Empire Rising: Spain - Chapter 283 - 174: Railway Gauge Synchronization 2

These two matters are essentially one, dependent on the attitude of the British. Until the day Spain no longer fears the British, perhaps reclaiming Gibraltar and annexing Portugal can occur simultaneously.

The complete Iberian Peninsula is an extremely perfect land, surrounded by the sea, with only the northeastern border touching France.

By deploying troops and building fortresses on both sides of the Pyrenees Mountains, enemies can be kept outside of the Iberian Peninsula.

If you add the vast plains of Portugal, Spain will gain large tracts of arable land, enhancing Spain’s agricultural strength.

A complete Iberian Peninsula can easily accommodate over 70 million people. Plus, with Carlo’s plan to localize the Moroccan region, these lands can accommodate nearly 100 million people.

Though not as expansive as countries like the United States with vast land and plains, this population capacity is relatively strong compared to other European nations.

Additionally, by controlling the Gibraltar Strait, Spain will become the overlord of the Mediterranean and Atlantic traffic routes and the Western Mediterranean, possibly gaining an opportunity to stand equal with major powers like the UK, France, and Germany.

Though this idea is wonderful, realizing it is quite difficult. At least for the current Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, and Morocco are untouchable bombs.

Gibraltar is guarded by the British, and the British do not permit the annexation of Portugal and Moroccan regions by Spain.

Moreover, at this time for Spain, even with the opportunity to annex Portugal, Carlo would not allow Spain to do so.

Despite Portugal’s small area, it has a population of over 4.5 million. This population already approaches a quarter of Spain’s, and assimilation is quite challenging.

Furthermore, the Portuguese are authentic Europeans, naturally unable to be assimilated through harsh methods. Annexing Portugal is a very difficult process, requiring a very suitable opportunity, at least when there is not much internal opposition from the Portuguese.

Until then, relations between Spain and Portugal must be maintained at a certain level. Both countries are declining colonial powers and to some extent can achieve cooperation.

At the very least, Portugal cannot be fully aligned with the UK, as this would increase the difficulty of annexing Portugal and make Spain’s other plans more challenging.

“Carlo, Your Majesty, Portugal and Spain are neighboring countries of Iberia. I believe it is necessary for us to maintain Iberian peace and jointly face enemies outside of Iberia.

The Portuguese Government is delighted to sign relevant treaties with the Spanish Government, constructing a solid Iberian defense line, allowing us to focus externally, specifically on colonial management,” said King Louis I of Portugal with a smile.

As two former colonial powers, Spain and Portugal’s colonies share a common trait: they are globally dispersed.

Spain has many colonies in Africa and Asia, and Portugal is the same.

Meanwhile, both Portugal and Spain have mostly weakened in comprehensive strength. King Louis I’s meaning is clear: he hopes Spain, like Portugal, will put their main focus on external colonies rather than internal Iberian Peninsula affairs.

After all, it is the colonies that can generate continuous wealth, and many places, including Africa, have vast colonies waiting for Portugal and Spain’s development.

Carlo currently has no ideas regarding Portugal, but this does not mean Carlo would easily agree to King Luis’s cooperation request.

At present, Portugal is the weaker party. To exchange for a non-aggression treaty with Spain and further cooperation, they must undoubtedly pay something.

Strictly speaking, there is not much difference between the Portuguese and the Spaniards, and their languages can be mutually understood with effort.

If a portion of high-quality Portuguese talent can be introduced, it will not only test the possibility of assimilating the Portuguese early but also fill Spain’s talent gap.

Additionally, Spanish industrial products entering the Portuguese market is significant. Because they are both on the Iberian Peninsula, transport costs between Spain and Portugal are very low.

If Spanish industrial products can enter Portugal’s market, although it’s a small-scale market with only a few million people, its purchasing power is stronger than the tens of millions level market of colonies.

Large quantities of industrial products entering Portugal’s market can also disrupt Portugal’s industrial system. By the time Portugal reacts, their industry will have already been destroyed by cheaper industrial products.

By controlling Portugal’s economy in this way, it can influence some of the Portuguese Government’s decisions in certain circumstances. When the time is ripe for annexing Portugal, it can expedite the annexation.

Carlo nodded but did not directly agree to King Luis’s proposal, instead changing the topic with a smile: “The issue of different train track widths has troubled us for a long time. Currently, the Spanish Government is considering modifying train tracks to align with the mainstream European train track width, facilitating better economic exchanges with the European Continent.

King Luis, what do you think of the proposal to modify train track widths?”

Though nations worldwide are vigorously building railways, the width of railways built by different countries varies. As the first country to build railways, the UK’s railway width is 1435 millimeters, which is also the standard width for most countries.