African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1630 Taking Over the Army
As Tagian said, Spain is on the verge of civil war, and neither side is willing to compromise. Therefore, the future development of the situation in Spain will be determined by the war.

Franco was a competent general and a competent politician. The former allowed him to quickly build prestige and strengthen his control over the army during the war, while the latter ensured that he did not fall behind in the competition with other rivals.

Now that he has the support of East Africa, his chances of winning are only greater.

"Your Excellency Tajian, now that you have chosen me, I will not let you down with this investment."

After making his decision, Franco immediately finalized the cooperation agreement between the two parties.

"However, I wonder what your country ultimately hopes to gain from this investment?"

There is no love without a reason. Franco knew very well that East Africa's investment in him would inevitably bring corresponding benefits in return. Therefore, he had to understand East Africa's demands.

Tagian smiled slightly and said to Franco, "East Africa and Spain are friendly countries, so we will naturally not harm your country's interests. In the future, Spain will play an important role in East Africa's exchanges with Europe."

"Therefore, as long as Spain can guarantee our legitimate rights and interests in Spain, and ensure synergy between the two countries in regional cooperation, such as jointly maintaining navigation safety in the Strait of Gibraltar, which is in the common interest of both sides, then that is the Empire's demand."

"On this basis, the two countries can further expand political mutual trust and strengthen cooperation in areas such as the economy..."

East Africa offered Franco very lenient terms, which relieved him, as he was afraid that East Africa would make unreasonable demands and put him in a difficult position.

Franco then discussed the specific details of the cooperation with Tagian and made assurances.

Although East Africa ultimately bet on Franco, for the Nationalist faction behind Franco, the real key factor was the support from Germany and Italy.

Basically, the main benefits that the Spanish National Party could promise have already been divided up by Germany and Italy, including Spain's mineral resources, consumer market, opening up to companies from both countries, and deep military cooperation.

However, whether Germany and Italy will ultimately achieve their goals remains uncertain, especially since Spain in its previous life managed to remain largely uninvolved in the chaos of Europe.

Time flew by and it was July 1936. On July 8, Solott, one of the leaders of the right-wing party of the Nationalists, was kidnapped and murdered by leftists. This random event became the last straw that broke the camel's back, and the conflict between the two sides was completely intensified.

Meanwhile, the Nationalist Party's military operations in Morocco have been detected by the Republican government, and the Spanish military, which was plotting the rebellion, also plans to act ahead of schedule.

On July 11, the rebel radio signal “All of Spain is clear” was sent, a coded message to all rebel units to launch their planned uprising.

On the same day, Franco, far away in the Canary Islands, announced his support for the rebellion and prepared to fly to Spanish Morocco in a small British private plane to take over the Afrika Korps.

At Las Palmas Airport in the Canary Islands, it was already completely dark when Franco and his men hurried there.

His adjutant said to Franco with a serious expression, "General, there are huge security risks involved in flying to Morocco on this plane, especially since we are going to Morocco at night."

Franco was very agitated at this point. He said to his adjutant, "Now, if we want to take over the Moroccan army quickly, we must act swiftly, and flying to Tetouan is the only way for us to leave here."

Since Franco was "exiled" here, it was clear that the Republican government could not be completely unprepared, even though Franco was theoretically the supreme military commander of the Canary Islands.

However, in reality, the Canary Islands' civil government, police system, and local military garrison all have personnel loyal to the central government in Madrid.

One of their duties was to monitor this famous right-wing general, and if any one of them was "serious," it could ruin all of Franco's plans.

Just like when Solot was kidnapped and murdered, if an extremist were to risk his life and shoot Franco, his life might end there.

Or perhaps in another scenario, everyone turns a blind eye to Franco's departure, but someone still manages to tip off the Madrid government via telegram. If Franco chooses to depart by sea, the Madrid government might be able to use an administrative order to force the navy to intercept him.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Franco ultimately chose airplane as his mode of transportation and traveled to Morocco to take up his post with only a few trusted confidants.

Franco said, "Only a few people know that we are leaving, so as long as the plane doesn't encounter extreme weather, it will definitely land smoothly."

"By the time those spies planted on the island by Madrid realize what's happening, we'll already be in Morocco. So, this little risk is definitely worth taking."

"Now we're boarding the plane. Follow the pilot's instructions."

With Franco's order, the men boarded the plane and found their seats.

Franco's plane was piloted by an Englishman, and as long as the price was right, there was no need to worry about his reliability.

After settling into his seat in the cabin, Franco said to the pilot, "Mr. Baby, our safety is entirely in your hands this time. I believe you will be able to lead us to a successful landing in Tetuan."

Tetouan, the capital of Spanish Morocco, was the political, military, and administrative center of Spain's colonies in North Africa.

Controlling Touan meant controlling the entire legitimate administrative system of Spanish Morocco. Franco's landing there essentially meant taking over the supreme power of the entire Moroccan protectorate.

Of course, more importantly, Tetouan was the location of the Afrika Korps headquarters, which allowed Franco to obtain the initial military capital for the rebellion.

Pilot Baby said to Franco, "Don't worry, General Franco, my skills are absolutely reliable. I will definitely get you to your destination safely. Of course, I hope you can finalize the price we agreed on before you arrive in Tetouan."

Franco assured him, "Of course, given my status and position, I would never break my promise, and I will give you an extra bonus if you successfully reach Tetouan."

Baby had been waiting for Franco to say those words, even though she knew that sending the Spanish general to Morocco might have a drastic impact on the situation in Spain.

But Baby didn't care about any of that. All he knew was that after this flight, he would receive a large sum of money to improve his life. As for the turmoil in Spain and the lives of the people, it had nothing to do with him. During their conversation, Baby started the plane and quickly pulled up, sending it flying from Las Palmas airport into the dark night sky.

At this time of day, most of the residents of the Canary Islands are asleep, and only a few light sources remain, becoming increasingly dim as the plane ascends.

Once they had completely left the skies over the Canary Islands, all the group could see were clouds and stars, and the Atlantic Ocean was shrouded in darkness, almost blending into the night.

At this point, Baby could only determine direction using dials such as a magnetic compass and a heading instrument, and had to correct the aircraft's course from time to time, which severely tested the pilot's flying skills.

The stretch from the Canary Islands to the Moroccan coast is open sea, where landmark navigation is impossible, let alone at night.

Therefore, Baby's flight required precise calculation of course and airspeed, as well as full consideration of wind conditions over the Atlantic Ocean. Once close to the Moroccan coast, which is the mainland, she would then use her excellent visibility to identify large landmarks such as mountains and towns.

In conclusion, this night flight was extremely challenging for the pilots, but fortunately, Baby performed with great ease, which gave Franco and the others a lot of confidence.

And so, the plane flew for an unknown amount of time. Franco and the others were getting sleepy, and finally, after being persuaded by his adjutant, Franco fell asleep.

When he opened his eyes again, he could already see a sliver of dawn. Franco opened his eyes, his whole body aching, and asked, "How much time has passed? How much longer until we reach Tetouan?"

The adjutant said, "Six hours have passed since the plane took off. According to Mr. Baby, we should arrive at our destination in another hour or two, and by then it will be fully light, so landing shouldn't be a big problem."

And so, after more than an hour, as Franco waited expectantly, Baby spoke up: "We should have reached our destination. The next city should be Tetouan."

Franco and his adjutant looked down through the cabin window. The sun had risen completely, and a city nestled between the sea and mountains was visible. The city wasn't large, but Franco was pretty sure it was Tetouan.

The so-called ocean is actually the Mediterranean Sea, and Tetouan is located in a narrow plain surrounded by coastal mountains, which are part of the Rif Mountains.

The Rif Mountains form a massive natural barrier, militarily protecting Tuan from direct attacks from the interior.

During the Spanish colonization, this mountain range effectively blocked attacks from the local Rif tribes' resistance forces, providing a relatively safe rear area for the colonial capital.

The enemy would find it difficult to break through the mountain barrier from the inland, while forces from the sea could provide support.

It was precisely this unique terrain that made Touan an ideal capital and military base for Spanish rule in Morocco, and also the perfect geographical stage for Franco to receive and deploy his elite Afrika Korps.

Soon, Franco's plane landed safely at the military airfield in Tetouan, where the personnel of the Afrika Korps headquarters had been eagerly awaiting his arrival.

This included General Molet, the then-leader of the Afrika Korps, and Colonel Reyasi, the commander-in-chief of the Foreign Legion.

In reality, this group of people now holds real power. If they do not obey Franco's arrangements, then Franco probably has no way to do anything about it. The reason why they are willing to obey and hand over power to Franco is because of Franco's prestige and character.

Franco was the youngest general in Spain at the time, and was hailed as a hero as early as the Moroccan War. His fame at home and abroad was far greater than that of generals like General Morette, who were confined to the Afrika Korps.

Meanwhile, within the Nationalist faction, Franco was seen as a "moderate" figure. Unlike some other fanatical royalists or fascists, such as José Antonio, the founder of the Falange, Franco was considered a cautious, pragmatic officer without a clear ideological label.

This image enabled him to become a "compromise candidate acceptable to all factions," capable of uniting all kinds of right-wing forces, from royalists and conservative Catholics to fascist Falange.

The officers in Tehtuan were mostly pure soldiers and lacked this ability to integrate politics.

Therefore, Franco's qualifications, reputation, and the fact that he successfully arrived at the headquarters of the Afrika Korps made him the natural choice to serve as the supreme commander.

The officers in Tetouan understood that only by obeying a unified leadership could they effectively combine the strength of the Afrika Korps with that of the local rebels.

Of course, Franco also had an important "trump card" in his hand, namely that he had many "friends". Franco was the only one who could get aid checks from countries such as Germany and Italy. Based on this alone, his leadership position was irreplaceable.

These officers from the Afrika Korps are perfectly capable of fighting, but handling logistics is not their forte.

Apart from Franco, other major leaders of the Nationalist Party were mainly active on the mainland at this time. For example, General Mora launched a rebellion in northern Spain.

Therefore, at this point, Franco was the optimal choice among the major leaders of the Nationalist Party.

Soon after Franco disembarked, he greeted the Tetouan military and administrative personnel one by one and issued a statement denouncing the "Madrid government."

"...The government has been infiltrated and controlled by the Soviet Union, so we cannot allow this government, which represents Soviet interests rather than Spanish interests, to continue to exist. We must take back power and return it to the Spanish people..."

"...Our allies have already fired the first shot on their own soil, but we must be clear that the Madrid government has the support of the Soviets, so the force that will ultimately determine the future of Spain is our Moroccan military force. The Afrika Korps is Spain's most elite force."

"Only we can decide the ultimate fate of this country and help Spain break free from Soviet control and restore its independence."

"Now, I am willing to become the leader of this effort to restore order in Spain, carrying everyone's expectations, and you will become the heroes of Spain's future, remembered by history!"

Franco did not show any humility; in fact, he openly declared himself the leader. It is important to note that his so-called leadership role does not refer only to the leader of Morocco and the Afrika Korps, but to the entire Spanish nation.

As for why Franco did this, one important reason was to better connect with countries like Germany, Italy, and East Africa. After all, only by becoming the leader of Spain could Franco have a more legitimate reason to deal with other countries.

The officers and administrators in Tetouan did not refute Franco's detail at all, because Franco was now their superior, while the other rebel leaders were not there.

(End of this chapter)