Chain Reaction (3)

The Spain had been fighting Mexico rebels in Mexico for years, spending a considerable amount of money and accumulating a mountain of debt. Meanwhile, instability was also emerging in other colonies in Americas. To stabilize these colonies and repay maturing debts, the Spain were forced to begin negotiations with the rebels.

Having learned from France's successful experience in handling the Saint-Domingue colony, Spain proposed resolving the Mexico problem using the Saint-Domingue model. Representatives from both sides negotiated in France for a month, ultimately resulting in the Mexico gaining independence through a ransom. Of course, this also left them heavily indebted to the France. On the other hand, the Spain, with the money they received, not only paid off their loans but also had a considerable surplus. Considering the interest on the ransom, plus the savings from reducing troop deployments and various institutions, the Spain calculated that the money the Spain government received was not significantly less than when it controlled Mexico.

The main reason for this situation is that Spain's plundering of Mexico was extremely inefficient. In reality, the amount of money Spain received from Mexico each year was quite limited. However, on the other hand, Spain's exorbitant taxes and levies in Mexico caused widespread public resentment, making it arguably a heinous crime. The reason the Spain government ultimately didn't receive much money is mainly due to two factors: first, too much money was lost by those handling it; second, one consequence of this exorbitant taxation was the high cost of maintaining stability, which consumed a large portion of the money obtained through these exorbitant taxes and levies.

Of these two scenarios, the second one is tolerable, but the first one—well, those who can afford to play the game—are all very powerful and influential people. Their interests have been genuinely affected. So, despite the treaty bringing in a considerable amount of money and its stipulation that Mexico remains a member of the Spanish Federation and that the King of Spain is still recognized as the head of state of Mexico, these economically disadvantaged individuals still vehemently attacked the Spain government for its humiliation and loss of sovereignty.

In response to these accusations, the Spain government needed to take action to protect its national interests. Therefore, reclaiming Gibraltar was the best option.

First, this place is right under Spain's nose; once it's reclaimed, all of Spain will see it. Unlike those places in South America, which are far away and, even if their area is many times larger than Gibraltar, are generally not visible to the Spain people. Even if it can't be reclaimed, at least the Spain government has put on a show of patriotism, hasn't it?

Secondly, the Roman Empire had already labeled the Britain as "Carthage," and then the France jumped in, using the excuse of "not wearing a hat" to slap the Britain in the face. Clearly, Britain was on the verge of collapse, and at this point, if they jumped in and shouted for the return of Gibraltar, the Britain couldn't do anything to them; there was practically no risk involved. Given this, why not shout it out?

The Spain's sudden intervention on this matter was highly beneficial to France. Even Napoleon remarked, "King Carlos IV, though generally incompetent, was quite astute in this matter."

Of course, simply making a lot of noise wasn't enough to capture the Britain's attention. The Spain Navy was once very powerful; not long ago, during the Age of Sail, Spain battleships were the largest and most heavily armed in the world. The "Most Holy Trinity," with its four gun decks and 140 cannons, was even classified as a "super-class ship."

However, since the advent of the steam age, the Spain navy has quickly fallen behind. Due to a lack of industrial capacity, Spain has had to rely entirely on foreign purchases for its new warships. As is well known, true national defense modernization cannot be bought.

The Spain Navy could only import warships from France. Arms, especially warships representing the highest level of military technology, command incredibly high profit margins when traded. This is especially true when such trade involves the implication of extortion. Like the wealthy dogs of later generations who bought the four fast frigates (littoral combat ships) United States, for a total price of $6 billion, averaging $1.5 billion per ship—significantly more expensive than a certain major Eastern power's 10,000-ton destroyer.

Spain's situation is similar today. They purchased five so-called armored cruisers from France, costing enough for the France to build four super-class cruisers. Of course, the high price wasn't due to the France overcharging. In fact, for a long-time ally, the France initial asking price wasn't unreasonable. However, after difficult negotiations between the Spain and France, the price of the France warships suddenly increased significantly. Why this strange phenomenon occurred—the final agreement showing a substantial increase in the price of the France warships after arduous bargaining—remains unknown. However, similar situations frequently occur in arms sales to some countries in later generations.

Of course, while the calls were valid, forcing the Britain to hand over Gibraltar would be one thing, but forcing Spain to attack Spain another matter entirely. Gibraltar was an incredibly difficult place to conquer; it was essentially a steep, rocky mountain riddled with Britain holes over the years. These rat holes contained numerous concealed gun emplacements, housing a vast arsenal of cannons. These cannons were equipped with tested firing tables, and their firing arcs provided mutual cover. Therefore, a direct assault on such a fortress would be tantamount to suicide.

However, when the Spain raised the issue of Gibraltar's ownership again and sought help from the France, the France proposed another feasible offensive strategy.

This plan involves blockading the Gibraltar fortress.

The land blockade of Gibraltar was certainly not a problem, as the land routes were entirely under Spain control. However, Gibraltar's supplies never relied on land routes. Gibraltar itself was an important naval port, and its supplies came almost entirely from sea routes.

Spain's naval power was insufficient to blockade the Gibraltar fortress, especially after the technological revolution in naval technology.

However, the emergence of a weapon made this blockade possible: naval mines. Spain could rely on these mines to conduct offensive mine-laying operations at night to blockade Gibraltar.

Of course, doing so would be an act of war. However, Talleyrand stated that as long as Spain did not admit it, France would believe that Spain was not the first to attack. As for who laid the mines, perhaps it was the United States, who knows?