Rebellion Quelled

Vitoria, though the second-largest city in the Basque Country, was ultimately just a small town with a population under one hundred thousand.

The Spanish Army's artillery was a cataclysmic blow for a city like this, and with the location of the Basque rebels already known, this offensive battle was easily won.

After being bombarded by the Spanish Army's cannons, the Basque rebels quickly lost their morale.

Some Basque rebels still didn't even understand how they had become rebels in the first place; not long ago, they had just been ordinary factory workers.

"Where's Councillor Anrique? The government forces are already in Vitoria—why hasn't any news come through?" Matías Anhaator, the leader of the Basque rebels, looked flustered in the face of the Spanish Army's bombardment and ordered someone to find Councillor Anrique.

It had been agreed upon: Matías Anhaator would hold his position for now, while Anrique would use his connections in the Senate to gather intelligence on the Spanish Army's movements. Then, based on the situation in Zaragoza, they would decide whether to surrender or continue fighting.

But now, with the Spanish Army at their doorstep, why was there still no word from Councillor Anrique?

About ten minutes later, a soldier rushed in with panic in his eyes. "General, Councillor Anrique is gone!"

"What?" Matías Anhaator's eyes held seven parts shock and three parts panic. He shot to his feet, ignoring the pain as his thigh slammed into the table, and said in disbelief, "What did you say? Councillor Anrique is gone?"

"Yes, General. We went to Councillor Anrique's residence. Not only is he missing, but his wife and children are gone too." The messenger soldier caught his breath before replying.

Thump!

Matías Anhaator slumped back into his chair, his eyes filled with seven parts despair and three parts fury. "That damned traitor. It's all over. He's ruined the Basques, betrayed us all!"

At this point, how could Matías Anhaator not see that Councillor Anrique had been prepared all along? The Spanish Army's arrival might even have been orchestrated by him.

Now, surrounded by the Spanish Army, there was no way for him to escape.

And because of the earlier agreement with Anrique to hold their position, there were over three thousand Basque soldiers trapped inside Vitoria.

Once Vitoria fell to the Spanish Army, these three thousand Basque rebels—and he himself—would all fall into enemy hands.

"General, what should we do?" His subordinate looked at Matías Anhaator anxiously, the panic in his eyes plain to see.

Matías Anhaator hesitated. Should he gamble everything and fight the government forces to the death, or surrender early and beg for Primo's forgiveness?

Though the situation clearly favored surrender, would Primo ever forgive him?

Thinking about what would happen to him after surrendering, Matías Anhaator couldn't make up his mind. His eyes were filled with confusion and regret.

He regretted being blinded by greed and agreeing to join Anrique in launching a rebellion to threaten the government. Even more, he regretted trusting Anrique so easily and failing to keep an eye on him, allowing Anrique's family to escape Vitoria.

"General, the government forces have entered the city!" Before Matías Anhaator could think things through, a soldier burst in, gasping for breath.

"What? Where are our troops?" Matías Anhaator shot up again, his eyes filled only with despair.

"The government forces seemed to know exactly where our troops were positioned. The outer defenses surrendered after a few rounds of shelling. Now the government forces are heading straight for us," the soldier continued.

"It's over. It's all over. Damn you, Anrique. You're a traitor to the Basques. You'll burn in hell!" Matías Anhaator spat out these words with venom, then, as if all strength had left him, he said to the two soldiers before him, "Surrender. Surrender! God is not on our side. God has abandoned us!"

After the two soldiers left to carry out his orders, Matías Anhaator's expression grew calm. He stared blankly out the door for a moment, then closed it.

"Anrique, I wish you a swift descent into hell! God, please punish the one who betrayed the Basques!"

Bang!

Thud!

The Basques surrendered. Primo led his army into Vitoria with ease and captured all the rebel Basque soldiers.

After confirming that the Basque rebel leader Matías Anhaator had taken his own life, Primo left five thousand soldiers to maintain order in Vitoria and seek an opportunity to retake Bilbao in the north, while he led the main force east toward Zaragoza.

With the Basques dealt with, it was time for a decisive battle against the Catalans.

Primo had fought in the First Carlist War. He knew that the Carlists were a scourge to Spain, a source of instability.

Therefore, Primo decided to use this war to wipe out the Carlists once and for all, clearing away the internal strife that plagued Spain.

As the saying goes, to resist external threats, one must first secure internal peace. If Spain couldn't even solve its own small internal problems, how could it ever achieve revival and reclaim its place among the European great powers?

In Zaragoza, a not-so-intense siege was underway.

The lack of intensity came from the Catalan army's low offensive drive, as if they were going through the motions like a long-married couple.

Of course, the Spanish Army's relentless artillery fire also played a part.

Facing such dense bombardment, the Catalans' morale had long since plummeted from its peak at the start of the rebellion.

Blocked at Zaragoza for so long, the Catalan army hadn't even managed to get close to the city walls.

Within the Carlist ranks, the debate over this war had never ceased.

After being stalled at Zaragoza, Carlos VII knew things had gone terribly wrong.

If Catalonia and the Basques had joined forces, they could have threatened most of northern Spain.

But now, the Catalan army was pinned down at Zaragoza, and the Basques couldn't even put up a fight against the government forces.

With the situation developing like this, victory was impossible, and the strategies proposed within the army were more unreliable than the last.

For example, one suggestion was to march south to Valencia, bypassing Zaragoza entirely and cutting straight to Madrid.

Did they think the government forces were fools? Even if they could reach Madrid, could they break through the Spanish capital in just a few days?

If they failed to take Madrid quickly, the army at Zaragoza would surely come to its aid. Then, caught between the Madrid garrison and the forces from Zaragoza, they would die an even more miserable death.

Second chapter. Please support! A new book begs for your reads! Reads are very important. Thank you, Fellow Readers!