I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1126 A Trivial War
Esther suddenly realized something: "Wait a minute, the Wozan tribe only has less than 800 warriors, they don't need so many guns at all."

Lord Elliott shook his head. “Plunder? No, you’re mistaken. We’re here to support Vozan in controlling the entire northern part of Morocco.”

"Huh?" the junior diplomat exclaimed in surprise, "But didn't you say you were going to plunder Melilla..."

"Yes, they raided Melillia, but that's the work of the Rif tribe."

Melilla is Spanish territory in northeastern Morocco. Although poorly located and quite barren, it was an important stronghold for the Ceuta fortress.

Ceuta is located on the southern shore of the Strait of Gibraltar, facing Gibraltar across the sea. It was an important strategic location in the hands of Spain.

Esther was completely confused: "What does this have to do with the Vozan tribe?"

“The Rif tribe is too weak,” Lord Elliott said. “They may be desperate outlaws who dare to plunder Spanish towns, but they are no match for the Spanish army.”

"So I ordered them to raid Melilla in the name of the Wozan tribe."

"The Wazán tribe claims to be the rulers of northern Morocco. So if something happens here, the Spanish will definitely come after them."

"How could the Wozan people compensate for something they didn't do?"

"We are making some moves in secret, and the Spanish will soon launch an attack on the Vozan tribe."

"Then you will understand the importance of these 3 flintlock muskets."

Esther wiped the sweat from her palms and cautioned, "Your Excellency, doing this could very well anger the Sultan of Morocco."

“He’ll probably be unhappy, but that’s all,” Lord Elliott said smugly. “No, he’ll even have to support the Vozan tribe.”

As a diplomat who had been stationed in Morocco for a long time, Esther immediately understood the envoy's meaning.

Morocco has consistently claimed that Spain illegally occupied Ceuta and Melilla, and launched two large-scale military operations in 1720 and 1774 to attempt to retake these two cities, but both attempts were repelled by the Spanish.

Now, the Wazan tribe wants to "drive out the Spanish and reclaim lost territory," and the Moroccan Sultan can only grit his teeth and stand on their side, even though he has long since lost actual control over these northern tribes.

The following afternoon, the British envoy quickly reached an agreement with the chief of the Wozan tribe.

"Merchant Elliott" will provide weapons and funds to the Wazan tribe, helping them unify several major tribes in the north in exchange for a trade monopoly in northern Morocco.

As the dominant force in northern Morocco, the Wazan tribe naturally did not want to miss such a golden opportunity.

A week later, the first batch of weapons was transported to Bouhelar Hill through secret channels—the British had many caravans in Morocco, making it incredibly easy to smuggle goods.

Not long after, the Wozan tribe launched an attack on the neighboring Zumi tribe.

……

Royal Palace of Madrid.

“These despicable, shameless barbarians!” Baron José Pérez-Llorca shouted, clenching his fist. “They must pay for their actions!”

Marquis Esquinaci echoed, "We should immediately send troops to wipe out all the Moroccans in the area from Tetouan to Fez!"

Campos frowned and looked at the chief minister: "Your Excellency, the French expeditionary force is already waiting in Seville. Should we concentrate our efforts on capturing Gibraltar first?"

Before Count Florida Blanca could say anything, Baron Llorca interjected, "Gibraltar can be attacked at any time, but the opportunity to send troops to Morocco is extremely rare."

"Moreover, the defenses of Gibraltar are extremely strong; it would take at least two or three years to starve the British forces there. The war in Morocco, on the other hand, could be won in just a few months. We can certainly launch an attack on Gibraltar after we've resolved the situation in Melilla."

Well, he recently received 5 escudos of gold from a "wealthy businessman in Morocco who does shipping business." The latter asked him to lobby the Spanish government to send troops to Morocco as soon as possible.

However, Morocco is a territory that Spain has always coveted, so no one doubted his actions.

Count Aranda cautioned, "Shouldn't we consult with France beforehand? After all, North Africa is also a region of core French interest."

Baron Llorca immediately replied, “Our two countries have long ago reached an agreement to divide spheres of influence along the Moulouye River. Our dealings with the tribes in northern Morocco will also help them control places like Oujda.”

Count Florida Blanca pondered for a moment, then looked at Campos and said, “We can draw 25,000 soldiers from the Talavera Legion. If we only need to clear out the tribes in northern Morocco, the war can be ended in three months at most.”

Yes, more than 20 days after the attack on Melilla, the Spanish garrison learned that the army of the Sultanate of Morocco was not involved, but rather that it was the work of a newly emerged tribe called the Wozan.

Although this tribe controlled most of northern Morocco, it had at most four or five thousand troops.

If Spain can deal with them, it will gain access to the northern provinces of Tangier, Tetouan, and Fez, encompassing more than 100,000 square kilometers of land.

Moreover, this time it was the Moroccans who provoked first, and the Sultan of Morocco will most likely have to pay Spain a large sum of reparations.

Now, even a seasoned and prudent minister like Campos felt that sending troops to Morocco was indeed the best option, and he no longer objected.

Three days later, Charles IV signed the document declaring war on Morocco.

The Spanish troops in Portugal, who were on high alert, immediately assembled in Lisbon and landed in Melilla less than a week later.

It was only at this point that Fari received news of Spain's sudden invasion of Morocco.

Yes, the siege of Gibraltar was indeed carried out as planned, but Spain only sent 3 soldiers. In comparison, the French army of 5 seemed to be the main force.

However, what the Spanish did not expect was that they would soon suffer their first defeat in North Africa.

Initial progress was extremely smooth, with the Western army defeating the Moroccan tribes without any chance of resistance, and within a week, they controlled large areas of Tangier and Tetouan.

Rif Mountain

However, this also led to a rapid underestimation of the enemy among the Spanish soldiers. One morning, more than a thousand infantrymen rashly approached the Rif Mountains to collect oats.

Under the cover of the dense forest, the Wozan tribe ambushed them, killing more than 400 and capturing more than 200.

The Spanish commander immediately dispatched tens of thousands of troops to annihilate the Moroccan tribes, but they could not find a single person in the desolate Rif Mountains.

……

Italy.

Florence.

A young man wearing a dark gray coat and a felt hat pulled low stood on the fence of a flower bed by the street and said in a deep voice to the dozen or so passersby gathered around him:

Why do people lose their jobs every day? Why do we hear children crying from hunger everywhere? Why are creditors taking our houses?

"It's all because of those damn French!"

(End of this chapter)