Probably under the influence of the Catalan armed forces, the actions of the Prim government and the Carlos faction have also accelerated sharply.

In the early hours of 16 September, the Carlos faction, fed up with the government's endless purges, sent 20,000 troops from northwestern Aragon into the autonomous community of La Rioja.

La Rioja is the smallest autonomous community in Spain, with a population of just over 100,000.

In less than a day, La Rioja threw himself into Carlos' arms, and the Prim government didn't even have time to react.

At the same time, the Basque Country, Navarre, La Rioja, Aragon and northern Valencia jointly announced that they would no longer recognize the rebellious government of Prim, and that the legitimate king of Spain should be His Majesty Don Carlos.

The government was ordered to disarm immediately, surrender to them, they could pardon all the sinners, and only 6 hours were given a reply.

Unlike in history, this time the Carlos faction did not take the form of guerrilla warfare, inspired by the secession of Catalonia as a whole, and they have been intensifying their infiltration of the government for half a year.

At the beginning of the rebellion, the leaders of the Basque and Aragon communities were their men, and in the rest of the Navarra and other areas, they sent troops to storm government buildings and take control of the institutions.

Inside Madrid, the atmosphere in the conference room was a bit heavy, with Prim and Francisco and several other senior government officials not saying a word.

They have just issued a strongly worded statement resolutely fighting the rebel forces to the end.

Another Spanish Civil War, begun!

"Didn't you expect this day to come a long time ago? Easier, Carlos's tens of thousands of unequipped, untrained beggars will soon be killed by our lads in formation. Francisco took a sip of his coffee and broke the silence with a smile.

"No... I'm just wondering if it's the right choice not to send more troops to the north beforehand. Prim muffled.

Rodriguez, a member of the regent group, explained: "It's not that I don't want to defend it, it's that I can't hold it, and other areas have been surging recently. Many people want to defect to His Majesty in Catalonia, and we need the army to maintain order.

Moreover, the army of the Northern Autonomous Regions is full of reactionaries, plus their 80,000-strong beggar army. We need time to assemble our forces. ”

"Okay, anyway, we've got the real thing under you." Prim lit another cigarette and took a deep breath.

……

"The war has begun." After reading the report, Campos turned to Alfonso and said.

"Pay close attention, report at any time, and let the border troops strengthen their vigilance." Alfonso said lightly.

The Carlos faction occupied the northeastern part of Spain, forming a ring separating Catalonia in the upper right corner from the territory of the Free Government.

As the saying goes, if you go outside, you must first settle inside, and everyone understands this truth, although at present both sides are going towards each other, it is difficult to say that the Carlos faction will not find a way to kill Catalonia in the rear first, so as not to fall into the dilemma of fighting on two fronts.

"Do you need to mobilize? We currently have only 50,000 troops, and when the Carlos faction takes over the government forces in the north, we may have 100,000 to 120,000 troops in the short term. Campos asked.

Alfonso thought about it for a moment and said: "Mobilize, disperse some troops to the border hills, and be careful that they fight with us in the mountains." ”

Since the third phase of the army has not yet entered service, even if mobilized, the total number of Catalan troops will not exceed 70,000, which is still at a disadvantage.

……

Alfonso's fears are justified.

The 124 men of the 3rd Cavalry Company of the 1st Cavalry Battalion, to which the 1st Cavalry Division belonged to the 1st Cavalry Division, were quietly advancing along the forests of western Catalonia.

It is now the early hours of the 17th, and their task is to sabotage the border railway and delay the movement of the Catalan army.

In a few hours, Carlos' large force will attack from the front, destroying the 2nd Catalan Infantry Division stationed in the province of Lleida in one fell swoop.

True, the Carlos faction keenly noted the war potential and deadly geographical location of Catalonia.

The government army's battlefield is only a feint, and the real purpose is to destroy Catalan in one fell swoop before it can react and mobilize.

To this end, they drew most of the army, plus the temporarily conscripted militia and the volunteers of foreign reactionary forces, the total number of which exceeded 80,000!

It is not allowed for the snipe and the clam to compete and the fisherman to profit.