Chapter 86: Declaring War on Morocco (Please Subscribe)

Yu Kaluo was still waiting for the expedition team to be formed, attempting to secretly explore the Congo River basin while the government plotted to colonize Morocco.

But Yu Kaluo clearly underestimated the government's ambition regarding the colonization of Morocco.

After returning from the Wang Gong, Serrano and Primo formulated an action plan against Morocco overnight and finalized the timing for the operation.

It was now September 21, 1870, and the action time set by Primo and Serrano was just one week later, on September 28.

One week was just enough time to mobilize the army and ensure that there were sufficient troops to conduct military operations against Morocco in the initial stages of the action.

Ceuta is located at the northernmost tip of Moroccan territory, facing Gibraltar across the sea, which is also the reason why the British are unwilling to let Spain occupy too much territory near Ceuta.

Precisely because of this, Prime Minister Primo specifically divided the operation against Morocco into two parts. The main force would depart from Ceuta, heading south to Tetouan and west to Tangier, completely occupying the small protruding corner of northern Moroccan territory.

There is a similar small protruding corner in southern Spain, which, together with the small protruding corner in northern Morocco, forms the gateway to the western Mediterranean.

For this very reason, the British would likely not agree to Spain occupying this area. Therefore, in Prime Minister Primo's plan, there would also be an army expanding north along the coast from the Ifni fishing base previously occupied by Spain, to occupy the southern Moroccan city of Agadir.

Even if the first plan failed due to British interference, as long as the second plan was completed and Agadir was occupied, it would not be a loss for the Spanish government.

For European countries of this era, if they wanted to take action against indigenous African nations, excuses were far too easy to find.

Sometimes, no excuse was needed at all; expanding colonies was the best excuse.

With the lessons from last time, Prime Minister Primo decided to prepare in secret and deal a sudden blow to the Moroccan government.

It would be best to complete their strategic objectives before the European powers could react, so that they could occupy the initiative in the subsequent negotiations.

On September 28, 1870, the Spanish army finished assembling in Ceuta and launched a fierce attack on the surrounding indigenous Moroccan tribes without any warning.

Twelve hours later, the Spanish government declared war on the Moroccan government, with the reason for the declaration being that an attack orchestrated by Moroccans had resulted in at least five Spaniards being killed in Ceuta.

One hour before declaring war on the Moroccan government, Prime Minister Primo sent a telegram to Italian Prime Minister Giovanni, requesting that the Italian government express its support for the Spanish government in this war.

The Spanish government's return was that Italy's colonial actions in the Tunisia and Libya regions would also receive strong support from the Spanish government, and the two sides would conclude a military alliance regarding North African colonization.

The alliance between Spain and Italy was something the two governments had been constantly discussing. Considering the relationship between Yu Kaluo and Emanuele, it was normal for the Spanish and Italian governments to gradually grow closer under their influence.

The interests of Spain and Italy would not conflict either. Spain wanted Morocco, while Italy wanted Tunisia and Libya, with the French colony of Algeria separating the two.

With France, which bordered both countries, as a formidable enemy, the relationship between Spain and Italy was actually quite friendly; at least in some aspects, such as colonization, they could cooperate.

However, compared to Prime Minister Primo, Prime Minister Giovanni did not have as much power. Although the Kingdom of Italy was also a constitutional monarchy, who could ignore the influence of King Vittorio Emanuele II?

After receiving the telegram from the Spanish government, Prime Minister Giovanni immediately requested an audience with King Vittorio Emanuele II to ask for the King's stance.

"How does the Prime Minister view this matter?" Vittorio Emanuele II did not give his own opinion, but instead asked for Prime Minister Giovanni's thoughts.

Although the two royal families were one family, it did not mean the governments were one family.

This matter concerned the interests of the Italian and Spanish governments, so it naturally could not be decided by the royal family alone.

Vittorio Emanuele II naturally understood this point. Although he was a good father, he was also a good king.

If doing so would harm the interests of the Italian government, then Emanuele II would have to carefully consider the relationship between the two governments.

"Your Majesty, I believe what Primo said also has some merit." Prime Minister Giovanni thought carefully for a moment and replied: "Spain's colonial demands do not conflict with ours, and in this regard, it will not harm Italy's interests."

"Secondly, France has colonial actions in both Morocco and Tunisia, which can be seen as a common enemy for Spain and Italy in colonizing Africa."

"If we rely solely on ourselves to confront France, we are destined to lose out to the French. If we do not want to see France occupy vast swathes of North African territory from Morocco to Libya, the best choice is to cooperate with the Spanish."

"So, is the Prime Minister's opinion to agree to cooperate with the Spanish government?" Vittorio Emanuele II asked with a smile.

He could accept either cooperating or not cooperating with the Spanish government, but if he could take the opportunity to help the Spanish government, Vittorio Emanuele II was naturally willing to see it.

The more powerful Spain was, the more benefits Yu Kaluo would receive. On the premise of not affecting Italy's interests, Vittorio Emanuele II naturally hoped that his son could rule a more powerful country.

"Your Majesty, the last war between Spain and Morocco drew British interference, and I fear this time will be no different."

"The greatest enemy to Spain colonizing Morocco is not France, but Britain, which is thousands of miles away from Spain. If it were just dealing with France, it would be fine, but if Britain is added, I fear our support will not have much effect." Prime Minister Giovanni gathered his courage and voiced his speculation.

"The British?" Vittorio Emanuele II nodded, thinking Prime Minister Giovanni's speculation was quite reasonable.

Ever since Britain became powerful, it had become the notorious meddler of the European continent. The British would stick their hands into any major international event to ensure that the European continent did not fall into a state that would disrupt the balance of power.

If Spain's invasion of Morocco were targeted by the British, it would indeed be unlikely to complete the colonization of Morocco against British opposition.

Vittorio Emanuele II sighed, looked at Prime Minister Giovanni who was waiting for his orders, and instructed: "Provide diplomatic support to the Spanish government in accordance with our previous support. At the same time, inform the Spanish government that if this colonial action draws intervention from other powers, Italy will be unable to intervene."

The third day of ten-thousand-character updates, 2000/10000 updated, eight thousand characters left to update, begging for support!

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(End of chapter)