Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 463 Military Expansion Plan
If the First Balkan War was a fairly swift battle, then the Second Balkan War took even less time; from Bulgaria's declaration of war to its request for peace talks, it actually only took a month and a half.

Fortunately, the war was quite brutal. Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Romania all mobilized large numbers of troops and purchased a lot of weapons and equipment from European countries.

Carlo's plan to sell off Spain's stockpiled weapons and equipment during the war was realized. Spain exported a large amount of weaponry during the war, selling nearly 3 rifles alone, along with dozens of machine guns, hundreds of artillery pieces, and their accompanying ammunition and shells.

After these two Balkan wars, the major powers all gained something, except for Germany and Austria-Hungary, which supported Bulgaria.

Because of its defeat, Bulgaria was forced to cede most of Macedonia's territory during peace negotiations, and was even forced to cede the northeastern part of Southern Dobroca to Romania.

This resulted in Bulgaria gaining very limited territory after the Balkan Wars. Although its territory expanded considerably, it was far from sufficient compared to the casualties inflicted on Bulgaria by the two wars.

If we're talking about the countries that benefited the most from the two Balkan wars, it would definitely be Serbia and Greece.

After defeating Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece could freely divide up Macedonia's territory.

As the country that benefited the most, Serbia's land area increased from 4.8 square kilometers before the war to 8.6 square kilometers after the war, almost doubling in size.

In terms of population, Serbia's population also increased from 290 million before the war to 440 million after the war, a net increase of more than 150 million.

Greece was the second richest recipient. The territory of Macedonia and Thrace that Greece acquired amounted to 2.5 square kilometers, bringing the total population of Greece to nearly 200 million, exceeding 400 million.

The territories acquired by Romania and Montenegro were roughly the same size, each only a few thousand square kilometers, with a population of just over one hundred thousand.

Bulgaria, which lost much of the newly acquired land in the Second Balkan War, only gained a piece of territory of little value, and its total population increased by just over 100,000.

Albania, which gained independence after the First Balkan War and did not participate in the Second Balkan War, has a population of only about 80, which is small compared to other Balkan countries, only slightly larger than Montenegro.

For both Serbia and Greece, this war significantly enhanced their overall national strength, allowing them to grow from tiny nations into larger ones and gain a certain status in Europe.

While Romania's gains were not as significant, it effectively halted Bulgarian expansion, ensuring that Romania remained the leading power in the Balkans.

Romania's population has grown to over 600 million since the war, making it one of the largest in the Balkans, second only to the Ottoman Empire.

This is also why King Carol I of Romania was willing to join the anti-Bulgarian alliance. In Carol I's view, it was essential to maintain Romania's advantage over other Balkan countries.

Romania is already under considerable pressure from Russia, and naturally does not want another country that could threaten it to emerge behind it.

With the end of the Balkan Wars, 1906 was drawing to a close.

The Balkan Wars also demonstrate that the situation in Europe, under the control of the European powers, was becoming increasingly tense, and war could break out at any time in the new year.

At the government's year-end summary meeting in 1906, Carlo also put forward a new plan for the coming year, demanding that Spain and Portugal carry out a full-scale military expansion in order to cope with the increasingly tense situation in Europe.

As mentioned before, after Spain and Portugal formed a united kingdom, the armies of the two countries were integrated.

The original Portuguese army was also reorganized, forming three infantry divisions, one colonial division, and five colonial garrison regiments.

如此一来，西葡联合王国的军队组成也变成了：15个步兵师、5个骑兵师、4个炮兵师、5个工兵团组成的本土军队和4个殖民地师、40个殖民地守备团组成的殖民地军队以及只听从卡洛命令的皇家近卫师。

The total number of troops in the homeland was 21.2, the number of troops in the colonies was 16.9, and the number of guards was 1.5, for a total military force of 39.6.

The existing army of the United Kingdom of Spain and Portugal was still too small. Even including the colonial troops, the army, totaling 39.6 men, ranked last among the major European powers.

No matter how powerful the Spanish army was, it was impossible for a mere 39.6 men to fight against the hundreds of thousands or even millions of troops of various European countries.

For this reason, it was necessary to carry out a comprehensive military expansion throughout the Iberian Peninsula. This was not only to prepare for the impending war, but also to increase Spain's control over the region.

After Carlos made the request to expand the military, the Spanish government quickly approved the proposal and allocated a large sum of money to the defense sector.

In 1906, the Spanish government's total revenue increased to 16.561 billion pesetas, while total expenditure decreased to 16.484 billion pesetas, resulting in a fiscal surplus of 770 million pesetas for the year.

It's important to remember that Spain had just ended a war with Britain, and the government had made a great deal of effort to turn a profit in the first year after the war ended.

Moreover, although the government's annual surplus is only 770 million pesetas, if the post-war reparations that the British government needs to pay are taken into account, the Spanish government actually has a lot of funds at its disposal.

After a long period of estimation, the finance department finally gave a surprising figure for the total budget for the new year: 16.572 billion pesetas.

The reason is simple: after the formation of the United Kingdom of Spain and Portugal, the economies of both sides will definitely usher in a period of prosperity.

While Portugal benefits more from this, Spain also gains. The influx of Spanish industrial products into the Portuguese market will boost Spanish industry and the economy.

Based on this, Spain's total fiscal revenue for the new year will certainly increase further. With increased fiscal revenue, related expenditures will inevitably also increase proportionally.

Of the total fiscal expenditure of 16.572 billion peseta, the defense sector accounts for 29.46%, with a total fiscal budget of 4.882 million peseta, representing a significant increase in military spending compared to last year.

On the one hand, Spain's naval construction has yielded results, with five Dreadnought-class battleships currently in service, and another battleship, the Victory, expected to enter service in 1907. This will firmly solidify Spain's naval strength as one of the top two in the world.

Because of the large investments in the navy, the Spanish government has had to gradually increase its military budget.

Fortunately, the Spanish army is not large, and the number of troops in the domestic army is even smaller, which effectively reduces some of the military expenditure.

In the new year's army expansion plan, following Carlo's instructions, the defense department, after a long period of discussion, finally decided to increase the number of local troops in the United Kingdom of Spain and Portugal to approximately 42.4.

The United Kingdom will form 28 infantry divisions, 9 cavalry divisions, 8 artillery divisions and 8 engineer regiments to further enhance Spain's army military strength.

As for the colonial army, since it was responsible for managing all of Spain's and Portugal's colonies, the number of colonial troops also needed to be greatly increased.

Fortunately, most of the soldiers in the colonial army were local natives, whose salaries were far lower than those of the native soldiers, which indirectly reduced Spain's military spending.

西班牙现有4个殖民地师和40个殖民地守备团，经过国防部门的探讨之后，最终决定扩建为12个殖民地师和26个殖民地守备团。殖民地军队总人数接近29万人。

This would bring the total number of Spanish troops, both domestic and colonial, to an astonishing 71.4, seemingly putting them on par with the combined armies of Germany and France. Of course, European countries generally only consider the number of their domestic troops when calculating troop numbers. While all countries had colonial armies, the combat effectiveness of these armies was unpredictable. The combat effectiveness of the German colonial army was not significantly different from that of other countries' colonial armies; in other words, colonial troops were essentially cannon fodder, and their numbers were largely ineffective.

If only the Spanish mainland army is considered, its 42.4 troops would only be on par with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and slightly ahead of the Italian and British army numbers.

For Carlo, an army of over 40 was more than enough. After all, regardless of which side Spain joined in World War I, Spain wouldn't be involved in the fighting too early on.

Spain has absolutely no need to compete with Germany, France, and Russia in terms of army size. For Spain at present, expanding its domestic army to 42.4 is more than enough to defend its homeland.

When Carlo saw the military expansion plan submitted by the Ministry of Defense, he was quite satisfied with it. Although the expansion would increase Spain's military spending again, if they didn't expand now, it would be too late once war broke out.

Carlo quickly approved the military expansion plan submitted by the defense department, and the military expansion of the United Kingdom of Spain and Portugal would officially begin on January 1, 1907.

In addition to expanding the Royal Army, Carlo also plans to expand the Royal Guard.

Although called the Praetorian Guard, it was actually only a division in number. As arguably the most elite fighting force in Spain, the Praetorian Guard could have easily been larger.

When a future world war breaks out, the Imperial Guard will be fully capable of being deployed to the battle, and no amount of additional personnel will be wasted.

More importantly, because the Royal Guard is directly under the leadership of the Royal Family, its military expenses and other expenditures are also covered by the Royal Family.

In other words, the Royal Guard is essentially the royal family's private army, and whether or not to expand it is just a matter of a word for Carlo.

After careful consideration, Carlo decided to expand the Guards from one division to three.

The originally mixed 1st Guards Division was split into the 1st Guards Infantry Division, the 2nd Guards Infantry Division, and the Guards Cavalry Division, instantly increasing its strength from 15,000 to 41,000, making it an extremely powerful military force.

1906年12月30日，西班牙政府正式对外公布了陆军扩张计划，并且宣布从1907年1月1日开始正式扩军，鼓励西班牙和葡萄牙民众踊跃报名参军。

When the defense department formulated this military expansion plan, it basically did not consider the issue of conscription. This is because, in both Spain and Portugal, the public has a very strong interest in enlisting in the military.

Most Spaniards are willing to serve in the military out of pure patriotism, coupled with the relatively good benefits offered by the army.

The Portuguese had a very straightforward idea: being a soldier could indeed earn money.

Spanish-owned companies in Portugal are required to pay their workers wages based on the average annual income level in Portugal.

These salaries may increase, but they are unlikely to reach several times the average annual income of Portuguese people, because doing so would disrupt the local economic order and have a significant impact on local factories in Portugal.

Just like Spain's increase in per capita annual income, it has been a gradual process. It's unrealistic to expect to increase per capita annual income several times over overnight. The Portuguese can only envy the high incomes of the Spanish and hope that one day they can live a life like the Spanish.

The income of workers in private enterprises is determined according to local income conditions, but the income of soldiers in the army of the United Kingdom of Spain and Portugal is the same for everyone. Portuguese soldiers are paid exactly the same as Spanish soldiers, and there is no difference in treatment.

This also meant that if Portuguese people were able to successfully join the United Kingdom's army, their actual income would instantly increase several times over.

It was precisely because of the increased income brought about by enlisting in the army that many Portuguese not only did not reject joining the so-called United Kingdom's army, but also actively enlisted.

This led to an interesting phenomenon: after the Spanish and Portuguese governments issued their respective conscription orders, people lined up at conscription offices in both Spanish and Portuguese cities, eagerly signing up.

It's important to understand that during the civil war, the Portuguese government still needed to recruit soldiers through forced conscription. The Portuguese people were deeply resentful of the government's forced conscription, and many Portuguese were even unwilling to fight for their country.

Now, the fact that joining the army can increase one's income is enough to encourage Portuguese people to enlist, which is a testament to the unpopularity of the former Portuguese Republican government.

The enthusiastic participation of the public in military service is certainly good news for the defense department.

If the number of people signing up for military service is not large, the army can only recruit one at a time, as long as they meet the minimum qualification level.

However, if there are a large number of people signing up for military service, the military can conduct a more detailed screening to select soldiers who are physically better or more intelligent, and these people will have a better future in the military.

On January 8, 1907, a week after Spain and Portugal officially announced their conscription orders, the two regions reported on their respective conscription situations.

In Spain, due to higher public support for the country and a larger population, the number of people signing up for military service in the first week was also very high.

In the two largest cities of Madrid and Barcelona alone, the combined number of people who signed up for military service in the first week exceeded 10.

Including those who enlisted through local governments across Spain, at least 30 enlistment applications were collected in the first week.

While Portugal offers high salaries as an incentive, its population is too small. In the first week, only the cities of Barcelona and Madrid registered for military service across the entire country.

Of course, over 10 people is not a small number. Adding the number of applicants collected by Spain, the Spanish-Portuguese Union could recruit at least 40 men in just one week.

Of course, the army doesn't need that many people. The total military force for the expansion of Spain's mainland is only about 25. This means that nearly half of the 40 people who signed up for military service will be screened out.

Due to the overwhelming enthusiasm among the public for enlisting in the military, the Spanish and Portuguese governments had to issue emergency notices to temporarily suspend enlistment registration in various regions, and to first screen out a portion of the more than 40 people who had already registered.

If the number of selected candidates still meets the recruitment needs, then the recruitment phase can be considered complete. If the number is insufficient, recruitment can be conducted in certain areas later.

When the Spanish and Portuguese governments announced that the number of people who had signed up for military service had exceeded 40 and that recruitment centers in various cities had been temporarily closed, the people of Spain and Portugal were not surprised, but newspapers and people in other European countries were.

Recruiting 40 people in just one week is an absurd speed. Although some of those who signed up did not meet the requirements, a rough screening should still allow for at least 30 to be selected.

Such enthusiastic enlistment among Spaniards is actually quite rare in Europe. This is partly due to the less-than-ideal welfare benefits offered by the armed forces in various countries, and partly because many Europeans lack a strong interest in military service.

Many countries would need at least a month to mobilize an army of 40. Even countries with well-developed military systems like Germany and France would need at least half a month to mobilize more than 40 troops.

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(End of this chapter)