Chapter 631 - 297: Public Endorsement (Part 3)

He was afraid that the British might not even be willing to give Portugal time to quell public opinion. Under the dual pressures of the British Government and domestic public sentiment, any step taken by the Portuguese Government could be a mistake, with consequences that would be devastating.

"Moreover, is it possible that your country’s trade relations with Spain are a bit too close? If there are excessively close economic exchanges with Spain, your country’s economy is easily influenced by Spain.

I suggest severing the railway connections with Spain, as only using railways with different track gauges can ensure the safety of Portugal’s mainland.

Of course, the British Empire will also protect all its allies. If Portugal is indeed facing war, we will deploy troops to protect Portugal, which is also the best reciprocation of our friendship with your country." Seeing that the Portuguese ambassador agreed to his request, Prime Minister Gladstone’s expression slightly improved, and he then raised his additional demands.

For the United Kingdom, the closeness between Portugal and Spain is absolutely unacceptable. If the two countries on the Iberian Peninsula have too good a relationship, they would stand united against the British incursion into the Iberian Peninsula.

The UK does not want to lose Gibraltar and can only try every means to disrupt the relationship between Portugal and Spain.

No matter if the Portuguese Government is willing or not, as long as Portugal is an ally of the British Empire, Britain will never allow Portugal and Spain to have too intimate a relationship.

"The synchronized railway gauge was at the behest of the Spanish Government when we agreed to it. If Spain is willing not to pursue our breach of the treaty, we are naturally willing to reestablish railways with different track gauges.

Thank you, Prime Minister, for your concern, Portugal will forever remain an ally of the British Empire, and may the friendship between Portugal and the British Empire endure." Although quite dissatisfied with Prime Minister Gladstone’s tone of command, the Portuguese ambassador was also well aware that he simply had no ability to resist.

However, he also mentioned that the synchronized gauge was an agreement originally reached between the Portuguese Government and the Spanish Government. Portugal would need to consider Spain’s attitude if it wants to break the agreement.

Such a degree of contract breaching is equivalent to a public slap in the face. If Britain cannot resolve any potential accountability from Spain, the Portuguese Government will not recklessly provoke Spain.

Of course, the words of the Portuguese ambassador were also clear. As long as the British Government can resolve any potential accountability issues from Spain, Portugal is willing to change the railway track gauge and sever the railway connection with Spain at any time.

Speaking of which, after the establishment of railway connections between Portugal and Spain, Portugal also benefited from Spain’s rapid economic growth, and development was expedited as a result.

Especially the border cities adjacent to Spain, where the frequent trade with Spain has led to remarkable developmental speed increases in these cities.

Although Portugal owns a greater area of plains than Spain, in terms of grain yield, Portugal is merely a fraction of what Spain produces.

Every year, Portugal imports a large number of agricultural products from Spain, primarily olives, fruits, and some vegetables.

The grain imports are not many, after all, Portugal does not have a large population, and its domestic grain yield is entirely sufficient to sustain its consumption.

Apart from agricultural products, the most Portuguese imports from Spain are industrial products.

Cars are naturally without saying, currently, the noble class in Portugal has a great fondness for cars, and practically every Portuguese noble owns at least one car.

Besides cars, various industrial manufactured goods and mechanically processed products are also targeted imports for Portugal.

Due to Spain’s larger industrial scale, the prices of Spain’s industrial products are much more affordable.

Furthermore, with only one neighboring country, Spain, for Portugal, the selection for importing industrial products is essentially limited to Spain alone.

Although it’s possible to import from other European countries via maritime shipping, the speed is slower and the transportation cost is greater compared to trains.

If the railway lines with Spain are suddenly severed, just the impact on import and export trade would be enough to cause a sluggish economy in Portugal for a period.

This is also the reason why the Portuguese ambassador did not directly agree to Prime Minister Gladstone’s proposal, after all, Portugal is not a dog of the British, and they cannot heed the British in everything.

While the British Prime Minister urgently summoned the Portuguese ambassador, over in Spain, Carlo was also making further preparations.

Judging from historical trajectories, the Portuguese Government is highly likely to choose to give in, which is naturally part of Carlo’s plan.

But unlike in history, Carlo wants to make the Portuguese Government’s concession public and transparent, allowing all Portuguese people to see clearly and understand.

Only by making all the Portuguese lose hope in the current government and king can Carlo find an opportunity to exploit.

Moreover, Carlo also wants to use this incident to severely damage the relationship between Portugal and the British.

If the British remain aggressive, they are bound to be attacked by European nations. Such a British, if it still forces the Portuguese Government to give in, will only deepen the Portuguese people’s disappointment in the government.

To amplify his influence, Carlo contacted the Italian Royal Family and the Austro-Hungarian Imperial Family in the name of the Royal Family, seeking assistance from both royal families.

Of course, Carlo does not expect them to assist him militarily. As long as Austria-Hungary and Italy stand with Spain on the diplomatic front, at least in terms of momentum, they would be stronger than Britain.

Spain, Austria-Hungary, and Italy make up three major power states. The remaining three major European powers, France, Germany, and Russia, have more or less certain conflicts with the British, and are unlikely to side with Britain.

This also results in the UK being destined to be isolated in this incident, and even if it can’t sabotage Britain’s plans, it would still be fruitful to tarnish Britain’s international reputation.

At this time, Spain openly aligns itself with Portugal on colonial matters, so when Spain launches the war to reclaim Gibraltar in the future, the Portuguese might remember Spain’s former help and opt to stand with Spain.

As long as the trust of the Portuguese in their government and Royal Family can be destroyed, along with sabotaging the relationship between Portugal and Britain, Carlo’s goal will have been achieved.

As for the rest, it no longer matters much to Carlo.