On the Iberian Peninsula, there are two countries, the Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Portugal. Relations between the two countries have always been not very harmonious, and the Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Portugal have much more territory and population. The current Kingdom of Spain has a population of more than 15 million. The population of the Kingdom of Portugal is only about 4 million.

The Kingdom of Portugal began the Age of Discovery in order to counter the Kingdom of Spain. However, the Kingdom of Spain came from behind, once again overtaking the Kingdom of Portugal. If it weren't for the close relationship between the Kingdom of Portugal and the British, perhaps the Kingdom of Portugal would have perished long ago.

After the establishment of the two major military alliances, the Kingdom of Spain, as the hardcore alliance of the Chinese Empire, will naturally join the Asia-Europe military alliance. The Kingdom of Portugal and the Chinese Empire had an indissoluble enmity over the Macau Question and later the Azores Question. Thus, the Kingdom of Portugal joined the North Atlantic Military Alliance.

At the original London Conference, the Kingdom of Portugal pledged to mobilize 300,000 men for the war. For the Kingdom of Portugal, with a total population of just over 4 million, mobilizing 300,000 people was already the limit. After the war began, the 300,000 Portuguese troops were divided into six infantry corps, except for one infantry corps that remained in Lisbon, and the remaining five infantry corps were stationed on the Spanish-Portuguese border to defend against possible attacks by the Kingdom of Spain. Of course, for the Kingdom of Portugal, it would not be necessary to let them take the initiative to attack the Kingdom of Spain, and they did not have the courage and strength.

Originally, according to the plan of the North Atlantic Military Alliance, the main task of the Kingdom of Portugal was to hold the territory, after the French began to attack the Kingdom of Spain. The Kingdom of Portugal sent troops to cooperate with the French attack. However, after the start of the war. The Kingdom of Spain deployed a large number of troops on the border. France did not dare to act rashly, which made the Kingdom of Portugal have no choice but to stand still.

The Kingdom of Portugal did not dare to attack on its own initiative. But that doesn't mean the Kingdom of Spain won't give up on the offensive. Especially after the Kingdom of Belgium and the Kingdom of Prussia joined forces to destroy the Kingdom of the Netherlands, this gave the Kingdom of Spain great confidence. The army and navy generals of the Kingdom of Spain believed that as a hardcore ally of the Chinese Empire, the first country to be equipped with Chinese weapons and the first to be trained by the Chinese* officer corps, the strength of the Kingdom of Spain was definitely above that of the Kingdom of Belgium. They believed that with the strength of the Kingdom of Spain, even if the army at home was only 800,000 men. Half of it will also be drawn to guard against the French. But the remaining troops were enough to destroy the Kingdom of Portugal.

By the end of August 1854, the Spanish Army had completed its pre-war preparations. The Kingdom of Spain has an army of more than 1 million men. In addition to the 6 infantry corps of 200,000 men deployed in North America, there are 23 infantry corps in the country, about 800,000 people. Of these, 12 infantry corps were deployed south of the Pyrenees to defend against the French. After the last time the French army crossed the Pyrenees and invaded northwestern Spain, bringing a disaster to the Kingdom of Spain, the war began. The Kingdom of Spain has been guarding against a repeat of France's old tricks.

The other 11 infantry corps, with the exception of one that remained in the capital city of Madrid. The other ten infantry corps were deployed on the border with the Kingdom of Portugal, and war was already on the verge of breaking out.

August 29, 1854. In Madrid, the capital of the Kingdom of Spain, Queen Isabella II was listening to War Minister Simon. The Duke of Maria made specific arrangements for the war against the Kingdom of Portugal. The Chinese Empire had been repeatedly urged, so that the Kingdom of Spain could not delay any longer.

"陛xià. At present, the 10 infantry corps of the Imperial Army have reached their designated positions. You can attack at any time. The direction of the main attack of our troops will be the crossing of the Rio Tinto from Badajoz. Attack Elvás in Portugal and then advance all the way to Lisbon. For this. The Royal Army deployed 4 infantry corps in Badajoz for 140,000 men. On the opposite side of us, the Portuguese had two armies, a total of 100,000 men. In the remaining directions, 6 infantry corps of the Royal Army will serve as assists. "War Secretary Simon. Duke Maria said.

Queen Isabella II nodded, she didn't understand military affairs. However, she knew that the destruction of the Kingdom of Portugal was very important for the Kingdom of Spain. The security of the Kingdom of Spain could only be guaranteed if the Kingdom of Portugal was destroyed. Otherwise, the British could use Portugal as a springboard to attack the Kingdom of Spain as they pleased. Not to mention that the Kingdom of Spain also took on the heavy responsibility of moving north to attack France from the south after the destruction of the Kingdom of Portugal, relieving the pressure on the Kingdom of Belgium and the Kingdom of Prussia. Only in this way can we ensure that the shape of the European battlefield tends to be stable.

"This battle is very important for the Kingdom of Spain. Our allies, the Kingdom of Belgium, who have already destroyed the Kingdom of Holland, are already ahead of us. As the most loyal ally of the Chinese Empire, we must not be left behind to the Kingdom of Belgium. Otherwise, the Kingdom of Spain would have been at a disadvantage in the distribution of benefits after the war. Queen Isabella II said sternly.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The Spanish dignitaries present replied one after another.

As high-ranking officials of the Kingdom of Spain, they were well aware of the relationship between the Kingdom of Spain and the Chinese Empire. Without the support of the Chinese Empire, the Kingdom of Spain would not be as powerful as it is now. In return, the Kingdom of Spain would have to fulfill its obligations.

"In addition, our allies have told me that this war between the Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Portugal must be brought to an end quickly, within a week. Otherwise, it would have given the British the opportunity to intervene. Once the British army had reached the Iberian Peninsula, it would be very difficult to drive them away! Queen Isabella II emphasized.

"Yes, Your Majesty! The Kingdom of Belgium and the Kingdom of Portugal joined forces to destroy the Kingdom of Holland in only four days. I believe that one week is enough time to destroy the Kingdom of Portugal. At that time, even if Britain wants to rescue, it will definitely be too late! "Simon. Duke Maria said.

Queen Isabella II nodded: "Then, give orders to the troops on the front line!" I hope to see the day when the flag of the Kingdom of Spain is planted in Lisbon! ”

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Simon. Duke Maria replied.

The Kingdom of Portugal has been following the actions of the Kingdom of Spain. Especially when the army of the Kingdom of Spain was gathered, the army deployed by the Kingdom of Portugal on the border entered the highest state of combat readiness. However, the Kingdom of Holland was destroyed in four days, which caused a great shock to the Kingdom of Portugal, and their faith was also greatly affected.

The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Portugal, Count Tommar, even asked King Pedro V for help from the British, asking the British to send troops into the Kingdom of Portugal to assist them in their fight against the Kingdom of Spain. However, the mention of the Kingdom of Portugal was not accepted by the British.

Although the Kingdom of Portugal was also threatened by the Kingdom of Spain, at this moment, the eyes of the British were still focused on the north of France, and 200,000 British troops had joined the Anglo-French army and were fighting the Belgian army on the long border of the Kingdom of Belgium. As for the request of the Kingdom of Portugal, the British side only asked the Kingdom of Portugal to find a way to resist the attack of the Kingdom of Spain.

On the morning of August 30, 1854, the Kingdom of Spain concentrated 350,000 troops and launched a fierce attack on the Portuguese army's defense line in several parts along the border of hundreds of kilometers. In particular, the defensive line located in Elvash was the direction of the Spanish Army's key offensive. The Spanish Army gathered four corps and more than 100,000 men to launch a fierce attack on the Portuguese defenders on the west bank of the Rio Tinto River.

At the beginning of the war, in order to defend against the attack of the Spanish army, the Portuguese army blew up the bridge over the Rio Tinto River. Fortunately, the Rio Tinto River is only a tributary of the Guadiana River, and the river is not wide, and at the end of August, even if it is an armed swim crossing, it can be crossed very easily.

After the offensive began, Spanish sappers erected two pontoon bridges over the Rio Tinto River under the cover of heavy artillery fire. The Spanish Army then began to cross the river, and only after suffering heavy casualties did it establish a beachhead on the west side of the Rio Tinto. In order to drive the Spanish army down the river, the Portuguese army also launched a fierce counterattack. However, in the face of the Spanish Army's dense firepower composed of heavy machine guns and mortars, the Portuguese Army suffered heavy losses and finally had to abandon the offensive, which allowed the Spanish Army to gain a firm foothold.

Subsequently, more and more pontoon bridges were erected, and a large number of Spanish troops crossed the Rio Tinto River, which directly caused the Portuguese army's defensive line at Elvash to suffer a heavy blow.

On 31 August, one or two infantry corps of the Spanish Army stormed Elvas, while the other two corps detoured to Elvas's flank and prepared to annihilate all the 100,000 Spanish troops entrenched in Elvas.

Seeing this, the Portuguese Army had no choice but to abandon Elvas and retreat. The Spanish Army took the opportunity to storm and annihilated countless enemies.

The Spanish Army also won victories on other fronts. For a time, the defensive line built by the Portuguese army on the border was broken through, and the losses were heavy, and the remaining troops had to retreat. As a direct result, the whole of Portugal was thrown into chaos, and telegrams for help continued to pour into Lisbon. The Portuguese government in Lisbon had no choice but to ask for help from the British! (To be continued......)

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