Chapter 628 - 296: The Portuguese-British Crisis (Part 2)

Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone angrily expressed that if Portugal did not intend to cease its colonial aggression, the British would secure a buffer zone in their own way to ensure that British colonial activities remain unaffected.

Such words were an outright threat. The face of the Portuguese ambassador immediately changed; he did not expect the British to be so serious, nor did he expect the United Kingdom to issue an ultimatum to its ally.

The meaning of the ultimatum was simple: either comply with the contents of the ultimatum, or face war.

Engaging in a war with the British was something the Portuguese had never considered. At this moment, the Portuguese ambassador became anxious and attempted to communicate with Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone, but the furious Prime Minister ignored the Portuguese ambassador’s explanations and instead reiterated his demands: "If Portugal does not cease its acts of war, then the United Kingdom will initiate a war."

Having said this, the Prime Minister angrily stormed out, clearly infuriated by the Portuguese procrastination tactic.

When the Portuguese ambassador relayed this bad news back home, both King Louis I of Portugal and the entire Portuguese government sighed.

The tough stance of the British Government was unexpected for the Portuguese, and faced with such a firm British Government, the Portuguese Government seemed to have no choice.

Just as Louis I was about to give up, an official suddenly proposed that Portugal could inquire about the Spanish Government’s stance.

It must be noted that when the colonial exchange agreement was reached, Portugal had asked for strong support from Spain for its colonial activities.

Although the individual tribes in Southern Congo were not strong, the combined population scale was quite considerable.

Due to its limited population, Portugal found it difficult to complete the colonization of these indigenous countries alone.

Although the expected enemy had shifted from the indigenous countries to the British Empire, this did not mean that Portugal could not gain Spanish support.

If the Portuguese could secure the support of the Spanish Government, they remained hopeful of continuing with their Great African Colony plan.

Of course, if the British continued their hardline stance even after gaining Spanish support, the Portuguese could then flexibly respond, perhaps abandoning their plans without having wasted their efforts.

When hearing this proposal, hope flickered in the eyes of Louis I.

The Spain that was usually guarded against had now become Portugal’s only hope of completing its Great African Colony plan.

Apart from Spain, no other European Powers would risk offending the British by supporting Portugal.

The question was, would Spain really be willing to take the risk of offending the British, perhaps even going to war with the UK, to support Portugal due to an old promise?

Louis I was unsure of his brother-in-law Carlo’s thoughts. In his view, Carlo was an ambitious king, which was why he always guarded against Spain.

Under Carlo’s leadership, Spain had undergone reforms and achieved a great revival. This was something Louis I dreamed of, but the national conditions of Portugal did not allow for such reforms, as Louis I could not suppress the opposition.

If he pushed for reforms, the government would undergo its own overhaul before the reforms could be completed.

The reason Spain was able to complete its reforms back then was that the revolutionaries took control of the government and military. This made Louis I envious but helpless, as he could not replicate the same path.

After all, for the Portuguese revolutionaries to gain power, Louis I would have to relinquish his throne, and the best he could hope for was to become a powerless figurehead king, which was absolutely unacceptable to Louis I.

With a sigh, Louis I issued an order for the Portuguese ambassador to Spain to inquire about the stance of the Spanish Government.

If the Spanish Government was willing to support Portugal, then Portugal had some leeway. If even Spain was unwilling to support Portugal, then the Portuguese Government could only accept its fate.

March 3, 1884, Madrid Royal Palace, Spain.

When Carlo learned of the urgent request to meet from the Portuguese ambassador, he knew something significant had happened in Portugal.

Even during the colonial exchange with Portugal, Carlo foresaw that the British would definitely interfere with Portugal’s colonial activities.

The reason Carlo was willing to part with the finest land in the Southern Congo Basin was precisely because he knew Portugal could not occupy that region.

This meant that the colonial exchange between Spain and Portugal was more like getting something for nothing, and it might even result in reclaiming Portugal’s homeland.

Sure enough, after meeting Carlo, the Portuguese ambassador first respectfully greeted him and then, with a worried expression, explained the current predicament of the Portuguese Government.

He mentioned the familial relationship between King Louis I of Portugal and Carlo, and reminded him of the colonial exchange treaty signed years earlier between Portugal and the Spanish Government, which included a clause for Spanish support of Portuguese colonial plans.

After explaining everything, the Portuguese ambassador sincerely pleaded for Carlo’s support for Portugal, asking the Spanish Government to back Portugal’s colonial activities and resist the diplomatic pressure applied by the British.

Seeing the anxious face of the Portuguese ambassador, Carlo was in no hurry to express his stance.

Even though Carlo’s plan included Spain declaring its support for Portugal to further damage the relationship between Portugal and the United Kingdom,

there was no need to express support for Portugal too early; after all, that which is easily gained is less valued.

Only by letting the Portuguese feel the urgent situation and pushing the Portuguese Government and Louis I into a state of panic, would expressing support for the Portuguese Government greatly gain emotional value.

Of course, Carlo and the Spanish Government’s support for Portugal would be extensively covered by Spanish media, and even shared in Portugal.

Only by letting the Portuguese understand Spanish and Carlo’s support for them, compared with British interference, could Carlo achieve his initial goal, which was to damage the relationship between Portugal and the UK, forcing Portugal to lean toward Spain.

For small countries in this era, their situations were quite difficult. Especially for Portugal, with only one neighboring country, it would have to either obediently lean toward Spain or seek external factors to preserve its sovereignty.

Clearly, Portugal chose to rely on the UK to protect its independence. But if the UK stood opposed to Portugal, then Portugal had no choice but to lean toward Spain.

After a long silence, as the Portuguese ambassador’s expression grew more anxious, Carlo eventually nodded with a smile, showing concern for Portugal’s situation, and said: "Whether due to the good relationship with the Portuguese Royal Family or the agreements made during the colonial exchange treaty, Spain should stand by Portugal.

Mr. Ambassador, please inform your government that Spain is willing to stand alongside Portugal, supporting your nation’s colonial actions in Southern Congo.

If the UK resorts to forceful intervention, Spain will honor its commitment and join Portugal in resisting the UK’s armed interference.

Long live the friendship of the Iberian Peninsula; we should join hands and collectively resist the dirty hands reaching towards the Iberian Peninsula.

This is my stance, and it is also the stance of the Spanish Government. If your country seeks a Great African Colony, then act upon it.

Should the UK display a posture of declaring war, Spain will immediately mobilize militarily, using rifles and cannons to show the British that the dignity of the countries on the Iberian Peninsula is not to be trampled upon!"