Empire Rising: Spain

Since the government is formed by the Liberal Party, the government is naturally most concerned with interests related to capital.

Spain’s colonies aren’t particularly special, but Cuba, as the world’s largest sugar producer, holds high economic value among all the world’s colonies.

The income from the sugar industry alone is a considerable number, not to mention that Cuba’s geographical location is important too. To the north, it can check the United States, and to the south, it can clamp down on South America. During the colonial era in America, it was a strategically contested territory.

"Prime Minister, this might be an opportunity for us." As a close associate of Prime Minister Gladstone, the UK’s Foreign Secretary was the first to stand up and express his view: "

If Spain is unwilling to give up Cuba, fine, but if they are willing to abandon Cuba, I think it’s imperative for us to acquire this colony.

Cuba is the world’s largest sugar producer, with sugar that not only sells well in America but is also shipped in large quantities to Europe annually for sale.

If we can control the Cuban colony, we can manage the sugar trade in America, earn substantial revenue through sugar trade, and compensate for the loss in fiscal income after abolishing the surplus income tax law.

Furthermore, Cuba’s strategic location is also crucial. It can connect with our colonial Bahamas and Jamaica, and can block the Gulf of Mexico when necessary, achieving the purpose of curbing US expansion.

If the United States acquires this land, it will be difficult for us to prevent its southern expansion. Although the US currently poses no significant threat, there is no comparable country in America threatening their security.

If we don’t restrain the US expansion, in decades or centuries, the American continent might give rise to a superpower we can hardly imagine."

Gladstone nodded but did not express his opinion and instead looked at the other cabinet ministers.

After a few seconds, another cabinet minister stood up and presented a completely opposing viewpoint: "Mr. Foreign Secretary, I completely disagree with your view.

Firstly, whether the Spaniards would abandon the Cuban colony is a question worth considering.

Based on the revenue and importance of the Cuban colony, I believe the Spaniards are unlikely to relinquish this land.

Even if they are willing to abandon the Cuban colony, what price should we pay to acquire this land?

Besides India, Canada, Australia, and South Africa, we don’t have colonies that match the economic value of the Cuban colony.

The importance of the Strait Colony can rival the Cuban colony, but would we truly be willing to exchange the entire Strait Colony for Cuba?

To make the Spaniards agree to abandon the Cuban colony, we must offer an equivalent price. Such exchange conditions may not be advantageous for us. It would be better to temporarily observe other countries’ attitudes, especially since the Spanish government has not made relevant statements."

Though the British Empire is the world’s most powerful colonial empire, it doesn’t have many large colonies.

Of course, the main reason is the sheer size of the British Empire’s colonies. Canada, India, and Australia are lands encompassing millions, even tens of millions of square kilometers, and the Indian colony alone has a population of several hundred million.

These colonies certainly can’t be exchanged with Spain. Setting aside Cuba, even the Spanish mainland is less valuable for the British Empire compared to the benefits India brings.

Except for Canada, India, and Australia, the other colonies Britain can offer are only the Cape Colony and the Strait Colony.

The Cape Colony is located at the southernmost tip of Africa, known in later generations as South Africa. Britain can’t abandon the Cape Colony, not only due to its plan to connect African colonies but also its deployments in South Africa.

The Strait Colony doesn’t hold as much importance as South Africa, but its strategic geographical location is significant.

These colonies are invaluable to the British Empire and even for exchanging the Cuban colony, the British are not particularly willing.

In addition to those large colonies and colonies of high strategic value, the rest of the British colonies are small and not very valuable.

These colonies include the Bahamas, Jamaica, Honduras, Guyana, and Africa’s Gold Coast, Gambia, and Sierra Leone near Cuba.

These small colonies are countless. Some colonies have populations ranging from several tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands, while some consist of islands forming archipelagos with merely a few thousand people, and some even just a few hundred.

Trying to exchange such small colonies for Spain’s Cuban colony is clearly wishful thinking.

Even the British government internally thinks it’s impossible, so how could the Spaniards agree to such conditions?

Upon hearing completely different counterarguments, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Gladstone also nodded, and his enthusiasm was dampened somewhat.

To acquire the Cuban colony, one must pay an equivalent price, at least not significantly less.

Spain after all is a major power. Britain’s method of strong-arm tactics won’t work on Spain.

If Spain is weak, it’s fine to offend the Spaniards, but Spain now is a country Britain doesn’t want to offend. Spain maintains good diplomatic relations with Austria-Hungary and Italy, and France relies on Spain to break Germany’s blockade.

In such a situation, Spain is not too afraid of Britain’s threats. Britain’s progressive control of the Mediterranean coast outlets has already aroused dissatisfaction among the European countries. If the situation goes unchecked, there’s bound to be a day of reckoning.

Although Britain is the world’s foremost power, its strength is not sufficient to contend with all European countries.

Especially with British citizens weary of war, how to acquire the Cuban colony in a peaceful environment is what the British government needs to consider.

Though the countering views are reasonable, the Foreign Secretary proposed a new idea: "

We are indeed unclear about Spain’s attitude, but Spain’s attitude can be manipulated by us.

If we fuel the fire in the Cuban colony, no matter how unwilling Spain is to abandon Cuba, it must consider the harm of continuing its control.

Ladies and gentlemen, at the end of the day, Spain’s industry and economy are still at the bottom among major powers. A constantly rebellious Cuba is an inescapable quagmire for Spain, and they have to consider their country’s normal development, don’t they?

Madrid’s Nocturnal City and tram look magnificent, but they were born under substantial research investments from the Spanish Royal Family.

Our government invested significant funds in London’s Nocturnal City, and Spain’s investments in Madrid’s Nocturnal City and tram are even more.

Under such circumstances, Spaniards are certainly unwilling to excessively invest funds in military expenditure, and certainly don’t have many funds available for military expenses.

If the Spaniards are unwilling to abandon the Cuban colony, we can certainly make the Cuban colony more chaotic, forcing Spain to forsake it.

A Cuban colony that’s lost control will see a decline in value. When Spain can’t quell the Cuban rebellion, negotiating colonial exchange will become much cheaper.

For us, this is a chance we must not miss. If we can acquire a large colony peacefully, it not only avoids public discontent but also enhances our achievements, doesn’t it?"