[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-rise-of-the-empire-spain":3,"chapter-rise-of-the-empire-spain-rise-of-the-empire-spain-chapter-477":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Rise of the Empire: Spain",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2365405,4632,"Chapter 477: Neutral Nations Treaty","rise-of-the-empire-spain-chapter-477",477,"\u003Cp>Spain aggressively snatched away the warship orders for Chile and Argentina, yet the British government had no reaction to this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Da was initially quite surprised, but following reports from the Royal Security Intelligence Agency, Gao Da also understood exactly what had happened within Britain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The current British King, Edward VII, suddenly caught a cold in May. Just when everyone thought it was merely a minor cold that was not serious, Edward VII suddenly fell critically ill and subsequently passed away at midnight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Da certainly knew that Edward VII died this year, but he had long forgotten exactly when.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon learning that Edward VII had passed away due to pneumonia triggered by an ordinary cold, Gao Da could not help but lament the backwardness of medical technology in this era, and he solidified his determination to develop medical technology at any cost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cold that is not serious in later generations could be fatal in this era; whether it was a king or an ordinary person, they were all pale and powerless in the face of such a lethal disease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Gao Da, Lady Wang Hou, and their several children were still relatively healthy. Currently, there had been no infant mortality in the Spanish royal family; perhaps this was a benefit brought by Gao Da as a transmigrator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sudden death of British King Edward VII would certainly have an impact on the European situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Edward VII did not have a very good reputation, it was undeniable that he effectively utilized the remaining heat of the Victorian era, allowing the British Empire to remain the world's number one power during this period.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Edward VII would also become the last king of Britain's Saxe-Coburg and Gotha dynasty, as well as its first king.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His son, George V, was forced by anti-German sentiment within Britain to change his German surname, which is also the origin of the later British Windsor dynasty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>George V was not Edward VII's eldest son; he had an older brother, Prince Albert. It is worth mentioning that Prince Albert, who should have inherited the throne, contracted the same disease as his father—pneumonia—and had already passed away more than a decade ago, which is the reason George V was ultimately able to inherit the throne.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were various reasons for the decline of British royal power, some of which were to be blamed on Edward VII and George V.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Edward VII was considered popular within Britain, the main reason was the propaganda of the British media combined with Queen Victoria's good image, which led the public to love the house and its crow, thus also liking this successor of the Victorian era.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, in reality, Edward VII could not be associated with a king of good image at all; he could only be considered an out-and-out playboy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How terrible was Edward VII's image?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the first British crown prince in history to enter Oxford University, Edward VII did not successfully obtain a degree from Oxford University.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, he was forced to transfer to Trinity College at the University of Cambridge, yet he still could not successfully complete his studies, which was rare in British history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, a degree was not a big problem, and it did not affect Edward VII's smooth succession at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What truly damaged Edward VII's reputation was his private life, which could be described as exaggerated and extremely chaotic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The number of noblewomen who had illicit affairs with Edward VII was countless. Many nobles at the time knew their wives were having affairs with the crown prince, but many let it slide, and some even felt they had gained prestige from it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This could be considered a relatively chaotic side of the European noble mistress system, and it was something commoners could hardly imagine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don't look at the fact that European nobles also practiced monogamy; it was very normal for European nobles to have several mistresses and lovers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially for kings, crown princes, and dukes with high status and position, having fewer than two digits of lovers was considered few; some even maintained intimate relationships with hundreds of people and had affairs with hundreds or thousands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This point was currently where Spain was a bit different. Although Gao Da also had lovers, the number was not large, and the confidentiality work was done very well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More importantly, Gao Da's lovers were all carefully selected young women from clean family backgrounds; he would never consider the wives of Spanish nobles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Doing so was not only for the image of the royal family but also to ensure that no rift would develop between the king and the nobles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Da also demanded this of his sons. Under the lead of the Spanish royal family, the relationships among Spanish nobles were not so chaotic, which was something Gao Da was quite satisfied with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, chaotic relationships among nobles could certainly not be completely eradicated. If conflicts arose because of this, Gao Da would not show any bias.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nobles of this era had dueling as the best way to resolve conflicts, and in Spain, besides dueling, one could also choose bullfighting to resolve conflicts between nobles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Gao Da, it was just right; the number of Spanish nobles was truly too high. If some nobles could be resolved through dueling, that would be good news.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to history, this world's Edward VII had fewer achievements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In history, Britain had long since concluded an alliance treaty with France, and the Franco-Russian Alliance had long since expanded into the Triple Entente, becoming a military bloc that appeared more powerful than the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria, and Italy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in this world, because of the strong rise of Spain, the conflict between Britain and France had not eased, and it even allowed Spain to obtain control of the Strait of Gibraltar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This also led to Britain not joining the two major military blocs, and at the same time, it led to the French Entente being somewhat inferior in comprehensive strength compared to the Triple Alliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under such a situation, the challenges Britain faced were the greatest in nearly a hundred years, and the difficulty was no weaker than the former Anti-French Alliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In addition to the threat posed to British hegemony by the two major military blocs, the newly risen power, Spain, also posed a huge threat to Britain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Royal Navy, of which Britain was proud, was defeated twice by Spain, which allowed Spain to leap into becoming the world's second-strongest naval power, stepping on Britain to enter the ranks of super powers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These various achievements made Edward VII's reputation in Britain poor; the public had no good feelings for this king with absurd behavior and poor conduct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the second day after Gao Da received the news, the British government publicly announced the death of King Edward VII and announced the date of Edward VII's funeral, inviting various European countries to send representatives to participate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spain naturally received the invitation from the British government. Although the relationship between Spain and the British government was not good, they certainly still had to invite the Spanish government.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Gao Da did not have much good feeling for the British government, as the Spanish royal family was a member of the European noble system, such an invitation would naturally not be refused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Gao Da would not personally participate in Edward VII's funeral, but instead sent his son, Prince An Fernando.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, there was no very close kinship between the Spanish royal family and the British royal family; although they could claim distant relations, such a relationship was clearly insufficient for Gao Da to go personally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following the British government's invitation, various European countries also agreed to the British government's invitation, including Britain's arch-enemies, France and Russia, which were no exception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is worth mentioning that German Emperor Wilhelm II not only agreed to the British government's invitation but also stated that he would personally go to London to attend Edward VII's funeral.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason why German Emperor Wilhelm II could personally go to London was also very simple. First, the relationship between the German royal family and the British royal family was still relatively close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially after Wilhelm II became the German Emperor, the relationship between him and Edward VII became that of an uncle and a nephew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his own uncle passing away, even if Wilhelm II had become emperor, participating personally was very normal, just as he had once personally participated in the funeral of his grandmother, Queen Victoria.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other hand, Wilhelm II's act of personally going to London also had the intention of showing goodwill to Britain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although on the surface the Triple Alliance had already suppressed the French Entente, only the Germans themselves knew that the problems within the alliance were very large.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don't look at the fact that the ally Italy was a power; Italy only had a useful navy. The Italian army was more like a facade; it only looked intimidating in numbers, but in reality, it had no effect at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Austro-Hungarian army was still okay, but only the regular troops were; the combat effectiveness of the reserve troops was already very poor, and the combat effectiveness of the subsequently mobilized recruits was even more appalling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This also led to the support Germany would receive in the war being extremely limited. Unless they could concentrate their energy to defeat France or Russia first, Germany would have to face a pincer attack from France and Russia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason why German Emperor Wilhelm II chose to show goodwill to Britain was, on one hand, because Britain's current industry and economy were very powerful, and on the other hand, because the British navy could provide huge support to Germany.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the Alliance's navy could suppress the Entente's navy, the logistics and supply problems Germany worried about would cease to exist, and at the same time, it could blockade the connection between France and its African colonies, leaving the French mainland facing the problem of insufficient supplies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was also the issue of Spain constantly leaning toward France.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Spain had not expressed a clear willingness to form an alliance with France, under the premise of constantly leaning toward France, there was no guarantee that there would not be a possibility of joining the Franco-Russian Alliance in a future war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once Spain joined the French Entente, the advantage currently held by the Alliance would vanish. The combat effectiveness a single Spain could exert far exceeded that of Austria-Hungary and Italy. Once Germany faced a siege by France, Russia, and Spain, even if Austria-Hungary and Italy performed exceptionally, Germany would fall into a predicament, unless there was help from a power of the same level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the current world situation, the only power of the same level left was Britain. In other words, the current German government had no choice; either they win over Britain to join the Alliance, or before Spain joined the French Entente, they had to find a way to launch a blitzkrieg to defeat either France or Russia first while the enemy was unprepared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as one enemy was resolved, regardless of whether it was France or Russia left, the possibility of Spain joining the war would become extremely low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the threats of a Spanish-French alliance and a Spanish-Russian alliance would no longer be so huge, which was completely acceptable to Germany.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regarding German Emperor Wilhelm II's show of goodwill to the British royal family, France and Russia saw it in their eyes and kept it in their hearts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Were France and Russia afraid? They were certainly afraid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Britain joined the Alliance, the Alliance would completely crush the Entente, instead of the current slight advantage they held.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But fear was fear; France and Russia were not that panicked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On one hand, they knew that Britain could not join the Alliance so easily. The British people's reputation as \"shit-stirrers\" was famous in Europe; they had always liked to support the confrontation between two major forces in a region and help the weaker side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by the regional balance policy that Britain had always maintained, even if Britain chose to intervene in the confrontation between the two major military blocs, the side they chose to help should be the Franco-Russian Alliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Germany at this time was exceptionally powerful. Besides Germany being recognized as having the world's number one army, they were also vigorously developing their navy, and their industry and economy were far beyond the scale possessed by France and Russia.\u003C\u002Fp>",2100,"2026-06-25T09:27:15.200Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","6958afe571f0493f926c5a8453661b6091adbe68ec659333a8f48b882d853137","rise-of-the-empire-spain-chapter-478","rise-of-the-empire-spain-chapter-476",493,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frise-of-the-empire-spain-cover.jpg"]