Spring is short.

In the early morning, when Princess Sophia walked out of the room and left Laroche, Andrew did not get up and see her, nor did she walk for dozens of miles. The reason why Sophia left peacefully was only because of Andrew's last words, "In three months, Andrew will come to Madrid to meet Sophia, no matter how long the sea is, the earth will last forever."

The room became extremely empty as Princess Sophia left. Andrew lay on the bed and tossed and turned, then stood up. He walked to the window and looked at the peaceful and peaceful scenery outside. What he imagined was war. The promise made to the princess echoed in his mind. The previous promise was just an excuse. In Andrew's real world, he was thinking about the benefits that could be brought to attack Spain. As for the private meeting with the Spanish princess in Madrid, it was only a consideration after obtaining countless benefits.

In Andrew's view, attacking Spain can obtain great economic and political benefits, mainly three:

First, it is to plunder the huge amount of wealth that Spain has accumulated over hundreds of years.

In his overall plan, the rapid accumulation of money is the first issue to be considered and is the top priority. In order to see a large number of young international students coming to Europe in a few years, to compete with the British to carry out the industrial revolution, and to consolidate and strengthen their political and military power, there is no need to spend a huge amount of money.

France is too poor now, so poor that it can only rely on robbery to maintain the war. Andrew was not a saint, so he accepted this reality without permission. Before Andrew, there were two good paths to get rich. One was to follow Napoleon's old path and attack the various vassal states of Italy; the other was to cross the Pyrenees and march into Spain.

The former is not yet ripe, while the latter is the only way to choose now.

So, after the goal was determined, whenever Andrew met someone familiar with the national conditions of Spain, he would catch him and ask carefully for a long time, including Saint Martin and Princess Sophia. From their narrative, Andrew knew that Columbus Square was the most prosperous square in Madrid, and what made him most jealous was the legendary statue of Columbus cast in pure gold in the center of the square. Damn, how many horses would be needed to pull back to France; in the Oriental Palace, the palace of Spanish kings throughout the ages, was a magnificent classical building complex with exquisitely carved ceilings in the palace.

, the exquisite doors and windows railings, rusty tapestries, luxurious crystal chandeliers, and even the steps are dotted with countless red and green gems. The collections in the palace were held in the centuries of the Age of Discovery. Countless adventurers and merchants worshipped the royal family in the centuries of the Age of Discovery, countless rare treasures and prices; in the treasure halls of various magnificent churches in Madrid, there are many gold and silver craft ornaments, including the saint niches inlaid with silver, gold and pearls, the great paintings of Greg, Rubens, Dyke and others, as well as various valuable religious holy instruments...

Note: Columbus Square was built in 1885 and was not built in the 18th century. As for the statue of Columbus cast in pure gold, it is nonsense and only adds plots to the book.

Now the old housekeeper has even prepared the auction caravan for himself. The well-informed merchants have long learned that General Andrew's next target is Spain. They are eagerly looking forward to the outbreak of the war against Spain so that they can follow the army to pour into the Iberian Peninsula where countless money is preserved. The officers and soldiers of the army are also waiting enthusiastically, following the mountain general who has won many battles to fight a beautiful plunder battle, causing their purses to expand and add some Spanish gold coins.

Second, occupy Gibraltar, block the Strait of Gibraltar, and prevent the British fleet from entering the Mediterranean.

The narrowest part of the Strait of Gibraltar is only more than twenty kilometers, and it is the throat of the traffic between all ships and the Mediterranean.

Andrew wanted to develop modern industry and start an industrial revolution, and had already chosen a special zone for experimental fields, mountain port. In addition to attracting talents and increasing primitive accumulation, the more important premise is to remove the threat from the Mediterranean sea, the British Mediterranean fleet. Even if Nelson's Mediterranean fleet is lost, its strength is still terrifying. Andrew is not a fool or a fool, knowing that France has no capital to fight hard with the British Navy so far. However, it is indeed feasible to use the occupation of Gibraltar, block the Strait of Gibraltar, and prevent the British fleet from entering the Mediterranean passage. Historically, Napoleon relied on occupying Gibraltar and let the British fleet voluntarily evacuate the Mediterranean.

It is not advisable to directly attack Gibraltar by land or sea. The British fleet on the sea and the artillery on the Gibraltar Fortress will cause countless French soldiers to die at the fortress in vain. However, as long as Spain surrenders, the Spaniards can encourage the Spanish to recover their previous lost ground without spending a shot or an ammunition. They only need to cut off the food and water supply from Gibraltar Fortress. Taking advantage of their nearshore advantages, the Spanish fleet can threaten the British fleet so that they cannot provide supplies to the fortress. Without long time, the enemies in the fortress will voluntarily surrender.

Note: Gibraltar is a triangular rocky area with an area of ​​about 5.5 square kilometers. There are neither rivers nor springs, and there is a lack of arable land. The vegetables, food and fresh water needed by residents are imported. Gibraltar was incorporated into the Spanish territory in 1501. However, on August 4, 1704, the British and Spain occupied it in a war due to the inheritance of the throne, and Spain began to "come with the United Kingdom". In 1713, Spain was forced to sign the Utrecht Peace Treaty with Britain and ceded Gibraltar to Britain. As for why the Spanish government at that time had to sign a contract with Britain and what was the motivation for the signing, it is still a mystery.

Third, obtain the Spanish colonies in the East.

This is very important. Luzon Island is the Spanish colony that Andrew has coveted for a long time. It is not only the rich mineral resources on Luzon Island, but also its excellent geographical location. You can arrive at Hainan Island in a few days, and then go forward to Humen Port, and then east to Taiwan Island, which can directly threaten the Qing Dynasty's tax-related important areas and the southeast coast.

Within five years, it was Andrew who had agreed to Wang Jiye's request to obtain an enclave in the waters of the Qing Dynasty. On Luzon, there were many old Chinese living there, and the local residents on Luzon had always had close relations with China and were relatively friendly to the Chinese. With it, there was a strategic springboard and development base for future attacks on the Qing Dynasty. The anti-Qing patriots and students living in Europe convened by Wang Jiye could travel between Europe and Asia through it.

Now Andrew is unable to send troops to occupy Luzon directly, and through a war, forcing the Spanish royal family to cede or buy his overseas colonies at a low price, is the best way to choose.

...

It is easy to talk about things on paper, but Andrew still feels that there are many problems to make promises or plans a reality and result.

First, France was seriously inadequate in its preparations for war against Spain.

After eliminating the opposition forces of the poor and tolerant factions, the three giants began to rule alone. Because Andrew successfully quelled the Vendée rebellion, the domestic situation in France became stable, and the focus of the Public Security Commission and the National Convention was still on the low territories, the Rhine and the Alps, which were still the main battlefield of the anti-French alliance. Generals such as Coled, Pishgru, and Simon led the most elite French army to confront Prussia, Austria, and the Netherlands (the Russian Empress also sent Marshal Suvorov to lead the team to participate in the anti-French alliance, but was busy suppressing the uprising of the Poles and was delayed). Army Minister Carno also visited the front line to supervise, and both logistics support and military deployment were given priority. All the 200 Spanish ship-borne artillery that Lian Dawu and the others deceived were all pulled away by a letter from Minister Carno.

Compared with the Spanish war, the three giants obviously did not pay much attention. The National Convention representatives they sent were still stranded in Madrid and continued to bargain with the Spaniards. The previous war intimidation was just a gesture and did not have much substance. The real purpose was nothing more than to let the wise and powerful deputy minister of the Army, General Andrew, try his best to attract the forces of the Spaniards and the British, and reduce the pressure on the Northern Front. Even Varas warned his son-in-law in a private message, just to let him practice troops in the Pyrenees, not to fight really, and not to fight hard.

As for Andrew's promotion and the expansion of the Neo-Pyrenees, it is nothing more than a simple reward for the general. The previous Pyrenees had less than 30,000 people, and the more than 12,000 people of the Wandai Legion that the Mountain General was about to take, just 40,000 people. Even if it was temporarily expanded, it would be 50,000 at best. Andrew knew himself and understood his own weight. For the victory of the Battle of Toulon, it was Andrew who arranged Napoleon's wise strategy and tactics with the help of history; while the complete victory in Wandai was more like a scam and the ending after multiple conspiracies.

Therefore, Andrew was not so arrogant that he could attack a complete sovereign state with 50,000 people and easily occupy its capital. This was simply a whim. Not to mention the lack of military pay, supplies, equipment and other pre-war preparations, it was a serious shortage of troops alone. When Napoleon attacked Spain, he used 3 and a half armies (equivalent to the current legion) in the early stage, and more than 120,000 people occupied Madrid. In the later stage, the number was as high as 300,000.

At this time, Spain had just formed a huge army of 200,000 due to the French war intimidation. Among them, the troops confronted the French army in the Pyrenees were Spain's most elite cavalry infantry divisions, with a total of more than 60,000 people. Once the war broke out, more troops would continue to be dispatched to join the war. With its geographical advantage, it was difficult for Andrew to annihilate or defeat them in a short period of time. Unfortunately, the commander of the Spanish was said to be a very capable general, and his best attitude was to defend.

Therefore, there will be no civil strife in Spain. The 50,000 troops under the legion must not cross the Pyrenees. If you go, it will repeat the mistakes of Napoleon's defeat in Spain in history, or even worse.

The second is the interference of the British.

Even if the conditions were met, the Spanish in civil strife were vulnerable, but after Andrew attacked the southern foothills of the Pyrenees, the reactions of European countries must be extremely fierce. The wave of the nobles who supported the Bourbon dynasty resisted the revolutionary France was definitely higher and higher, but the only one who could really help was the British opposite the strait.

At this time, the Kingdom of Portugal on the Iberian Peninsula had completely turned to the British. They were extremely shameless, like a British vassal. The Regent of Portugal publicly formed an alliance with Britain. According to the peace treaty between the two sides, the Portuguese also helped the British Navy and Army build many military bases, and the British could use them at any time as a springboard to support Spain's fight against the Blue Legion.

According to information, the British cabinet, given that the battlefield of the European anti-French alliance was transferred to France and the domestic situation in France has stabilized, is ready to give up the policy of not sending troops at any time. While paying for money and guns, it also actively sends troops to support any country opposing the revolutionary France, including the Netherlands and Spain. Two British lieutenant generals, Sir John Moore and Sir Arthur Wellesley, are mobilizing an expeditionary force of 50,000 people under the instructions of the British government. The main force has completed the assembly in Plymouth and is on standby.

Just waiting for the French to cross the Pyrenees, they were ready to board the boat and set out to travel to Spain with Lisbon as a base. But so far, because the liberal cabinet in Spain strongly opposed the intervention of the British, it was impossible to dispatch troops in advance. There was also a more powerful figure, the Earl of Wellington, who was said to have been recalled to Britain from India, but he was not sure which front he was sent to.

Note: Sir John Moore (1761-1809), an outstanding soldier and talented tactician, who once raised the efficiency of the British Light Infantry Regiment to a new level and was fatally injured in Cruña in 1809.

The British had absolute strength at sea and could deploy troops to any coastline at any time to carry out roundabout assaults. After Andrew entered the Spanish Plateau, another battle with the British Army was inevitable. Andrew always warned them, but not feared, that was that they should pay attention to their opponents. Moreover, in one month, Andrew personally taught Donn's super limit war will also be staged in the UK and overseas colonies. The British in a hurry must be exhausted and have no time to invest more energy in Spain.

The third is the attitude of the Spanish people.

This is what really worried him. Napoleon in history once said this before invading Spain:

...

A general who occupied another country must be careful in his actions. If it is too harsh, he will provoke and proliferate and increase his number; if it is too lenient, it will easily ignite a desire for indulgence, which will further help the growth of the atmosphere of humiliation and depression in the war. A conqueror must know how to take turns to use harsh, fair and kind means to suppress or prevent riots.

....

It’s easy to say, but the speaker will never escape the fate of failure.

The Spanish royal family and nobles, both conservatives and liberals, are bastards. When the situation is unfavorable, they will seek their own compromises and concessions. Political coercion and temptation may be greater than the victory after the battle of 100,000 people. Of course, Andrew did not take them seriously, but simply searching for one faction (liberals), and the party fights against another faction (conservatives).

But for ordinary Spanish people, spontaneous resistance to the invaders will be the biggest problem facing Andrew. This is a country with a strong sense of national pride. If it cannot comfort ordinary people in time and effectively, an anti-French uprising across the country will inevitably break out, and it will spread rapidly to various provinces, and the war of national war will be ignited everywhere. Fighting in a foreign country, all the invaders who are difficult to supply are not the head-on confrontation with the regular army, but the guerrillas that are spontaneously carried out.

Historically, after Napoleon occupied Madrid, the capital of Spain, Carlos IV (i.e., Charles IV) surrendered national sovereignty to Napoleon, resulting in Spain losing its centralized leadership both politically and militaryally. However, in the famous May Incident, 30,000 people took to the streets, and some shot at French soldiers through windows. Although the spontaneous mass riots were dispersed by two battalions of infantry and a cavalry regiment of the Guards, two thousand Spanish civilians died in desperation. But from then on, the Spanish people began to resist the French occupation forces, and a vigorous war of national liberation finally ruined the ambition of the emperor of the First French Empire to rule the entire Europe.

Therefore, how to appease the Spanish people and prevent them from regarding Andrew and his Blue Legion as an invading army must be famous for their troops.

He is famous for his military career! Although there are many grudges between the revolutionary France and Spain under the Bourbon dynasty, the high-sounding reasons for sending troops to a sovereign state must be sufficient, and there is no need to fabricate a group of them. Andrew began to think of three reasons: the Spanish aristocrats participated in the rebellion of the Wandai rebels; the attempt to assassinate the mountain general; the liberation of Spain's feudal aristocrats and the priests exploited and oppressed by the oppressed working people.

The first two reasons depend on the results of negotiations between the National Convention representatives and the Spanish cabinet, while the third reason is a bit far-fetched, which is just a slogan at most. Since 1794, since the war was basically carried out within other countries, the Blue Legion did try to liberate many places in the name of revolution, clamoring to protect brothers and sisters across Europe, but the result was that the object of love was sisters, and the continuous changes in natural territory and plundering local wealth.

"Oh, the reasons are not sufficient and not specific, so it is difficult to evade the world and let the Spaniards accept it." Andrew immediately denied it. He walked to the dining table, used the snacks sent by the guards, and sat down and continued to think about it.
Chapter completed!