The sun never sets

The Italian Empire has given so much support to the Confederate States of America and sent 300,000 volunteers. Isn’t this friendship important enough?

Huey Long explained to the Germans his intention to buy the weapons of the alliance, but he did not get the understanding of the German government. The importance of winning over the alliance is self-evident, but selling arms is also important to Germany. In comparison, selling arms is more important.

The alliance would not be drawn into the fascist camp, and Germany could make a lot of money by selling arms. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the General Staff, and the domestic military factories in Germany were all counting on selling to the United States.

As a result, the arms trade between the Confederate States of America and the Human Innovation Alliance fell through. Even if it would damage the relationship between the two countries, there was nothing that could be done. After all, the German Empire was more important to Huey Long.

In fact, the League did not recognize the Confederate States of America as the legitimate regime of the United States, so there was no relationship between the two countries.

The alliance's military industry department was very indignant at the fascists' fickle behavior, so it sold the packaged tanks and planes to the American Pacific State.

Arms trade is not just arms trade, it also represents political inclinations. Since Huey Long is unwilling to cooperate with the People's Revolutionary League, the People's Revolutionary League has no choice but to bet on the United States Pacific.

North America is now a three-nation battle, and the three major camps each support one side. The American Commune is the strongest, and the Pacific Nations and the Confederate States of America can only join hands to fight against the powerful country in the north.

After discovering the new situation on the North American battlefield, the leaders of the labor union once again criticized the People's Revolutionary League. Sebastian and others called on the real revolutionaries to stand up bravely and fight against speculators like Lin Yongchang.

The call of the trade union leaders was cheered by people in Britain, France, Central America and other places, but it did not cause much stir in the territory of the People's Revolutionary League.

Comrade Reed, the leader of the American Commune, did not agree to criticize the People's Revolutionary League and Chairman Lin. However, the American Commune now desperately needed the support of the French Commune, and he could not expose the contradictions within the trade union to the enemy, so he had to adopt a tacit attitude towards these things.

In contrast, a campaign to criticize "Trotskyists" was launched within the alliance. The rift between the two left-wing parties has been widening and seems to be irreparable.

The people who would be most happy about this would of course be Germany and its allies. If the People's Revolutionary League and the trade unions started fighting, the German top leaders would not have to worry about being attacked from both sides every day.

Chapter 890 Iberia

In 1936, the world situation became increasingly tense. Both France (French Commune) and Germany expanded the size of their standing armies, and the number of troops and heavy equipment deployed on the Franco-German border increased.

Germany built the Siegfried Line on the German-French border, and the French Commune also built fortified areas. However, France in this world did not build a strong defense line like the Maginot Line. The French Commune did not expect to rely on the defense line to stop the Germans, but instead formed a large number of armored forces, ready to crush the Germans' resistance with tanks.

It is reported that by April 1936, the French Commune had deployed ten armored divisions and more than 4 cutting-edge fighter planes on the German-French border. The French Commune was also seeking radar and turbocharging technology from the People's Revolutionary League, but the results were not very ideal.

The labor syndicates and the People's Revolutionary League have conflicts and contradictions in many places around the world, and the biggest conflict is in North America. The Pacific Nations supported by the People's Revolutionary League are working with the Confederate States of America supported by Germany to fight against the American Commune supported by the labor syndicates.

The current world situation is a three-way confrontation. The trade unions criticize the Human Revolutionary Alliance on the one hand, and at the same time want to obtain the advanced technology of the Human Revolutionary Alliance on the other. It can only be said that they are thinking too well.

The spies of the labor syndicate are well-known, and the intelligence department of the People's Revolutionary League is no pushover either. There is both confrontation and cooperation between the labor syndicate and the People's Revolutionary League. In the past, there was more cooperation than confrontation, but now there is more confrontation than cooperation.

Just as the French Commune and the Alliance were negotiating on radar and other technologies, another bomb exploded - the contradictions on the Iberian Peninsula intensified to the point where they could not be reconciled or concealed, and the extreme left trade unions and the extreme right fascism started a civil war in Spain.

The Spanish Civil War was a relatively large event, but it was only relatively large. Compared with the American Civil War, the scale of the Spanish Civil War was much smaller. However, its brutality was no less than that of the American Civil War.

Before the outbreak of the civil war, Spain was not peaceful, and coups occurred repeatedly over the past decade. After Alfonso XIII went into exile, Niceto Alcalá Zamora established the Second Spanish Republic.

However, the Second Spanish Republic was also in a turbulent situation. At least 28 governments were established. The earliest government was the left-wing socialist alliance led by Zamora, which implemented a series of democratic and land reforms, disarmament, and closed military schools. However, these reforms were not very effective. Landlords and royalist officers still occupied the majority in the Spanish Congress and the government army.

The same was true for land reform. When most of the land was nationalized or bought from landlords at high prices, poor farmers only received a small portion of the royal land. Catholics also opposed the republican government and attacked each other. The constitution stipulated the separation of church and state, but the government took advantage of the establishment of the Second Republic to organize an anti-Catholic government, strongly interfered with the Catholic Church, banned religious groups from preaching, and restricted

Property rights and investment, the banning of the Jesuits, and even allowing anti-Catholic radicals to attack monasteries and believers, so that the Catholic Church also spread anti-republican government ideas to believers;

The welfare system for the working class is not strictly enforced, and most capitalists do not comply with regulations such as the 8-hour workday; only Catalonia's request for an autonomous region is allowed to be established.

Three years ago, General José Sanjujo attempted a coup, but was arrested and defeated. This was not an isolated incident, but one of a series of failed and successful coups.

Class struggle and the Great Depression of the 30s caused social unrest in Spain. Fascism and communism spread rapidly in Spain. The country was filled with political forces of various ideologies, with the left and right wings clashing with each other and joining forces with other ideologies to expand their power. Among them, the fascist Falange and the Spanish Labor Union were the most violent. They committed many violent incidents in the country, which intensified the confrontation between the camps in the civil war and led to the gradual escalation of the scale of the conflict.

There are many political factions in Spain. On the left alone, there are syndicalism, Lim Yongchangism, socialism, etc. Their demands are also different. The Spanish Communist Party pursues a one-party bureaucracy, the Spanish Socialist Party pursues a social republic, and the Spanish Workers' Party pursues trade union autocracy.

Similarly, there are quite a few different factions on the right wing, including conservative military personnel representing the interests of rich peasants, liberals representing the interests of the middle class, and the Falangists representing the interests of small farmers and handicraftsmen. These three are the most influential. In addition, there are also royalists, populists, and so on.

It’s hard to say what sparked the war, as the left and the right had already started killing each other.

After Antonio's nephew Marquez was killed by Jose Castillo of the government's commando guard, the Falange members killed him in revenge. Then the commando guard members kidnapped the right-wing leader and Finance Minister Calvo Sotero with a forged arrest warrant, then killed him and abandoned his body in a cemetery.

Even members of parliament and the finance minister were killed in broad daylight, not to mention the killings among the people. The Anglo-French Alliance, Germany, the People's Revolutionary League and many other countries believed that the Spanish civil war was delayed until 1936, which was considered a long delay.

Looking at the United States across the Atlantic Ocean and then looking at Spain, no one would be surprised that a civil war would break out on the Iberian Peninsula.

Like the American Civil War, the Spanish Civil War also attracted the intervention of the great powers. Germany and Italy sent volunteers to Spain and sent a large amount of weapons and equipment to the Spanish right wing.

The People's Revolutionary League obtained the right to enter and exit the Mediterranean several years ago, and also sent a lot of arms to Spain. Lin Yongchangism is also very popular in Spain, and many people believe in it. However, the League has never thought of supporting Lin Yongchangists to seize power in Spain. There is no other reason, Spain is far away from the League, but close to the trade unions.

The French Commune borders Spain, and with the work of the trade unions, it can send one million volunteers to Spain if necessary.

The Alliance needs to cross the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea and the entire Mediterranean to deliver aid to Spain. Even if the Alliance is stronger than the Syndicate, it cannot compete with the Syndicate over such a long distance.

Although the industrial and agricultural production capacity of the People's Revolutionary League is far superior to that of the Anglo-French Alliance, its military strength is not much stronger than that of the Anglo-French Alliance. The trade unions can reduce the price of consumer goods to the lowest level, even lower than the fascists, but the Alliance cannot do this.

All the People's Revolutionary League can do is to withdraw those Lin Yongchangists. If the League can fight to Spain in the future, those who are withdrawn now will be the vanguard troops to fight back to Iberia in the future.

Chapter 891 Iberian Civil War

"Chairman, Comrade Wang Hu wants to meet with you."

In the Human Innovation Alliance, there are many chairmen, Chairman Chen, Chairman Yang, Chairman Zhang, etc. If one is just called Chairman without any other words in front of the name, then it is most likely Lin Yongchang.

Lin Yongchang replied without even looking up: "Tell him to come tomorrow... tonight at seven o'clock."

At seven o'clock in the evening, Lin Yongchang took a break from his busy work and Wang Hu knocked on the door on time. Lin Yongchang said, "Come in," and looked up at the clock on the wall. It was exactly seven o'clock, no more, no less.

"Have you been waiting outside for a long time?"

Wang Hu chuckled twice, "It didn't take long."

"Have you eaten? If you haven't had dinner, I'll ask the kitchen to make you a bowl of noodles."

Wang Hu quickly said, "I've eaten."

"Well, tell me what's the matter? Don't tell me you don't want to work in the Cheka again."

Wang Hu shook his head and said, "This time I came here for the Spanish matter."

"You don't agree to evacuate the Iberian Peninsula?"

"The evacuation can proceed, but we cannot just hand over Spain to the French Commune! Spain has a land area of more than 50 square kilometers, a population of more than 4500 million, and controls important waterways such as Gibraltar. We must not give it up so easily!"

The withdrawal operation was inevitably related to the army and intelligence departments. As the chairman of the Anti-Counterrevolutionary Committee, Wang Hu knew about the alliance's plan to withdraw from Spain at the first time.

Lin Yongchang said: "You should have seen the notice of the Military Commission. It is difficult for the Alliance to compete with the Labor Syndicate in the Iberian Peninsula. And this will intensify the contradictions between the Alliance and the Labor Syndicate."

"If we withdraw from Spain, will the trade unions follow us?

Is there no contradiction? "

Wang Hu retorted: "From Central America to India and now to the United States, the struggle between the Union and the Syndicate began a long time ago. It cannot be remedied by our retreat from Spain."

"You should know that unless the alliance uses most of its strength, it will not be able to offset the distance disadvantage. Iberia is right next to France, but it is separated from us by the entire Mediterranean."

"We can join forces with Germany, just like we did in North America."

Lin Yongchang frowned, and Wang Hu immediately said: "It's not to help Germany defeat the trade unions, but to make them consume more energy. More importantly, we can't let the Strait of Gibraltar fall into the hands of others!"

"Well, it's a good idea, but it will be difficult to implement. The French Commune and the United Kingdom are determined to take Gibraltar."

After the Spanish recaptured Gibraltar, they collected a lot of tolls. The economic effect was one aspect, but the more important one was the military effect. Controlling the Strait of Gibraltar blocked a door to the Mediterranean.

“Even if the alliance cannot control the entire Strait of Gibraltar, it should control the African coast south of Gibraltar and have the ability to cut off transportation through the Strait.”

The last empire on which the sun never set was Britain. The British Empire controlled important shipping nodes around the world, such as the Strait of Gibraltar, the Suez Canal, the Malacca Channel, etc., and thus controlled the global Aunt Mo shipping routes and established a world empire where the sun never sets.

The Alliance will not become an empire, at least that's what the Alliance's Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims, but if it can control more important routes and shipping nodes, it will be able to spread its influence to a wider area.

"It is better to bleed the Spaniards than the League!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Hu continued, "Chairman, the Alliance cannot continue to allow the world to be filled with wars. It is time to establish a new world order!"

Establishing a new world order, establishing the United Nations, promoting globalization, promoting the progress of human civilization, and promoting the upgrading of science and technology... these are the goals of the Human Innovation Alliance.

But is it time for a new order?

Lin Yongchang's brows knitted tightly, then slowly relaxed. "It's not time yet. We still need to continue developing for a while."

Wang Hu showed a disappointed expression on his face, but Lin Yongchang said: "But you are right, the alliance should not withdraw easily, and should not easily hand over the Iberian Peninsula. Let me discuss with Comrade Chen Tianhua and other comrades to see how to deal with the situation in Spain."

Wang Hu was right when he said that it was better to make the Spanish bleed than to make the Allies bleed. This sentence sounds cruel, but it is very realistic. Even if the Allied forces intervened in the Spanish Civil War, the Spanish would still bleed, so why not make the sacrifice and bloodshed more valuable.

The League's ambassador to Germany urgently met with German diplomats. After three hours of consultations, they reached some consensus, namely: the League will send ships to pick up the Spaniards who want to evacuate the war zone. In order to ensure that transport ships and merchant ships will not be attacked, the League will also send an escort fleet. It is hoped that Italy can open ports along the way for the League fleet to resupply and repair.

Intervening in the civil war does not mean canceling the retreat operation. Taking this opportunity, the Alliance Navy can be sent to the western Mediterranean to obtain local hydrological and geographical data. This is also one of the ways to enhance the Navy's combat effectiveness.

Germany and Italy agreed to the alliance's request, just to use the port, which was not a big deal. The People's Revolutionary League was already so strong, and it was willing to reason with other countries, which was more surprising.

The Spanish Civil War was like the American Civil War, full of bloodshed, with people of different factions, classes, and religions killing each other. The right wing killed the left wing, and the left wing killed the right wing. The whole of Spain was full of flames and blood.

After several months of competition and chaos, two major groups gradually formed: one was the Republican government occupying the north, and the other was the National Government controlling southern Spain.

The Republican Army used the assistance of the trade unions to arm an army of 30. 30 troops were not too many. The Republican Army had decent weapons and equipment, but poor discipline and organization, and fought without any method.

The Syndicate had invested too much in North America, and did not have that many officers to support the Spanish Republican government. However, it did provide a lot of weapons and sent a small volunteer force.

The National Army was not large in size, with only about 20 people, and their weapons and equipment were inferior to those of the Republican Army. However, due to the addition of a large number of Spanish officers, the National Army's combat effectiveness was actually stronger than that of the Republican Army.

In addition, Germany and Italy both sent a large number of volunteer troops. The total number of the National Army and the intervention army reached 40, which was not inferior to the Republican Army in the north.

Chapter 892: A Just Cause

"For God's sake, please let us pass!"

"We want to get on the boat!"

"Back! Back!"

"call out--"

Sharp whistles sounded, and the police who were maintaining order barely blocked the crowd with their gun butts and whistles, preventing the panicked people from rushing into the port.

The Spanish Civil War was too brutal, and many people could not stand the chaos of fighting.

The Alliance sent a fleet to evacuate its citizens and took away some Spaniards who wanted to flee Iberia. As a result, many people heard the news and rushed to various ports with their families.

"This can't go on like this!"

As the crowds gathered, the soldiers and police guarding the port felt increasingly overwhelmed. There were too many people, and if anything went wrong, there would definitely be a stampede.

"Igoni! What now?"

Igoni Balboa, who is now middle-aged, is still handsome, but less immature and more mature. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and shouted, "Go get the armored vehicle!"

The port garrison had four armored vehicles, each equipped with a 12.7mm heavy machine gun. Igoni certainly didn't mean to use the heavy machine guns to shoot at the crowd, but just to use the armored vehicles to separate the crowd.

After a while, four armored vehicles drove out. The slowly advancing armored vehicles pushed back the surging crowd, thus relieving the port. Seeing that the situation had eased, Igoni picked up the loudspeaker and shouted to the crowd: "Quiet! Quiet!"

The sound waves rolled in, suppressing the noisy voices. Soon, the crowd became quiet, with only the crying of the child remaining.

"I'm Igoni, Igoni Balboa!" He jumped onto a platform made of several boxes. "Some of you should know me!"

"Ah, it's Igoni!"

"It's Mr. Igoni!"

Igoni Balboa is a well-known journalist in Spain. He has also published novels and poems, and many people know him.

"Mr. Igoni, please be kind!"

"We just want to leave..."

"Quiet! Quiet!"

Igoni pointed to the dock and said, "The ship has already left. The next fleet will not arrive until tomorrow morning. Everyone, please stop gathering at the port!"

In the crowd, a woman holding a child shouted, "But where can we go?"

"Yeah! We have nowhere to go!"

"There is an open space in the north. Everyone go there, eat something, and take a rest. When the ship arrives tomorrow, I will arrange for everyone to board it!"

There was a buzzing sound in the crowd, and Igoni hurriedly continued to shout: "The Iberian Trading Company has provided tents and food, so don't worry!"

The Iberian Commercial Bank is a large and powerful multinational company with branches in America, Africa, Europe and Asia. It is involved in many industries, including beverages, timber, electrical appliances, media, arms and shipping.

Hearing that the Iberian Trading Company would provide accommodation and food, the crowd gradually felt relieved. Igoni also sent people to separate the families with children and babies to one side, and provided them with limited tents, food and drinking water.

Igoni was not only a reporter and author, but also a major shareholder of the Iberian Trading Company. He made the final decision, and the company quickly delivered a lot of daily necessities.

In the evening, a destroyer slowly sailed into the port. Diego, with gray hair, led more than a dozen elderly armed men to the dock and found Igoni, who was arranging the night shift.

"Father, why are you here?"

After seeing Diego, Igoni was both happy and surprised. Diego Alatriste was not his biological father, but his father's comrade-in-arms. After Igoni's father died on the battlefield, it was Diego who raised Igoni.