Empire Rising: Spain

Upon learning about the outbreak of another anti-colonial rebellion in Cuba, Carlo immediately convened a Cabinet meeting, demanding a solution from the Cabinet Ministers.

The Cuban rebellion caught the Spanish Government’s high attention; after all, Cuba’s importance to Spain was still significant at this time.

Although Spain had acquired several colonies through multiple expansions, only the Cuban and Philippine Colonies were actually profitable.

The positive revenue from the Philippine Colony was achieved only by the Spanish Government’s constant exploitation of the indigenous population, and this revenue wasn’t much, with most being reinvested into the colony’s expansion.

Only the Cuban Colony, leveraging the sugar trade, became Spain’s most profitable colony, which is why historically the Spanish Government was willing to invest seven billion Pesos in the Cuban War of Independence.

This military expenditure amounted to 27 million Pounds, enough to build approximately 50 Ironclads. The Spanish Government invested all of this military expenditure into the Cuban War of Independence, with the result being only ten years of peace in Cuba.

After the Ten Years’ War, the local white population in Cuba remained dissatisfied with Spain’s colonial rule, ultimately calling for rebellion again in January 1895, finally forcing Spain to agree to Cuban autonomy.

Spain is now stronger and capable of suppressing the Cuban rebellion. But the problem is, how can you guard against thieves for a thousand days?

The issue in Cuba is difficult to resolve because the root is the conflict between the native white Cubans and the Spanish colonial government.

Unless Spain is willing to relinquish some benefits and allow Cuba to achieve autonomy, perhaps it could bring a period of peace.

But the question is, does an autonomous Cuba hold any value for Spain? An autonomous Cuba would surely keep most profits domestically, and if Spain can’t make money, there’s no reason to continue holding this colony.

If it were the Black population in the colony opposing Spanish colonial rule, the problem would be easier to solve; at worst, they could just eliminate these Blacks.

Once the Blacks were gone, the problem would be too.

But the problem is, now in Cuba, it’s not just the Blacks opposing Spanish colonial rule, but also native-born white Cubans and indigenous people.

The only group that might not oppose the Spanish colonial government as much would be a small number of indentured Chinese laborers in Cuba. These laborers hold the lowest status in Cuba, exploited and oppressed by the local white plantation owners, bullied by local Black freedmen and Black slaves, so naturally, they don’t harbor deep hatred for the Spanish colonial government.

Surely you can’t eliminate all of the whites opposing the Spanish colonial government too? Cuba has already attracted the covetous eyes of the United Kingdom and the United States, and if Spain were to publicly eliminate whites, it would surely provoke interference from the United Kingdom and the United States.

But if you cannot address this white population, the Cuban Colony’s resistance to Spain will persist, creating a vicious cycle.

The more the white population in Cuba grows, the stronger their resistance to Spanish colonial rule. Therefore, for Spain today, there is practically no choice.

If Spain had tens of millions of people, it could dilute the Cuban population through massive immigration, having real Spaniards take charge in Cuba, thus altering the colony’s intentions.

But the issue is Spain’s population is below 20 million, making large-scale immigration to Cuba impossible.

To dilute the population opposing the Spanish colonial government in Cuba, at least a million people must immigrate to Cuba.

The Spanish Government does not possess such capabilities; losing a million people would heavily impact Spain domestically, even if controlling Cuba wouldn’t be worth it.

Moreover, Spain’s large-scale migration would inevitably provoke hostility from the native white Cubans. They already oppose Spanish colonial rule, and if Spain were to massively immigrate, it would surely incite them to plan larger-scale rebellions, further complicating the current situation in Cuba.

Looking at the Cabinet members in front of him, Carlo’s expression was grave, and he took the lead to speak: "Everyone, what do you think should be done to resolve the Cuban rebellion?"

Duke Serrano was the first to speak: "Your Majesty, please give me another chance, and I will stabilize the situation in Cuba completely.

Perhaps we should also strengthen our garrison in Cuba. As long as we have enough troops stationed in Cuba, we won’t have to worry about problems arising."

The last time the Cuban rebellion was quelled, it was Duke Serrano who led the troops there, so after this new outbreak, Duke Serrano was the first to stand up and express his opinion.

Only seven years had passed since the last rebellion was quelled, tarnishing Duke Serrano’s reputation after he triumphantly returned with the assurance that Cuba would no longer pose problems.

For Duke Serrano, he needed an opportunity to prove his competence again, such as by quelling the Cuban rebellion in a shorter time and ensuring Cuba would not face issues thereafter.

Carlo nodded. Regardless of Carlo’s inner thoughts, the Cuban rebellion definitely needed to be quelled.

Even if the colony needed to be swapped, only a stable Cuba could sell at a high price. If Cuba continued in chaos, the overall value of the colony would surely be significantly diminished.