Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 430 The Battle for the South

As the only territory directly bordering a British colony, the Congo Territory was invaded by British colonial troops in early August 1904.

But soon, the British army realized something was wrong. The northern part of the Congo Territory was covered with vast tracts of virgin forest. Apart from a few colonial settlements with roads, most of the land was without any roads. The British army had to move through the rainforest, which not only made their movements slow but also posed various risks of injury and death.

This also means that the British army simply cannot operate on a large scale. In the rainforest, logistical support and other various problems could cause heavy casualties for a large army.

Since large-scale operations were not feasible, the only option was to send small groups of troops to harass Spanish colonies.

But then another problem arises: Spain has stationed a large number of troops in the Congo, including two colonial divisions of nearly 20,000 men. How could these small forces effectively disrupt the situation in the Congo?

In early August 1904, British troops launched several invasions of the Congolese territory, at one point deploying thousands of troops, but all of them failed.

Invading from the south of the Congo might be a better option than the primeval forests in the north of the Congo.

But for the British, moving troops from the lands south of the Congo was absolutely out of the question. This was because further south of the Congo lay British South Africa, and the former Transvaal and Orange regions were inhabited by large numbers of Boers.

Because of the defeat in the war, these Boers could only wage a difficult guerrilla resistance, which forced Britain to maintain an army of more than 20 in the area to suppress them.

If troops are mobilized from this land, the Boers are very likely to return. It's important to remember that during the British armed suppression of the Boers, they carried out a series of inhumane concentration camps and scorched-earth policies.

The local Boers harbored deep hatred for the British. If these Boers were allowed to return and regain their strength, there would certainly be a third war between the British and the Boers.

It's not that Britain was afraid of the Boers, but given Britain's current diplomatic situation, if war broke out between Britain and the Boers, many countries would certainly choose to help the Boers.

For Britain, suppressing the Boers was more important than invading the Congolese territory. Even if they succeeded in invading the Congolese, they would inevitably face a strong counterattack from the Spanish army, and the war would not end so quickly.

However, if the suppression of the Boers is abandoned, they will soon return with the support of Spain and a number of other hostile nations, and the Cape Colony, which is extremely important to Britain, will likely be threatened.

Deploying troops to the north would require crossing the primeval rainforest, while deploying troops to the south would mean abandoning the suppression of the Boers, leaving the British in a dilemma.

The plan to invade Congo was also temporarily shelved. Britain would not plan any new invasion of Africa until troops from its colonies such as India, Canada, and Australia arrived.

After all, the invasion by small groups of troops was merely giving the Spanish army credit, and could not cause them any casualties.

On the contrary, the British troops acted like caring nannies, sending supplies and weapons to the Spanish army.

Fighting like this would only result in heavy losses for the British army. After all, no matter how rich the British government is, it would never waste its weapons, equipment and manpower like this.

The British government's painstakingly planned invasion of Congolese territory was abandoned halfway through, and both governments turned their attention entirely to the civil war in Portugal.

As if they had planned it, Britain and Spain decided to compete in Portugal, using the situation of the Portuguese civil war to cause trouble for each other.

By mid-August, most of the immigrants who had spontaneously returned to Portugal from Spain had gathered and quickly formed a volunteer immigrant force.

Spain's objective is also clear: to emphasize the correctness of the Iberian Party and Pan-Iberianism by highlighting the fact that immigrants are willing to fight for the Iberian Party, and incidentally, to once again attack the Republican government's inaction over the past decade.

Imagine if the Portuguese Republican government had made any economic achievements, would so many Portuguese people still choose to immigrate to Spain?
For the Portuguese government, the greater the population loss, the more it signifies its incompetence.

Although the so-called volunteer army organized by Britain was established earlier than that of Spain, these soldiers actually arrived in Portugal later than those in Spain.

After all, Britain was farther from Portugal, and in order to make it appear that these volunteers were spontaneously organized by civilians, Britain deliberately scattered all the soldiers, making them travel to Portugal on their own in various ways.

After arriving in Portugal, the Spanish volunteers underwent basic armament and then joined the fighting in Portugal.

This Portuguese civil war has long since evolved into a nationwide infighting, with the participating parties expanding from the original Republican Party and Iberia Party to include multiple parties.

Of course, most parties are aligned with the Iberian Party, and the Republican Party, which was originally winning people's hearts, has become the evil dragon, to be suppressed by the new dragon-slaying youth.

Currently, the Republican Party controls forces in the west and south, including the capital Lisbon, the western city of Coimbra, and the southern city of Setúbal.

The Iberian Party controls areas closer to Spain, and its headquarters are located in El Václav, just a few dozen kilometers from Badajoz, Spain. This allows them to easily obtain material support from Spain.

As for the other pro-Iberian parties, they are scattered throughout various cities in Portugal, both in the north and the south.

There used to be many political parties around the capital Lisbon, but after the outbreak of the civil war, these parties either joined the Republican Party under pressure or were directly wiped out by the Republican Party. Currently, there are no other parties opposing the Republican Party.

As can be seen from the map, the Portuguese territory controlled by the Republican Party has been gradually eroded, while the eastern and northern parts closer to Spanish territory are now in the hands of all opposition parties.

Because Portugal's land has been gradually encroached upon, the importance of its capital, Lisbon, has been greatly enhanced.

In addition to the strategic value and significance of the capital itself, Lisbon is currently also a transportation hub for goods under Republican control.

Once Lisbon falls to the Iberian Party, the Portuguese government under the Republican Party will be split in two, making it difficult for Portugal to effectively integrate the nation's power.

To put it bluntly, once the capital Lisbon falls, the Republican Party will find it very difficult to make any further waves.

After all, the reason why the Republican Party can continue to be deadlocked with opposition forces such as the Iberian Party is not only due to the continuous support from the United Kingdom, but also because it occupies the capital and thus legitimizes the current Portuguese government.

If the capital falls and other opposition parties, such as the Iberian Party, form a new Portuguese government, the legitimacy of the Portuguese Republican government will be completely lost.

Most ordinary Portuguese citizens don't care whether the Republican Party or the Iberian Party rules the country; whoever occupies Lisbon will become the legitimate government of Portugal.

Therefore, for the Portuguese Republican government, holding Lisbon is the only thing they need to do right now.

With the support of the British government, the Portuguese Republican government armed an army of nearly 100,000 men and deployed most of them to the area around Lisbon to form a defensive line.

So far, the establishment of this defense line has been quite successful.

The Iberian Party's army did attempt to launch an offensive against Lisbon, but they only managed to advance as far as Coruscio beside the Suraya River before being repelled by the Republican forces.

After more than 5,000 Spanish volunteers arrived in Portugal, the Iberian Party quickly adjusted its offensive strategy.

Judging from the current situation, even with the help of thousands of Spanish volunteers, the Iberian Party will find it difficult to launch a frontal attack on the Crisbone defense line.

Since they couldn't capture Crisbon quickly, they decided to focus their attention on other parts of Portugal. The Republicans had deployed most of their troops to the Lisbon defenses, meaning the other territories they controlled were largely undefended, making them much easier to conquer than Crisbon.

Under the planning of some Spanish officers, the Iberian Party quickly devised a new offensive plan, setting its sights on the southern regions of Portugal, such as the southernmost cities of Beja and Faro.

The Portuguese government's defense line does not include these lands, since they are quite far from Lisbon, and wasting troops on these lands would weaken the defenses of the Lisbon area.

Since the Portuguese government has not prioritized the protection of these areas, it means that the Iberian Party has a chance to conquer these territories in a short period of time.

Once the Iberian Party has amassed a significant amount of land, it can unite with other opposition parties to form a new Portuguese government and declare the existing Portuguese Republican government illegal.

While this might not immediately strip the Portuguese Republican government of its legitimacy, it could still affect the stability of the regions it governs.

To put it bluntly, the current Portuguese Republican government is merely clinging on. If it loses British support, it will quickly be defeated by the Iberian Party.

In this situation, the Iberian Party is not afraid of engaging in a war of attrition.

On the contrary, for the Portuguese Republican Party, the longer the civil war drags on, the more dissatisfaction among the people with the republican government grows.

Even with the support of the British government, the Republican Party will have to consider the opinions of the angry public.

On August 17, 1904, a force of over 10,000 men, consisting mainly of more than 5,000 Spanish volunteers and more than 5,000 from the Iberian Party, launched a massive attack on Beja in southern Portugal.

Beja is a major city in southern Portugal, as well as an important transportation hub and strategic location. Once Beja is captured, places further south, such as Faro, will be readily available.

The Spanish army quickly demonstrated a fighting prowess that was completely different from that of the Portuguese army. Although they were fighting abroad, the soldiers showed no fear whatsoever.

From El Václav to Beja, the Spanish army advanced with unstoppable momentum, quickly capturing a number of towns including Évora, Alberto, and Cuba, with its advance heading straight for the southern Portuguese city of Beja.

Beyja's geographical location is quite unique. Backed by the Diana River, it naturally forms a defensive line. If the Iberian Party wanted to attack Beyja, they could only launch an attack from its north or west.

Under normal circumstances, once the Iberian Party's large-scale attack from the north is suppressed, the Republican Party can organize its army at any time to bypass the Iberian Party's army from the northwest and move further north to join forces with the defenders of Beya to encircle the Iberian Party's army.

Because the Diana River flows to the east of Beya, the Iberian Party's army could only choose to withdraw in either the north or the south.

To the north lies Portugal's flanking forces, while to the south lies even further from the Iberian Party's stronghold, signifying a dead end.

These are the main reasons why the Iberian Party has been unable to capture Beja, a major city in southern Portugal, and has maintained a stalemate with the Republican Party.

With the Spanish army now involved, the situation has immediately changed.

In addition to regular rifles and bullets, Spain also shipped a batch of artillery and machine guns to the Iberian Party.

Although the number of artillery pieces and machine guns was not large, for Portugal, which was not well-equipped, this was a rare sight of heavy firepower.

Although Britain also provided Portugal with a batch of weapons and equipment, most of the artillery and machine guns were placed on the defensive lines outside Lisbon.

It was impossible for the defenders of Beja to be allocated artillery and machine guns, which meant that the Spanish army could easily overwhelm the defenders of Beja in terms of firepower on the front lines.

When the firepower on the main battlefield provides suppression, offensive operations become much easier.

Although it is known as a major military stronghold in southern Portugal, Portugal is, after all, a country with a population of just over five million, and its own military capabilities are quite limited.

The garrison in Beya numbered only a few thousand, a significant portion of whom were hastily mobilized by the Republican government after the outbreak of war.

It was clearly impossible to withstand the Spanish army's attack with such a small number of troops.

The Spanish army did not blindly attack Beja, but instead adopted a strategy of winning hearts and minds first, and attacking the city second.

The Republican Party was already unpopular, and Spain used airships to drop a large number of leaflets into the city of Beja.

These leaflets detailed the Republican government's inaction and repeatedly stated the Iberia Party's new propositions regarding Pan-Iberia.

The Iberian Party called on the Portuguese in Bea to give up resistance and stop obeying the orders of the dictatorial and brutal Republican government, which was putting the Portuguese in a situation of fighting among themselves.

The Iberian Party stated that the demise of the Portuguese Republican government is imminent, and that both they and the UK, the mastermind behind it, will face just punishment.

Twenty-four hours after the mass distribution of leaflets, the army officially launched its attack on Beya.

The offensive was not as difficult as expected; in fact, it was a relatively easy victory.

Some troops who were originally loyal to the Republican Party were thinking of fighting back, but after they personally experienced the disparity in heavy firepower between the two sides, they quickly became docile.

Heavy firepower is no joke. For those hit by artillery shells, whether they can survive or even keep their bodies intact is a question.

These aren't bullets; even if you get hit, there's still hope of survival. Those hit by artillery shells are either completely obliterated or blown to pieces. Not everyone can remain loyal to the republican government forever, and not everyone remains fearless in the face of death.

It was clear that most Republican soldiers were afraid, especially since some of these troops had been forcibly mobilized and had little loyalty to the Republican Party to begin with.

On August 19, Iberian Party forces officially entered Beja and imposed temporary military control over the city.

To demonstrate its difference from the Republican government, the Iberian Party decided to set up several distribution points in Beja, allowing Portuguese citizens to collect supplies at specific times.

Where did these supplies come from? They were donated by the Spanish government, of course.

As the Portuguese citizens received the supplies, the Iberian Party soldiers would repeatedly remind them of the supplies' origin and reiterate the importance of Pan-Iberianism and the unity between Portugal and Spain.

Regardless of the Portuguese public's initial attitude towards Pan-Iberianism, after repeated mentions and praise, there will always be some blindly believing it.

Moreover, there was already a large number of people in Portugal who favored Iberian nationalism. Coupled with such propaganda tactics, the Iberian Party's popularity had reached its peak, even far exceeding its support during the Republican Party's coup attempt.

When news of the Iberian Party's forces capturing Beja reached Lisbon, the Portuguese capital, the Republican Party leadership was terrified.

If the British authorities hadn't temporarily refused, they might even have considered fleeing to Britain to form a government-in-exile.

If it were simply a matter of being defeated by the Iberian Party, the Republicans wouldn't be so panicked. But the problem is that the war broke out because the Republicans betrayed Spain, and Spain certainly wouldn't let the Republicans, as the traitors, get away with it.

This is why the Republican leadership felt panicked, because they also understood how powerful Spain's intelligence capabilities were.

It is no exaggeration to say that, if Spain so desired, some high-ranking Republican officials could very well be assassinated during the war.

However, such actions of directly assassinating high-ranking officials of the opposing government are not used lightly, but only in some critical situations.

The Republicans were clearly not a formidable enemy, and Spain did not need to resort to such means to end the Portuguese civil war.

After all, assassination is never a righteous act, and if the relevant information is leaked, it will damage the reputation of the Spanish government and Carlos.

British Volunteer Commander Albert, who had just arrived in Lisbon, Portugal, was also very troubled by this.

Because the British volunteers arrived in Portugal less recently, during which time the Spanish volunteers had already accomplished a great deal.

Furthermore, the Portuguese Republican Party is already unpopular, and it won't be easy to take back the areas occupied by the Iberian Party.

The British army now faces a dilemma: whether or not to take control of Beja in the south and Faro further south.

If the Iberian Party and Spanish troops are allowed to occupy these areas, the Portuguese Republican government will lose at least a third of the land it controls, which will also seriously affect the situation of the civil war.

Having acquired these lands and people, the Iberian Party would be able to arm at least tens of thousands of troops, which would completely eliminate the troop disparity between the Republican Party and the Iberian Party.

If we were to send troops to retake these lands, the question of which armies to send south to fight would also be a problem.

Despite the fact that the total number of troops under Republican control is close to 100,000, most of them are actually newly recruited soldiers who were temporarily mobilized, and their overall combat effectiveness is terrible.

In reality, only a little over ten thousand men from the Mora to Evora front can truly be considered veterans.

If this army were moved south, it might be able to counter the Iberian Party and Spanish forces. However, this would leave the main defensive line severely weakened. The new recruits could only slow down the Iberian Party's advance; it would be impossible to completely stop them.

After a period of discussion, the British volunteer commander-in-chief finally decided to move south to retake Beja and encircle the army sent by the Iberian Party and Spain near Mount Carderán, aiming to annihilate them.

Mount Calderán is a mountain range between Beja and Faro, which is considered a large mountain in tiny Portugal.

Because it forms an angle with the Diana River, the terrain here is not good news for the Iberian Party and the Spanish army that are advancing south.

If British and Portuguese reinforcements arrive quickly, they could very well outflank the Spanish army from the direction of Beja, using the Carderon Mountains and the Diana River to form a perfect encirclement.

The only gap in this encirclement is Odletti, where the mountains and rivers meet. The British could use the navy to transport a portion of their troops there, completely blocking the retreat route of the Iberian Party and the Spanish army.

If these armies could be completely surrounded, it would be a miracle if Spain intervened directly.

This would not only thwart the Iberian Party's plan to occupy the southern regions of Beja and Faro, but also completely eliminate the Spanish volunteers, giving Spain a victory on the ground.

This was not easy for the British. Although the war with Spain had only lasted a short time, they had already suffered two naval defeats.

If Britain could win a victory over Spain in land warfare, where the Spanish were more adept, it would at least save face for the British Empire and make the situation in the war seem less dire.

It was precisely for this reason that the British army commanders finally made up their minds to move south to create such an encirclement and achieve a good result.

(End of this chapter)