Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 272: Reasons for Declaring War
There is a reason why Tunisia has attracted the attention of France and Italy.

In addition to being located in North Africa and across the sea from France and Italy, Tunisia has nearly 16 square kilometers of arable land out of its 9 square kilometers of land, which is a rather exaggerated scale.

9 square kilometers equals 900 hectares, 2223.95 acres, or 1.35 million acres of land.

If calculated based on the scale of grain yields of several hundred kilograms per mu in later generations, the annual grain production of 1.35 million mu of land would be at least 700 to 1000 billion kilograms, or between 3500 million and 5000 million tons.

According to the grain consumption of later generations, this amount of grain is enough to feed hundreds of millions of people. If we look at the current per capita grain consumption in the world, 3500 million tons of grain alone is enough to feed at least 1.2 million people.

Of course, the actual situation cannot be calculated in this way. Even if all the 90,000 square kilometers of land were reclaimed into arable land, there would definitely be some losses.

There needs to be canals, roads, farmers' houses, living facilities and a series of other construction sites between the cultivated lands. The land that will eventually be reclaimed into cultivated land will definitely not be as much as 90,000 square kilometers, and the current per-acre yield of land cannot be as exaggerated as hundreds of kilograms.

But what is certain is that if either France or Italy obtains Tunisia, they will be able to fully occupy this natural treasure land that can be vigorously developed.

Tunisia's land cannot currently feed hundreds of millions of people, but if it is slightly cultivated, it will be able to provide Europe with enough food to feed millions of people.

More importantly, although Tunisia belonged to the Ottoman Empire for a long time, it existed as a vassal rather than being incorporated into the Ottoman Empire.

Tunisians live a semi-nomadic and semi-agricultural life. The Tunisian region can be used not only as a grain producing area, but also as an overseas pasture, providing a large amount of grain and meat products to either France or Italy.

Although there is no specific data on Tunisia's population, it is certain that the total population of Tunisia will not exceed 100 million, and is approximately between 60 and 80.

It would be very simple for France and Italy to annex Tunisia and localize it easily.

This is also one of the reasons why Italy has set its sights on Tunisia. For Italy, which has a relatively small population, controlling a piece of land that can be localized is definitely more attractive than a large colony thousands of miles away.

What's more, Tunisia is right before Italy's eyes.

The Apennine Peninsula is about 200 kilometers away from Sardinia in Italy at its closest point, while Sicily is less than 150 kilometers away from the Tunisian Peninsula, which can be regarded as being right at home.

As for why Italy has not been able to take over Tunisia, the land on its doorstep, for so long, in fact, you can understand it by looking at the map of the Mediterranean.

The Mediterranean Sea stretches from the Strait of Gibraltar in the west to the west coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the east, with an exaggerated east-west span of more than 3600 kilometers.

The Mediterranean Sea is shaped like a number 7, and Italy is located at the corner of the number 7. If Italy obtains Tunisia, the corner of the number 7 will be completely controlled by Italy from south to north.

This also means that Italy, which has already unified and become a great power, may split the vast Mediterranean in two at any time.

Such a situation would not only destroy Britain's layout at the eastern and western Mediterranean outlets, but would also make the connection between France and its African colonies precarious.

This also led to a relatively rare phenomenon, that is, both Britain and France maintained an opposing attitude towards Italy's colonization of Tunisia.

It was because Britain and France united to oppose Italy's colonization of Tunisia that Italy, which had long been eyeing Tunisia, was unable to acquire this land.

Because France understood Britain's fear that Italy might cut off the Mediterranean, it reached a relevant compromise with the British government several years ago.

France will voluntarily give up the dispute with Britain in the Cyprus region in exchange for Britain maintaining friendly neutrality in the process of French colonization of Tunisia.

The so-called friendly neutrality means that Britain can refrain from making any statement during the French invasion of Tunisia, but it cannot take any hostile or rejecting actions either.

The reason why Rouféry dared to plan the war of invasion of Tunisia was that he was sure that Britain would not interfere with France's actions.

As long as Britain did not interfere with France's actions, France's invasion of Tunisia would never fail. As for France's neighbor and mortal enemy Germany, it was absolutely impossible to stop France's colonial expansion at this time.

The actual reason is very simple, that is, Germany did not want to face a war at this time.

In fact, as early as after the end of the Franco-Prussian War, there were quite obvious differences within the German government during the negotiations with the French government.

The original plan of the Prussian Prime Minister at the time, Bismarck, was to demand 10 billion francs in compensation from the French government, thereby establishing Prussia's advantage in the dispute with France.

However, it was unexpected that the Junker nobles at that time were obviously more ambitious. It was the Junker nobles' exorbitant demands that eventually increased the French government's compensation from 10 billion to 50 billion.

Although the German government received more funds, the hatred between France and Germany became more intense. This is why Bismarck made every effort to create a system to isolate France. Once the French found an opportunity, France would most likely launch a retaliatory war.

For Germany at this time, it would be great if there was anything that could attract the attention of the French government.

As a neighboring country, Germany is well aware of French public opinion. If the French government is not allowed to use a hearty colonial war to release the pent-up domestic emotions, sooner or later an extreme French ruler will come to power, and then a war with Germany will break out.

This also means that before launching this war, France had actually obtained support from Britain and Germany.

About a few days later, Rouferie summoned the Minister of War again and asked about the military's preparations for the war.

Considering that Italy is likely to forcibly intervene in the war, the French Army Department is quite well prepared for this war.

The French Army will deploy 5 troops in the war of invasion of Tunisia, of which 3 will be deployed in the battle against Tunisia, and 2 will be used as reserve forces to prevent sudden attacks by the Italian army.

In addition to the 5-man army, Rouféry also planned to mobilize the French navy during the invasion of Tunisia to be on guard against a possible invasion by the Italian navy.

Although the Italians probably do not have the courage to declare war on France, it is still necessary to take precautions.

If the Italians were to attack us by surprise, it would be a lot of fun. Although the Italian army is not very strong, the Italian navy is still of a certain size.

If the French Navy lost some of its main warships in a surprise attack, it would be a real problem whether it could defeat Italy in a naval battle. As for the offensive plan proposed by the Army, Ruferi was generally satisfied. Using 5 troops was not a big investment for France. If they could obtain the entire Tunisia with a relatively small expenditure, it would be a great achievement for the French government and the military.

Regardless of what the future of Tunisia will be, for the current Prime Minister Jouferi, this is his real political achievement and also the trump card to protect himself from impeachment.

After making sure that the army department was ready, Rouféry called French Foreign Minister Gambetta and asked the diplomatic department to find a suitable reason for France to declare war.

Although it was a war against an indigenous country, for Europe, which already valued its reputation, a more appropriate reason for declaring war was still very important.

This would not only prove the legitimacy of launching a war, but also reduce the reasons for other powers to interfere in the war.

For example, if Italy wants to interfere in the war between France and Tunisia, they must find a suitable reason, otherwise they will be at a disadvantage in terms of the legitimacy of the war.

Foreign Minister Gambetta was not in a hurry to agree to Juffery's order, but instead raised a new question to Juffery, that is, whether Spain, which shares the same roots with the Italian royal family, would help Italy interfere in the war between France and Tunisia.

The kings of Spain and Italy share the same roots, which means that the two countries have a very close relationship. Even though the bond between this close relationship, Vittorio Emanuele II, has been dead for three years, this does not affect the close cooperation between Spain and Italy.

If only Italy was opposed, France would not have the slightest concern, but if Spain also joined the ranks of those opposing the war, the threat to France would be much greater.

First of all, Spain's international influence is still higher than Italy's. Although the comprehensive national strength of the two countries is not much different, Spain, as the world's third largest colonial empire, has always maintained a good position in Europe.

Historically, Spain first experienced the chaotic period from the Bourbon Dynasty to the Republic and then back to the Bourbon Dynasty. In addition, it lost its last two large colonies, Cuba and the Philippines. Finally, it fell completely from the throne of the great powers and was no longer the first-class European country.

But the Spain now is different. Although it has lost its Cuban colony, it has gained the larger Congo plus several pieces of land in West Africa.

The colony of the Philippines also expanded, and the overall size of Spain's colonies increased several times.

In addition, Spain had built several ironclad ships, its navy became stronger, and it had more and more colonies, so its international influence naturally increased.

Spain and Italy joining forces is indeed a problem for France. More importantly, Spain is also related to whether France can break Germany's isolation plan.

If Spain and Italy were forced to side with Germany for the sake of Tunisia, then what France would have to face next might be a joint blockade by Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia, Italy and Spain.

Facing the blockade of five great powers, even the British Empire would be seriously affected. For France at this time, this might be the worst outcome.

This is also the concern of Foreign Minister Gambetta. If Spain is really willing to stand on the side of Italy, this war is likely to push France into the abyss.

"That's what I'm worried about." Ruferi did not hide his concerns about Spain's attitude, but he also had full confidence in his carefully prepared plan:

But don't forget that France is a first-class power, and Spain and Italy are only second-class powers. As long as we can achieve a quick occupation of Tunisia and establish a Tunisian colony before Italy and Spain can react, we don't have to worry about these problems that may not happen. "

Ru Feili's action plan can be summed up in four words: quick victory and quick decision.

Anyway, Tunisia has a population of only a few hundred thousand people. With 3 troops, France has a good chance of occupying several important cities in Tunisia within a few days.

As long as the situation in Tunisia is controlled, even Spain and Italy will not be able to say anything about the war with France.

Because if you want to change the situation of the war at that time, you must be prepared for a full-scale war with France.

Although France's development is somewhat slow compared to that of Britain and Germany, this still does not prevent France from becoming one of the most powerful countries in the world.

France currently has a population of over 3800 million, while the total population of Spain and Italy combined is only over 1100 million more than France.

Is France afraid of Spain and Italy? Not at all. France is just afraid that Spain and Italy will turn to Germany. In the final analysis, it is still afraid of Germany, its most powerful enemy.

French Foreign Minister Gambetta nodded. In the absence of any better solution, a quick victory is indeed the best solution.

As long as France controls the situation in Tunisia, the French will have the final say on how the war develops.

Then, Gambetta nodded and said to Ruferi solemnly, "I will prepare a reasonable reason for declaring war for the military. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is always waiting for your next order."

In this era, it is very easy to find a reason to declare war. It all depends on whether European countries want to wage war against the indigenous people.

Since the French government had already decided to invade Tunisia, the diplomatic department would naturally act quickly.

Only the next day did the French diplomatic service find a suitable casus belli.

Although Tunisia is one entire region, there are different indigenous tribes and ethnic groups within the region.

Conflicts will break out between different tribes of the same ethnic group, not to mention different tribes of different ethnic groups, where the conflicts will only be more intense.

The indigenous people of Africa make a living by hunting, which also means that neighboring tribes often have great conflicts over the ownership of prey and land.

What is different from the past is that this time the two tribes in Tunisia where the conflict broke out were located in the border area close to Algeria. The two European white people happened to be affected by the two conflicting tribes and eventually died tragically.

The massacre of two Frenchmen by the natives was the best casus belli for the French government. If a government cannot even protect its own citizens, how can the people trust the government to protect the country's land and all its people?

Faced with this excellent reason to declare war, the French government did not hesitate at all. The diplomatic department immediately condemned the tribes in Tunisia where the conflict broke out, and demanded that Tunisia immediately hand over the murderer who killed the two French people, with a deadline of 24 hours.

If Tunisia does not hand over all the murderers of French people within 24 hours, France will send out its army to avenge its own citizens.

(End of this chapter)