Chapter 298: The Portuguese-british Crisis
As time moved to 1884, the Spaniards’ colonization in Southern Congo also gradually yielded results.
The Portuguese successively occupied the Ruanda Kingdom and the Bunda Kingdom, and single-handedly advanced their sphere of influence to the Barotseland Kingdom.
In terms of distance, the distance between Portugal’s West African Colony and the Mozambique Colony was now less than 500 kilometers, and the Great African Colony that Portugal had envisioned seemed about to be realized soon.
Just as the Portuguese were reveling in their vision, reality soon slapped them in the face.
Portugal’s colonial action in Southern Congo had long attracted the attention of the British. The impending merger of Portugal’s East and West African colonies also made the British feel a hint of threat.
If Portugal successfully merged the West African Colony and the Mozambique Colony, the Cairo-Cape Town Line planned within the British Government would be cut off.
Faced with the Portuguese nearly directly sabotaging their own colonial plan, even though they knew Portugal was their ally, the British could not remain indifferent.
On February 22, 1884, the British Government formally announced the Cairo-Cape Town Line plan to the public and contacted the Portuguese Ambassador to the United Kingdom, demanding that Portugal abandon its colonization of the Barotseland Kingdom and the Mwata Kazembe Kingdom, leaving a 500-kilometer-wide corridor to help Britain complete the connection of its North and South African colonies.
When the Portuguese Government received the British Government’s request, King Louis I of Portugal was directly stunned.
He hadn’t expected that the Spaniards he had always been on guard against did not stop his colonial plan; instead, the British, who had always positioned themselves as Portugal’s ally, stood up to stop him at the critical moment when Portugal’s East and West African colonies were about to merge.
Sharing the same emotions as King Louis were the Portuguese officials who had worked hard on it for a long time.
It must be known that the Great African Colony plan was a political achievement for King Louis, and it was also a political achievement for Portugal’s cabinet government.
To make this so-called political achievement have the best effect, as early as a few years ago, Portugal had repeatedly propagandized the Pink Map Plan and the Great African Colony plan, and the merger of the East and West African colonies was not unfamiliar to the Portuguese.
If at this time they told all Portuguese people that the Great African Colony plan was ultimately just a fantasy and completely impossible to achieve, it goes without saying what kind of emotions the Portuguese would erupt into.
By then, let alone accumulating some achievements for themselves, even holding onto their current positions would be somewhat difficult.
Agreeing to the British request would face the anger of the domestic Portuguese. Refusing the British request would face the anger of the British Government.
How to choose left Louis I and the Portuguese Government extremely troubled. Louis I held multiple cabinet meetings to discuss solutions, but ultimately could not come to any conclusion.
With no other choice, the Portuguese Government finally decided to use the tactic of delay.
If they could drag things out with the British Government on one side while accelerating the colonization of land in Southern Congo on the other.
Whether it was the Barotseland Kingdom or the Mwata Kazembe Kingdom, occupying either one would connect Portugal’s West African Colony and the Mozambique Colony.
As long as the connection of the two colonies was completed, Louis I and the Portuguese Government would have fulfilled their original promise to the public.
As for subsequently being forced to transfer the sovereignty of the Barotseland Kingdom and the Mwata Kazembe Kingdom, that would also be due to pressure from the British Government, not the Portuguese Government making empty promises.
By then, even if the Portuguese were angry, it would be directed at the British. After all, it was the British who shattered Portugal’s Great African Colony plan, and the Portuguese Government could not possibly confront Britain.
The delay tactic adopted by the Portuguese Government did have some effect. Because the Portuguese Government ordered the Ambassador to the United Kingdom to negotiate with the British Government, the British Government thought Portugal just wanted to seek compensation.
But what the British did not expect was that while the Portuguese were negotiating with them, they were accelerating their colonization of the Southern Congo Region.
By the time the British realized it, more than a week had already been delayed.
In that more than a week, the Portuguese offensive against the Barotseland Kingdom had not stopped.
They successfully advanced the occupation zone by over a hundred kilometers, which also meant that the Portuguese army was now less than 400 kilometers from the Mozambique Colony on the East African coast.
At this rate, it would take at most one month for Portugal to break through the entire Barotseland Kingdom and reach the Mozambique Colony.
On the British Government side, after the time was delayed by a week, the British also sensed something was wrong.
The Barotseland Kingdom was not far from Britain’s Cape Colony, and news of the Portuguese continuously attacking the Barotseland Kingdom still reached the Cape Colony.
The British, realizing they had been deceived, were both shocked and furious. They could not believe that a small Portugal would dare to defy their demands.
The British Government contacted the Portuguese Ambassador to the United Kingdom again, demanding that the Portuguese Ambassador provide an explanation.
But unexpectedly, the Portuguese Ambassador still beat around the bush, seemingly wanting to delay more time in this way.
At this point, the British Government could no longer tolerate it. British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone personally summoned the Portuguese Ambassador and issued his ultimatum.
Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone angrily stated that if Portugal did not intend to stop the colonial invasion, the British would secure a buffer zone in their own way to ensure that Britain’s colonial action would not be affected.
Such words were already an overt threat. The Portuguese Ambassador’s face changed immediately; he hadn’t expected the British to be so serious, nor that Britain would issue an ultimatum to its ally.
The meaning of the ultimatum was simple: either comply with its contents, or face war.
Waging war with the British was something the Portuguese had never considered. At this point, the Portuguese Ambassador finally panicked. He tried to communicate with Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone, but the furious Gladstone ignored the Portuguese Ambassador’s explanation and instead reiterated his demand: “If Portugal does not stop its war actions, Britain will launch war.”
After speaking, Prime Minister Gladstone angrily stormed out, clearly infuriated by the Portuguese delay tactic.
When the Portuguese Ambassador reported this bad news back home, from King Louis I of Portugal down to the entire Portuguese Government, they all sighed in despair.
The British Government’s tough attitude was something the Portuguese had not anticipated. Faced with such a tough British Government, the Portuguese Government seemed to have no choice.
Just as Louis I was about to give up, an official suddenly made a suggestion, stating that Portugal could inquire about the Spanish Government’s attitude.
It must be known that when reaching the colonial exchange agreement, Portugal had demanded that Spain provide strong support for Portugal’s colonial action.
Although these indigenous nations in Southern Congo were not powerful individually, their combined population scale was still considerable.
Due to limited population, Portugal found it difficult to complete the colonization of these indigenous nations on its own strength.
Although the anticipated enemy had changed from indigenous nations to the British Empire, this did not mean Portugal could not obtain Spain’s support.
If it could gain the Spanish Government’s support, Portugal still had hope of continuing its Great African Colony plan.
Of course, if the British still maintained a tough attitude even after Portugal gained Spain’s support, then Portugal could respond flexibly; at worst, they could give up then, which would still not waste their efforts during this time.
Upon hearing this suggestion, a glimmer of hope flashed in Louis I’s eyes.
The Spain he usually guarded against cautiously now became Portugal’s only hope for completing the Great African Colony plan.
Apart from Spain, no other European powers would risk offending the British to support Portugal.
The question was, would Spain really be willing to risk offending the British, even waging war with Britain, to support Portugal for the sake of a promise on paper?
Louis I was unsure of his brother-in-law Carlo’s thoughts. In his view, Carlo was a king with great ambitions, which was why he had always been wary of Spain.
Under Carlo’s leadership, Spain achieved reform and accomplished great revival. This was what Louis I had always dreamed of, but Portugal’s national conditions fundamentally did not allow for reform, because Louis I could not suppress the opposition.
If he stubbornly pushed for reform, the government would be “reformed” first before the reform was completed.
The reason Spain was able to complete the reform back then was also because the revolutionaries controlled the government and the army. This made Louis I envious but helpless, as he could not replicate the same path.
After all, to let Portugal’s revolutionaries control the regime, he as King of Portugal would have to give up his throne; the best outcome would be becoming a figurehead king without real power, which Louis I absolutely could not accept.
Sighing, Louis I issued his order, instructing the Portuguese Ambassador to Spain to inquire about the Spanish Government’s attitude.
If the Spanish Government was willing to support Portugal, then Portugal still had room to delay. If even Spain was unwilling to support Portugal, then the Portuguese Government could only accept its fate.
March 3, 1884, Royal Palace of Madrid, Spain.
When Carlo learned that the Portuguese Ambassador urgently requested an audience, Carlo knew Portugal must have something major happening.
As early as when conducting the colonial exchange with Portugal, Carlo had considered that Britain would definitely intervene in Portugal’s colonial action.
The reason Carlo was willing to give up this prime land in Southern Congo, the most fertile part of the Congo Basin, was precisely because he knew Portugal could not occupy this region.
This also meant that the colonial exchange between Spain and Portugal was more like getting something for nothing, and it might even draw in Portugal’s homeland.
Sure enough, after meeting Carlo, the Portuguese Ambassador first respectfully saluted, then anxiously stated the dilemma currently faced by the Portuguese Government.
He mentioned the kinship between Portugal’s King Louis I and Carlo, and also mentioned that a few years ago, the Portuguese and Spanish governments had signed a colonial exchange treaty, which included a clause that Spain should support Portugal’s colonial plan.
After recounting everything, the Portuguese Ambassador sincerely requested Carlo’s support for Portugal, requesting that the Spanish Government support Portugal’s colonial action against the diplomatic pressure exerted by Britain.
Looking at the panicked Portuguese Ambassador, Carlo did not rush to state his position.
Although in Carlo’s plan, Spain definitely needed to declare support for Portugal to further damage the relationship between Portugal and Britain.
But there was no need to express support for Portugal too early; after all, the easier something was obtained, the less it would be valued.
Only by letting the Portuguese side feel the urgent situation, letting the Portuguese Government and Louis I fall into panic, and then expressing support for the Portuguese Government, would it maximize the emotional value gained.
Of course, Carlo and the Spanish Government’s support for Portugal would also be widely reported by Spain’s media, even forwarded to Portugal domestically.
Only by letting the Portuguese understand Spain and Carlo’s support for them, and contrasting it with the British meddling, could Carlo achieve his original purpose: damaging the relationship between Portugal and Britain, forcing Portugal to lean toward Spain.
For small countries of this era, their situation was quite difficult. Especially for a country like Portugal, which had only one neighboring country, it either had to obediently lean toward Spain or seek external factors to preserve its sovereignty.
Clearly, Portugal had chosen to rely on Britain to protect its independence. But if Britain stood on the opposing side, Portugal would have no choice but to lean toward Spain.
After a long silence, as the Portuguese Ambassador’s facial expression grew increasingly panicked, Carlo finally nodded with a smile, showing great concern for Portugal’s situation, and said: “Whether due to the good relationship with the Portuguese Royal Family, or the agreement from the previous colonial exchange treaty, Spain should stand with Portugal.
Mr. Ambassador, please convey to your government that Spain is willing to stand with Portugal and support your country’s colonial action on the land in Southern Congo.
If Britain resorts to force to intervene, Spain will fulfill its promise and confront Britain’s armed intervention together with Portugal.
May the friendship of the Iberian Peninsula endure; we should join hands to jointly resist the dirty hands reaching toward the Iberian Peninsula Countries.
This is my attitude, and also the Spanish Government’s attitude. If your country wants the Great African Colony, then take action.
Once Britain shows a posture of declaring war, Spain will immediately carry out armed mobilization, using steel guns and cannons to make the British understand that the dignity of Iberian Peninsula Countries will not be trampled!”
