Carlo was still waiting for the expedition team to be assembled, trying to secretly explore the Congo River Basin while the governnt planned to colonize Morocco.
But Carlo clearly underestimated the governnt’s ambition for colonizing Morocco.
Serrano and Prim returned from the Royal Palace, and overnight they formulated an action plan for Morocco, and determined the timing of the operation.
It was now September 21, 1870, and the action date set by Prim and Salano was exactly one week later, on September 28.
A week was just the right amount of ti to mobilize the military to ensure enough troops were available for military action against Morocco in the early stages of the operation.
Ceuta is located at the northernmost tip of Moroccan territory, facing Gibraltar across the sea, which is why the British are reluctant to have Spain occupy too much territory near Ceuta.
Because of this, Pri Minister Prim specifically divided the operation against Morocco into two parts. The main force would depart from Ceuta, heading south to Tetouan, and west to Tangier, completely occupying the small northern tip of Moroccan territory.
Southern Spain similarly has a small protruding tip, which together with the northern Moroccan tip forms the western gateway to the diterranean.
Because of this reason, the British would most likely not agree to Spain occupying this area. Therefore, in Pri Minister Prim’s plan, there would also be a troop expanding northward from the fishing base in Ifni previously occupied by Spain along the coast, occupying the southern Moroccan city of Agadir.
Even if the first plan fails due to British intervention, as long as the second plan is completed and Agadir is occupied, it wouldn’t be a loss for the Spanish Governnt.
For European countries of this era, when they wanted to take action against indigenous African nations, justifications were indeed too easily found.
Sotis, they didn’t even need an excuse; expanding colonies itself was the best justification.
With lessons learned from the last ti, Pri Minister Prim decided to prepare in secret, delivering a sudden strike to the Moroccan Governnt.
The best scenario would be to achieve strategic goals before the European Powers could react, so as to hold the initiative in subsequent negotiations.
On September 28, 1870, the Spanish Army assembled in Ceuta and, without any warning, launched a fierce attack on surrounding Moroccan indigenous tribes.
Twelve hours later, the Spanish Governnt declared war on the Moroccan Governnt, citing that an attack orchestrated by Moroccans resulted in the death of at least five Spaniards in Ceuta.
An hour before declaring war on the Moroccan Governnt, Pri Minister Prim sent a telegram to Italian Pri Minister Giovanni, requesting the Italian Governnt to express support for the Spanish Governnt in this war.
The Spanish Governnt’s reward would be the strong support Italy would receive for its colonization activities in the regions of Tunisia and Libya, and both sides would establish a military alliance concerning North African colonization.
The alliance between Spain and Italy was a matter that both governnts were constantly discussing. Considering the relationship between Carlo and Emanuele, it was quite normal for the Spanish and Italian Governnts to gradually converge under their influence.
Spain’s and Italy’s interests would not conflict with each other. Spain wanted Morocco, Italy desired Tunisia and Libya, and between them was France’s Algerian colony.
With France as a common strong enemy being adjacent to both countries, the relationship between Spain and Italy was actually quite friendly, at least in certain aspects, such as colonial cooperation.
However, compared to Pri Minister Prim, Italian Pri Minister Giovanni possessed much less power. Though the Kingdom of Italy was also a constitutional monarchy, who could ignore the influence of King Vittorio Emanuele II?
Upon receiving the Spanish Governnt’s telegram, Pri Minister Giovanni imdiately sought an audience with King Vittorio Emanuele II to inquire about the King’s stance.
"What does the Pri Minister think about this matter?" Vittorio Emanuele II did not express his opinion but rather asked Pri Minister Giovanni for his thoughts.
Though the two royal families were related, it did not imply that the governnts were united.
This matter concerned the interests of the Italian and Spanish Governnts, so naturally, it couldn’t be decided by the Royal Family.
Vittorio Emanuele II was well aware of this. He was a good father, but equally, he was a good King.
If this action was to harm the interests of the Italian Governnt, Emanuele II needed to carefully consider the relationship between the two governnts.
"Your Majesty, I believe what Prim said is reasonable to a certain extent." Pri Minister Giovanni pondered for a mont and then replied, "Spain’s colonial demands do not conflict with ours, and on this point, Italy’s interests will not be hard.
Moreover, France has colonial activities in both Morocco and Tunisia, and can be seen as a common enemy for Spain’s and Italy’s colonization efforts in Africa.
If we rely solely on ourselves to deal with France, we are destined to compete unsuccessfully with the French. If we don’t want to see France occupy large territories in North Africa from Morocco to Libya, the best choice is to cooperate with the Spaniards."
"So is the Pri Minister’s opinion to agree to cooperate with the Spanish Governnt?" Vittorio Emanuele II asked with a smile.
He could accept whether the Italian Governnt cooperated with the Spanish Governnt or not, but if there was an opportunity to help the Spanish Governnt, Vittorio Emanuele II would naturally like to see that happen.
The stronger Spain becos, the more benefits Carlo would gain from it. As long as it doesn’t harm the interests of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II certainly hopes his son can rule a stronger country.
"Your Majesty, the last war between Spain and Morocco triggered British intervention, and I’m afraid this ti it will be the sa.
The biggest enemy Spain faces in colonizing Morocco isn’t France, but rather the United Kingdom, which is thousands of miles away from Spain. It’s manageable if we deal only with France, but if the British get involved as well, I’m afraid our support will not be enough." Pri Minister Giovanni mustered his courage and expressed his speculation.
"The British?" Vittorio Emanuele II nodded, finding Pri Minister Giovanni’s speculations quite reasonable.
Ever since the United Kingdom beca strong, it had turned into the notorious ddler of the European Continent. The British would intervene in any international event to ensure that the balance on the European Continent wasn’t disrupted.
If Spain’s action in Morocco were to be targeted by the British, then it seems unlikely that the colonization of Morocco could be completed under British opposition.
Vittorio Emanuele II sighed and looked at Pri Minister Giovanni, who was waiting for his orders, and instructed: "Provide diplomatic support to the Spanish Governnt as we previously agreed. Also inform the Spanish Governnt that if this colonial action triggers intervention from other Powers, Italy will be unable to intervene."
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