and was deployed in the areas where the Portuguese civil war was most intense, namely the line from Évora to Moura.

The reason why this place is said to be the most intense area of the Portuguese civil war is that the geographical location of this area is very important; whoever can control this area can threaten the opponent's capital.

The capital of the Portuguese Republic, Lisbon, is to the west of Moura, and the capital of the Portuguese Democratic Republic, Elvas, is to the east of Évora.

In order to protect their own capital, and also to occupy the enemy's capital as soon as possible, the Republican Party and the Iberian Party have deployed a large number of troops on the front line. Currently, the total number of troops on this battlefield has reached nearly 200,000, and it is still increasing steadily.

Although 200,000 people are not considered many for the major European powers, for Portugal, which has a population of only over 5 million, a battle of over 200,000 people is already considered a large-scale battle.

There is good news for the Iberian Party: there is a railway between Lisbon and Elvas, and this railway happens to pass through Évora.

More importantly, this railway runs through the border and connects eastward to Badajoz, the capital of the Extremadura region of Spain.

This also means that troops and supplies from Spain can be continuously transported from this railway to Elvas and Évora, and then head west to Lisbon, the capital of the Portuguese Republic.

Although the Portuguese Republic can also transport supplies to the front line through this railway, a series of strategic materials, including weapons, ammunition, and medical supplies, all have to rely on support from the UK.

The UK must first transport supplies from its mainland to Portugal, and then transport them to the front line by rail.

With this back and forth, the time for both sides to transport supplies to the front line has a world of difference.

Relying on the advantage of the railway, Spain only needs a few hours to transport supplies at the shortest, and only about a day at the longest to complete it.

And what about the UK? Just the time required to transport supplies from the British mainland to Portugal takes at least three to four days to complete. Coupled with the loading and unloading of supplies at the port and subsequent rail transport, the time will be extended to at least five to six days.

In addition to the large gap in the time required to transport supplies, there are also risks for the UK to transport supplies to Portugal.

With Spain formally intervening in the Portuguese civil war, the Spanish Navy can also openly blockade the Portuguese coast, preventing the UK from transporting various strategic materials to Portugal.

With this back and forth, the supply capabilities of the Portuguese Republic and the Portuguese Democratic Republic are actually far apart.

With a large number of Spanish troops invested in the Portuguese civil war, it can be considered that the Portuguese have realized what a truly elite land army is.

On September 9, the Spanish army quickly controlled the situation around Évora and forced the Portuguese Republic's army back by nearly ten kilometers.

Don't look at the distance of ten kilometers as not far, but you must know that the straight-line distance from Évora to Lisbon is only 113 kilometers. According to this progress, the Spanish army even has the hope of directly hitting the outskirts of Lisbon in ten days. Such progress is fatal for the Portuguese Republic, because Portugal's strategic depth is only this much, and to the west of Lisbon is the sea; the Portuguese Republic government has nowhere to retreat.

Time came to September 10, and in order to save the situation, the Portuguese Republican Party organized a force of nearly 50,000 people and built a defensive line about 15 kilometers west of Évora, attempting to delay the Spanish army's offensive speed.

Facts have proven that they did indeed do it. Throughout the day on September 10, the Spanish army only pushed the front line forward by less than 5 kilometers, and the speed of advancement was reduced by more than half compared to the previous day.

But this is not bad news for Spain; in order to intercept the Spanish army, the 50,000-strong army sent by the Portuguese Republican Party suffered at least 20,000 casualties, and the combat strength has plummeted to about 30,000.

If calculated according to this casualty ratio, the Republican Party would face the embarrassing situation of having no troops to use even before reaching Lisbon.

If the front line being pushed too fast is a fatal problem, then the excessive number of military deaths and injuries is an even more fatal problem for the Republican Party.

Before the UK and Spain each sent volunteer armies, the Republican Party had a force of nearly 100,000, which is also an important reason why they maintained the situation.

And after the battle on September 10, the Republican Party only had a little over 70,000 troops with combat effectiveness left, and it is still shrinking constantly.

According to this trend, the British army has not yet arrived on Portuguese soil, and the Portuguese civil war may be about to end.

Regarding the two battles after the Spanish army entered Portugal, the British side is also highly concerned. The British had long expected that the Spanish army would immediately change the situation of the Portuguese civil war after entering Portugal, but they did not expect that the Portuguese Republican Party's army would be so vulnerable.

Logically speaking, the number of troops on both sides of the front line is about the same. Even if the combat effectiveness of the Portuguese army is far inferior to that of the Spanish army, it should not be a problem to fight a defensive war and drag it out for a few days.

This is also the British plan: let the Portuguese Republican Party's army drag it out for a few days, and when the British army arrives in Portugal, carry out more powerful defense and counterattacks, and fight a war of attrition with Spain in Portugal.

But the current situation has far exceeded the UK's expectations. According to the current development of the situation, this Portuguese civil war cannot evolve into a war of attrition at all, because the small Portuguese Republic has no ability to resist Spain's offensive.