Rebirth of the Spanish Empire.

Chapter 8 Development Blueprint
  When Canovas and Palacides left the palace with orders.

Arsenio and Giorgos, who had now been appointed ministers of army and navy by Alfonso, immediately came to the meeting room of the Royal Palace in Madrid to wait for the edict from King Alfonso after Canovas and the others left.

Arsenio and Georgos are now the direct commanders of the sea and land armies of the Kingdom of Spain.

Naturally, they learned from the Finance Minister Palacides who had just come out, the purpose of Alfonso calling them here today.

Even though the two of them were comrades who could be trusted during the war, when faced with the issue of military expenditure distribution between the navy and the army, the two people who had a good relationship at this time stared at each other with unkind expressions.

Alfonso had just come out of the study at this time. When he opened the door, he saw two people at war with each other in the conference room.

Alfonso was stunned when he saw this situation, and then quickly reacted.

"Hello, my dear generals!" Alfonso greeted them both with a smile.

He was quite happy to see the situation just now, because as a superior, no one wants the ministers under him to be united!

Because it is easy to eclipse the power of the superior, and divided ministers are the best!

"Hello, Your Majesty!" The two men saluted Alfonso and echoed.

"Okay, if there is any conflict, please stop it first! Let's sit down in our seats and discuss relevant matters first.

The purpose of calling you two here today is mainly to make plans for the distribution of military expenditures for this year's navy and army. Alfonso said to the two of them solemnly.

“This year’s Navy and Army budgets are much higher than in past years.

This is mainly because the war broke out a few years ago and the government did not make basic investments in various industries. Therefore, the total budget for navy and army expenses this year is as high as 3 million pesetas. Alfonso said.

"This includes the Army's plan to complete the replacement of military equipment by the end of this year, including rifles, cannons, and new weapons and machine guns, with a total budget of 8000 million match towers."

Alfonso finished talking about the army's budget planning in one breath.

Then he turned to look at Georgos and said: "Giorgos, I have a naval battleship design drawing here, which I designed with great concentration when I was living in England. "

"This battleship is 125 meters long, 22.9 meters wide, with an average draft of 8.4 meters and a full load displacement of 14150 tons.

The firepower uses four 4mm main guns and ten 343mm rapid-fire guns.

In terms of protection, the thickness of the main armor is no less than 457 mm.

And also considering that the low freeboard of traditional ironclad fleets often makes the artillery useless, so this time we will adopt a high freeboard design. "After Alfonso finished speaking, he looked towards Georgos, wanting to see his reaction.

"Your Majesty, if this battleship is really what you said, then it will be the most powerful battleship in the world." Georgos said with an excited face.

“If this battleship really joins the Spanish Navy, it will be a huge improvement for the Spanish Navy.

The drawings were quickly taken to the Navantia Shipyard, where designers could improve them and then plan their construction. "Georgos ordered to the secretary outside the door.

The Navantia Shipyard is the continuation and inheritance of the three major shipyards in Spain in the 18th century. It is also the only naval shipyard that the Kingdom of Spain can produce in later generations.

“The estimated cost of building this warship is 210 million pesetas per unit. Including shells, personnel, and above-mentioned expenses, the budget is 250 million pesetas per unit.

If it is feasible, then I will approve 1250 million pesetas to build five ships, and allocate another 5 million pesetas to build various auxiliary fleets. Alfonso said in a deep voice.

"Next year all shipyards will be at full capacity. The new tonnage in the next three years should be 12 tons. Shipbuilding must be concealed as much as possible." Although there is no way to conceal the fact that shipyards across the country are starting work together, it can be delayed for one day.

"In addition, we should step up the recruitment of the navy to ensure that combat effectiveness can be quickly formed when the warships are launched." After Alfonso finished speaking, he looked at Arsenio.

“To be honest, the Army’s initial plan was to invite the Germans for training.

But with the birth of smokeless gunpowder weapons, queuing up and shooting is obviously not suitable.

The Army will soon receive a new batch of weapons, and the tactic of queuing to kill is no longer suitable for us. This book records some of my experiences on the new Army training. This time we must make our Army lead the world. At the forefront of development. ” ˆ ˆ This book was written by Alfonso based on the soldier training in World War I and World War II and some classic tactics (such as trenches, barbed wire, cannons, etc.).

It can be said that this book condenses the essence of 50 years of development of the future world army.

But don't take too big a step. If you take too big a step, it's easy to pull the egg. In terms of weapons and equipment, it is obvious that World War I and World War II are more suitable for the current Spanish Army.

Now it is urgent to strengthen the combat effectiveness of the army.

Because Spain's previous army did not suffer much benefit even in the battle against the colonial rebels, this was while maintaining its equipment advantage.

Perhaps among the major powers in Europe, only the legendary Italian Army has a lower combat effectiveness than the current Spanish Army.

But what was more important was what the Spanish colonies needed now.

Because a strong and sophisticated army can give a fatal blow to the colonial resistance.

Although the Spanish mainland has been calmed down, Cuba and the Philippines, the two largest overseas colonies and the richest colonies, are still in chaos, and rebels have broken out one after another.

That's why Alfonso came up with the idea of ​​exchanging colonies with Britain!
  Cuba's War of Independence was in a stalemate. Historically, it was in early 1877 that A.M. de Campos led 2.5 reinforcements to Cuba, and the Cuban War of Independence was barely ended in 1878.

The United States in the north of Cuba is already salivating and ready to pounce on this former colonial empire and bite a piece of meat.

The current Cuban rebel army would not have been able to last for so long without the support of the Americans. Because the rebels have never been able to fight against a government.

In the Philippines, a colony in Asia, wars also broke out.

After the Spanish-American War ended in history and the United States acquired the Philippines, the Filipino rebels immediately started fighting with the US military.

The Philippines is different from Cuba. Cuba, like most former Spanish colonies, has a majority of people of Spanish descent.

Therefore, the country speaks Spanish, and in South America except Brazil, Spanish is also the recognized first language.

The Philippines is different from Cuba. The long voyage and large indigenous population have repeatedly increased Spain's management costs.

The main language of the Philippines is also their indigenous language, so gaining independence has always been their goal.

The excessive number of indigenous people also makes management difficult. Although the Philippines is rich in natural resources and brings extremely high profits, the high management expenses also make the money look not very impressive.

"The army and navy must become stronger as soon as possible. The resistance in the colonies has intensified. We need a strong army to silence these voices, and this time is destined not to take too long."

After Alfonso finished speaking, he looked deeply at the two of them.

The Kingdom of Spain is weak internally, and there are wild wolves watching from the outside ready to take a bite of your flesh. The current army and navy must grow up quickly to solve this dilemma.

Arsenio and Giorgos also looked solemn. They are naturally aware of the internal and external troubles coming from the motherland.

"Your Majesty, we will complete the training of the troops in the shortest time, and then wait until the new equipment arrives to quickly form combat effectiveness." The two said solemnly to Alfonso.

"Then go and prepare quickly. Our task now is very arduous, and we can't waste a single second."

After the two of them retreated, Alfonso stared at the map with a heavy expression. Now Spain, this terminally ill giant, finally has a doctor who can treat him.

Now that the big blueprint for Spain's development has been drawn up, all we have to do in the future is to make tinkering according to this framework!

Alfonso believes that in the near future, in this era of imperialist development and great powers competing for hegemony.

He, the King of Spain, Alfonso XII, must be the most eye-catching existence of this era!
  …………

(End of this chapter)