Chapter 177 Collaborative Colonization

"The government is planning to colonize the island of New Guinea. If your country is interested, maybe we can cooperate in the colonization of New Guinea." Carlo said with a smile.

The common colonization of New Guinea was the goodwill unleashed by Carlo, as was the condition of the Portuguese synchronized railway track.

Carlo knew that colonizing new colonies was a huge temptation for countries like Spain and Portugal, which had already gained enough benefits from colonization.

Collaborating with the Portuguese to colonize New Guinea was a plan Carlo made after careful consideration.

As one of the former colonial empires, the Portuguese are also very experienced in colonization. More importantly, Portugal also had a small colony in Southeast Asia and had the conditions to colonize New Guinea.

Pulling Portugal together to colonize New Guinea, firstly, the combined power of Portugal and Spain can cope with the colonial competition of the great powers and speed up the progress of colonization.

Secondly, Spain alone could not develop the huge territory of New Guinea, and the Portuguese, who lacked colonies, could contribute.

If the relationship between Spain and Portugal continues, it will be okay. If the two countries engage in fierce competition or even break out of war, it is difficult to say who has the final say in this colony.

The Portuguese and Spanish are indeed different, but compared to other populations, they are the most assimilated.

Especially these Portuguese who have immigrated, to a certain extent they will not reject Spanish rule. As long as the Spanish colonial government respects their interests, they will not cause conflicts between the homeland they have left and the colonial government above them.

Upon hearing Carlo's words, Louis I was obviously taken aback.

Unexpectedly, the price paid by Spain was to invite Portugal to jointly develop the colony of New Guinea.

Which good man could withstand the temptation to develop a colony? For Portugal, which had also become a colonial empire, this was indeed attractive.

King Louis I was stunned for a while, and then asked: "New Guinea colony? Do you mean that Spain is willing to develop the New Guinea colony with Portugal?"

Of course Portugal knows about New Guinea. After all, the Portuguese colony of East Timor and the island of New Guinea are across the sea.

Speaking of Timor, the first colonizer to arrive on this land was Portugal. But as the Dutch established the East Indies colony, the Portuguese colonial power was crazily squeezed out, and was even almost squeezed out of Timor.

Finally, through the contract signed with the Dutch more than ten years ago, the Portuguese finally obtained the land in the east of Timor Island and some nearby small islands, and barely established their own colony in Southeast Asia.

This period of history is quite humiliating for Portugal. After all, Portugal was the first to come to Timor, and it was Portugal that was almost driven out.

When he heard that Carlo invited Portugal to colonize New Guinea, Louis I was indeed moved, but he was a little hesitant.

The main reason is the presence of the Dutch in this area and the British behind the Dutch.

Of course, in terms of the country's overall strength, Portugal is far behind the Netherlands.

After all, Spain was once a European hegemon, but Portugal never became a European hegemon. It only established its own colonial empire by colonizing America.

After Brazil became independent, the Portuguese colonial empire collapsed.

Although the Dutch are not large in size, the Netherlands was once one of the overlords in Europe, and was also known as the sea coachman.

The lowlands have always been a relatively developed region in Europe, and shipbuilding and shipping are still one of the economic pillars of the lowlands, especially the Netherlands.

If we just talk about the country's overall strength, the Portuguese are really not as good as the Dutch. That is to say, the Netherlands is located between the three great powers of Britain, France, and Germany, and none of the three countries allow the Netherlands to be too powerful.

Louis I's worries mainly came from the Dutch. It is impossible for the British to attack Portugal directly. After all, the British do not want to see Portugal fall to Spain.

But the problem is that the Netherlands is really rude when it comes to colonization. A small island of Timor can attract colonial competition from the Dutch. If the battlefield is placed on the larger island of New Guinea, won't it trigger a larger-scale colonial conflict?

Although the temptation is great, the risks are also great. If the colony that the Portuguese worked so hard to establish was invaded by the Dutch or Spain, wouldn't it mean that the Portuguese's many years of hard work would be wiped out in an instant?

Seemingly seeing the hesitation in Louis I's heart, Carlo smiled and continued to add: "Your Majesty Louis, I believe you also know how huge the New Guinea colony is. Not only the Dutch, but also the British, Germans and French are here. There was colonization in this land.

For these countries, Spain is also a small country. Colonial cooperation between Portugal and Spain could solve this problem, at least we could join forces to fight for a piece of land in New Guinea.

We can also establish an alliance treaty between two colonies. At least in the two colonies, we can reach a certain offensive and defensive alliance agreement. "

Louis I was worried that the Portuguese might not be able to hold on to the colony, as had happened before on the island of Timor.

But if Portugal chooses to cooperate with Spain, the power of the Bi-Japanese alliance is still very powerful, and even the great powers can touch it.

Unless they intend to tear each other apart, even powerful countries like Britain, France and Germany can only choose to respond to the colonialism of Portugal and Spain with a relatively mild competition.

After all, it is just a fight for colonies, and there is no need to rise to the level of local competition. Apart from Britain, France and Germany, the remaining Dutch are not to be feared at all.

Let alone the union of the two countries, even if it is only Spain, it will not be afraid of the Netherlands, which is not a strong medium-sized country.

Spain's strength is relative, and the strength of the Dutch is even more relative. Although Spain has weakened a lot, for the Netherlands, a country with a very small land area and a small population, Spain's comprehensive strength can still crush it.

After all, the Netherlands is only a country with a population of more than 4 million, and its size is limited after all. Even if the industry and economy are more developed than those of Iberian countries, it is obviously not enough to make up for the population gap between Spain and the Netherlands.

Hearing Carlo say this, Louis I nodded, and the hesitation in his eyes had disappeared a lot.

Considering Portugal's strength, Louis I always thinks too much when making decisions, considering things, and the pros and cons for Portugal.

At present, it is also beneficial for Portugal to cooperate with Spain to colonize New Guinea. If it is really as Carlo said, Portugal does have the hope of taking a piece of land on New Guinea as a new colony.

Although it is impossible to obtain too much land, it is at least a certain gain. For King Louis, if he can obtain a colony for Portugal during his reign, no matter how big or economically valuable the colony is, there will always be certain political achievements to promote.

Politicians need political achievements to promote themselves, and the same is true for kings. Kings who expand their territory are always better than kings who maintain the status quo, and kings who maintain the status quo are better than incompetent and foolish kings.

If possible, which king would not want to expand his territory and build a bigger kingdom for his kingdom?

Although it is only a colony, Portugal's most promising expansion is in the colonies. After all, Portugal has only one land neighbor, which is Spain. There is still a gap in strength between the two countries. It is much more difficult for Portugal to expand on land than to expand its colonies.

"I have to admit that what you said, Your Majesty Carlo, is indeed very attractive. But as you said, national affairs are not something we can decide on our own. We still need to discuss with the politicians in the government before we can decide.

But I personally agree with your proposal. If nothing unexpected happens, I believe that we can see cooperation between Portugal and Spain on the island of New Guinea." Louis I smiled and gave his answer.

Although he personally prefers to cooperate with Spain in colonization, the specific cooperation matters still need to be discussed by government officials.

It's not that Louis I can't decide for the government, but some interests need to be fought for by government officials, not the king himself.

It's really embarrassing for the two kings to argue and debate with each other for certain interests. Since the general direction of cooperation has been finalized, the various terms of small details will naturally be discussed by government officials.

Of course, since it has agreed to cooperate with Spain to colonize New Guinea, Portugal must make certain concessions in terms of railway tracks.

The good news is that the difference between the width of Portugal's railway tracks and Spain's is only 9 mm, so it is relatively simple to adjust.

Moreover, the total mileage of Portugal's railways is not large. If the width of all railway tracks is really adjusted, it can be done effectively in a short time without spending too much money.

But for Louis I, will he be so conscientious to adjust all railway tracks in Portugal to the same width as Spain?

Of course not. Even if he agreed to Spain, Portugal can have some reasons to delay. Synchronizing the track width must be carried out. After all, going back on one's word is not a good thing for Portugal.

Not only will it make Spain more hostile to Portugal, but its diplomatic reputation will also plummet.

Portugal is such a neighboring country. Although it is necessary to be on guard, it does not mean that Portugal is willing to fight more fiercely with Spain.

The political talks ended quickly, and the real main topic of the meeting between the two royal families was the uninterrupted banquets and outings.

After all, they are his sister and brother-in-law, so Carlo is still quite generous in spending. Not only did he invite Louis I and his wife to visit his private winery, he also organized a grand hunting trip, allowing Louis I to have a good time with the Vitali M1872 rifle equipped by Spain.

Portugal is currently in the transition period between muzzle-loading rifles and breech-loading rifles, and has not fully equipped advanced breech-loading rifles.

There are many reasons for this. In addition to the small population of Portugal and the lack of attention to the army, Portugal's military technology is not developed, and it lags behind in the research and development of breech-loading rifles.

Although the current breech-loading rifle technology is not mature, Spain's Vitali M1872 rifle is the second improvement of the rifle that Italy has already improved, which is much better than the original breech-loading rifle.

The advantages of breech-loading rifles compared to muzzle-loading rifles are very obvious, which also makes Louis I very excited about the rifle in his hand.

"Carlo, is this your latest Vitali M1872 rifle?" Louis I asked with a little interest.

As a neighbor of Spain, Portugal is of course aware of the standard weapons that the Spanish Army is equipping.

But the relationship between Spain and Portugal was not good at that time, and there was no strong demand for changing rifles in Portugal, so the Portuguese Army has not yet fully used the latest breech-loading rifles.

"Of course." Carlo nodded, as if he had seen the Royal Arsenal get an order: "This is the latest gun model after the second improvement of the Italian Vitali rifle. How about it? Does it feel good?"

"Really good, it feels great." Louis I nodded, and liked the rifle in his hand very much: "How much does this rifle cost?"

Louis I did not ask Carlo about the advantages and disadvantages of this rifle. After all, how can you ask the merchant whether the product is good or not?

For Louis I's own experience of using it, he thinks it is a good rifle. Compared with the rifles used by European countries, even if it is not the best, it is definitely a first-class product.

If you can take this opportunity to purchase a batch of rifles to equip the Portuguese army, it can also effectively improve the combat effectiveness of the Portuguese army.

In the era when machine guns were not born, the firepower means of various countries were originally scarce. In addition to the rifles used by the infantry, the mainstream firepower output of the army is the cannon.

As the saying goes, a cannon is worth a lot of gold. Not all countries can equip artillery on a large scale like France and Germany, and Portugal is naturally one of them.

Since there are not enough artillery as a way to output firepower, the Portuguese army can only rely on rifles to kill the enemy.

But since the Franco-Prussian War, the wars between European countries are no longer an era of queuing and shooting. Countries are also paying more and more attention to the range, rate of fire and power of rifles. If they can be equipped with a rifle with a faster rate of fire, it means that the troops have more powerful firepower in a head-on confrontation.

"Before the Royal Arsenal expanded production, the cost of the Vitali M1872 rifle was still relatively expensive. But now, with the expansion of the Royal Arsenal, the cost of this rifle has been reduced by more than half. If your country wants to purchase the Vitali M1872 rifle, I can make the decision to let the Royal Arsenal provide your country with an internal price. After all, we are close partners, aren't we?" Carlo said with a smile.

This is really better to come early than to come. After the Royal Arsenal expanded production, the output of weapons increased several times in a short period of time.

According to the current trend, the Spanish army's full replacement of Vitali M1872 rifles is expected to be completed within a year.

After completing this order, the Royal Arsenal will not have other orders in a short period of time, which is inevitably a problem.

Although Portugal does not have many troops, it is at least of a certain scale. If Portugal decides to purchase Vitali M1872 rifles, the Royal Arsenal's production line, which has been expanded with great difficulty, can continue to operate.

Louis I nodded, although he was a little moved, but he did not rush to make a decision.

Although Louis I was willing to compromise in some aspects, it did not mean that Portugal would fully move closer to Spain.

Spain is not as strong as Britain after all. What Portugal needs to do is to have a balance between Britain and Spain and ensure its own safety and development.

If Spain regains Gibraltar and occupies Morocco under the obstruction of Britain, Louis I will consider moving closer to Spain.

But before that, Spain is a beast trapped in a cage after all. Not to mention that it is difficult to protect itself, at least its actions are restricted.

Portugal can make some compromises for its own stability, but will not give up too many interests.

Although it agreed to synchronize the width of the railway tracks with Spain, the biggest reason was that Louis I believed that the British would not let Spain's influence on Portugal go.

It is also good to get closer to Spain. At least it can make the British understand that sometimes they cannot ignore Portugal's opinions too much. After all, Portugal is an important part of the British defense against Spain.

If Portugal can't hold on, it is not a problem for Spain to have a greater impact on Portugal and even dominate the country.

After Spain gains the right to rule the two teeth, can Gibraltar continue to be safe and sound?

Seeing Louis I talking about other things, Carlo knew that Louis I had other plans in mind.

Although he couldn't bring an order for the Royal Arsenal, it didn't have much impact after all, and Carlo didn't care.

Carlo had long expected that Portugal would not turn to Spain completely. After all, this means giving all the initiative to Spain.

Smart people will definitely choose to jump back and forth between the British and the Spanish to ensure their own interests.

If you completely rely on one side, you are likely to be ignored. After all, what you get is what you least value. Properly giving a sense of crisis can also make you more cherished.

During the week when Louis I and his wife came to Spain, they visited many Spanish regions including Madrid, and even watched the construction site of the Spanish Renaissance-class ironclad ship Renaissance.

Regarding Spain's resumption of ironclad construction, Louis I's eyes were full of envy. Compared with Spain, Portugal is still too small. It's not that they are not tempted by the ironclad ship that costs 500,000 pounds, but they really don't have the ability to own it.

A single ironclad ship may not be expensive, but what role can an ironclad ship play? The purpose of building an ironclad ship is to have a strong navy, which also means that many other warships must be equipped to build a comprehensive fleet.

The reason why Louis I envied Carlo was that he could not afford the expenses of a strong fleet.

Although he was also a king, Carlo was younger, and the kingdom he ruled was still a weak but well-established country like Spain.

Portugal's degree of weakness was not as exaggerated as Spain, but Portugal itself was not a strong country. After losing Brazil, Portugal's presence in Europe was already very low.

Ruling such a not-so-strong country made the ambitious Louis I helpless, and at the same time left tears of envy.

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