Spain, Madrid. This is a beautiful city with a rich history. There are magnificent buildings decorated everywhere. However, the passage of hundreds of years has made these buildings look a little mottled.
Age of Discovery, that was undoubtedly the period when Spain's national power was most powerful. Spain controls the most extensive colony in the world. The large amount of gold and silver shipped back from Americas made Spain the richest country at that time.
But unfortunately, Spain people took those gold and silver and lived a prosperous life. But they did not use those gold and silver to develop military power and industry, so that they were caught up by the later rise of Britain.
After Invincible Armada attacked Britain but suffered a disastrous defeat, Spain's national power suddenly plummeted. Although later, they also made efforts, such as jointly challenging Britain's maritime hegemony with France. However, they all failed in the end. More than ten years ago, Spanish-American War was beaten to pieces by the emerging United States, and the last Cuba and Philippines colonies were thrown away.
This caused Spain to completely lose its last ambitions and become a country immersed in its past glory.
King of Spain Alfonso XIII, has no ambitions anymore. Because he knows that a powerful country that dominates Europe has emerged. If Spain is still unclear about the situation, the consequences may be very serious.
However, just because Alfonso XIII does not want to get involved in the dispute does not mean that others will let him go.
On January 23, British Ambassador to Spain met with Spanish Foreign Minister Preto, and the two had a two-hour meeting. After that, British Ambassador left the embassy with a smile on his face. After Preto sent British Ambassador away, he went directly to the palace and asked to see Alfonso XIII.
"Your Majesty, this time the Britain people are very sincere. They asked us to ensure the safety of their garrison in Gibraltar and return the Gibraltar to us immediately! Your Majesty, this is a great thing! We absolutely Don't miss it. For many years, Spain and König have been hoping to take back Gibraltar, but because Britain is too strong, they have not been able to succeed. Now, the opportunity is in front of us," Preto persuaded.
Alfonso XIII was a little hesitant. He knew that this was a rare opportunity for Kingdom of Spain. If you miss it, you won't have another opportunity like this in the future. However, he knew very well the Germany people's intentions towards Gibraltar. If Spain takes back Gibraltar at this time, it will definitely make Germany people angry. The weak Kingdom of Spain simply has no ability to withstand the anger of the German Empire. By then, Kingdom of Spain will be completely destroyed.
"Your Excellency Foreign Minister, we can certainly use this opportunity to recover Gibraltar. But, how can Germany explain it?" Alfonso XIII asked.
"This...Your Majesty, we have always claimed that Gibraltar is our inherent territory, and the Germany people are also aware of this. So, if we want to regain Gibraltar, The Germany people have nothing to say. What's more, the Germany people have not taken action against Gibraltar yet, maybe they have no intention of occupying Gibraltar?" Preto continued to persuade.
Preto is not a fool, otherwise he would not be Foreign Minister. He naturally knows how risky it is to let Spain regain Gibraltar. Once Germany's anger is aroused, they will all be doomed.
However, the reason why Preto did this was entirely because the Britain people gave him a large sum of money. This makes Preto unable to refuse. Anyway, even if it offends Germany people, it has nothing to do with him, Foreign Minister. He didn't have to worry at all.
Alfonso XIII was very hesitant, he didn't want to take risks.
"Come here, go find Prime Minister." Alfonso XIII decided to listen to Prime Minister's opinion.
Soon, Prime Minister Count Romanones rushed to the palace.
"Prime Minister, Britain people proposed to return Gibraltar to us, as long as we ensure the safety of their garrison there." Alfonso XIII said. The matter was explained clearly in a few words.
Count Romanones suddenly frowned.
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid this is not good! How will we explain to the Germany people then?" Count Romanones said.
"Prime Minister, Gibraltar are our own territory, what do we need to explain to the Germany people? This is an excellent opportunity for us! If we miss this opportunity, we will never have such an opportunity again." Preto said.
Alfonso XIII was a bit stuck. He was afraid of Germany, but at the same time, he didn't want to give up this golden opportunity. If Gibraltar can be recovered, he will become the most outstanding one among all Königs in the past hundreds of years.
"But if the Germany people get angry and even start a war with us, what should we do?" Count Romanones asked.
"If Germany people are dissatisfied by then, we can find another way. After all, Germany people have not responded yet. If it becomes a fait accompli, Germany people will probably hold their noses and admit it! Although the Germany people are the world's hegemons, they cannot seize the territory of other countries without any reason. In that case, how will other countries view them?" Preto said confidently. It's as if if they take back Gibraltar first, the Germany people will give up on their own initiative.
Count Romanones said nothing more. He looked at Alfonso XIII, waiting for his answer. After all, at this time, whether or not to agree to Britain people should be decided by Alfonso XIII. to avoid future liability.
"Everyone, I want to give it a try! After all, recovering Gibraltar has always been the wish of all generations of König. Now, I finally have such an opportunity, and I don't want to give up just like this." Alfonso XIII said.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Count Romanones and Preto both replied.
Preto's face showed a trace of uncontrollable joy. After all, Alfonso XIII decided to accept the conditions of Britain, which means that his mission has been completed. And the remuneration given by Britain people is as high as millions Mark. That's a lot of money.
On January 24, 1916, Spanish government announced that it would recover Gibraltar from now on. Gibraltar was originally the inherent territory of Spain, and now it is once again under the rule of Spain.