Empire Rise: Spain

Chapter 19: Preparations Before Departure

It seemed Vittorio Emanuele II had long anticipated that Carlo would say this. He sighed but still nodded helplessly and said, “Alright, child, I can only wish you all the best. May God bless you, my child.”

“Father, I’m going to Spain. Aren’t you going to give me any funds?” Carlo suddenly spoke up, looking like he was demanding payment.

“Haha, of course there are, child.” Carlo’s interruption successfully eased some of Vittorio Emanuele II’s emotional sadness. The old king also smiled and said, “But I must remind you that the king’s funds cannot be mixed with the government’s finance. No matter how short of money the government is, you can only provide funds to the government through loans. Understand?”

This was actually a lesson learned in blood. Under monarchy it would be fine; a king who holds great power can freely withdraw funds from the treasury, and the only one to suffer would be the government.

But Spain is a constitutional monarchy. If the king’s private treasury is not distinguished from the government’s treasury, the king will be the one to suffer.

Moreover, it is easy to be exploited, and one could easily be saddled with the accusation of misappropriating government funds, incurring the hatred of the Spaniards.

This was also why Vittorio Emanuele II reminded Carlo: the king’s private treasury and the government’s treasury must be clearly distinguished. Even for loans, the specific interest and repayment period need to be written out.

Carlo nodded. He still understood these things. Many of Carlo’s plans required substantial funds to pave the way, and his own private treasury could not be mixed with the government’s treasury.

After a slight silence, Vittorio Emanuele II looked at his youngest son and said, “Italy’s finance is not affluent, but the House of Savoy still has some capital.

I give you 30 million lira, plus some servants to take care of your daily life. Child, if you feel that being King of Spain is not the life you want, Italy will always welcome you back.” Carlo was somewhat surprised by the level of support from Vittorio Emanuele II.

30 million lira was equivalent to 2 million pound sterling. Though the number seemed small, in the era of dreadnoughts it was already enough to build a dreadnought of capital ship level.

Even for the United Kingdom, currently the most powerful in comprehensive national strength, a skilled worker’s weekly wage was only 9 shillings and 6 pence—this was for adult male workers; for women or children, it would be even lower.（1 pound sterling＝20 shillings, 1 shilling＝12 pence）

2 million pound sterling was equivalent to the income from more than 50,000 British workers laboring hard for a year, which was enough to prove the enormity of this sum of funds.

Even for the Italian Royal Family, the annual income after all expenditures was only 300,000 to 400,000 pound sterling, and at most would not exceed 500,000 pound sterling.

This also meant that Vittorio Emanuele II had essentially handed over three years of the royal family’s income to Carlo, giving him ample funds in Spain to carry out his plans.

Although he had not experienced father-son family affection with Vittorio Emanuele II since childhood, Carlo was still moved by his father Vittorio Emanuele II’s sincere intentions.

This also strengthened Carlo’s resolve: he absolutely could not let the Italian Royal Family vanish into thin air along with Mussolini. Whether Vittorio Emanuele II or Crown Prince Umberto, as long as the House of Savoy controlled Italy for one day, Carlo’s Spain would never take the initiative to be enemies with Italy.

A few days later, Carlo met Primó again.

Although only less than ten days had passed between the two meetings, the conversation between the two had become more intimate and friendly.

Primó looked at the king candidate he had personally selected and expressed his respect and support: “Esteemed Your Highness Carlo, on behalf of the Prime Minister of Spain, I invite you to inherit the Spanish throne and become the king of all Spaniards.”

“This is my honor, Marquis Primó.” Carlo nodded with a smile; he felt no embarrassment at all about this throne won through legitimate competition.

“I look forward to cooperating with you, Marquis Primó.” Carlo continued, “As I said before, I will unconditionally support your reform and will not be trouble in your reform.”

Hearing Carlo straightforwardly express support for the reform, the weight on Primó’s heart finally lifted, and he became very relaxed and pleased.

“It is also my honor to serve you, Your Highness.” Primó gave Carlo a standard Spanish noble salute, then said very seriously.

For the monarch he recognized, Primó did not mind serving him. Although Primó’s loyalty was to all of Spain, as long as Carlo sat on the Spanish throne for one day and did not show himself to be an incompetent ruler, Primó would be loyal to Carlo.

“Now that the throne is settled, I will return to Spain in the next few days. Your Highness, I hope you can arrive in Madrid within a month; we will prepare a grand coronation ceremony for you.” A smile also appeared on Primó’s face as he said to Carlo.

“No need, Marquis Primó.” Carlo shook his head, rejecting Primó’s proposal.

Looking at the somewhat surprised Primó, Carlo smiled and explained, “Give me a few days to prepare, and I will go to Spain with you.”

Although the Spanish throne, like the Franco-Prussian War, had come more than a year early, Carlo was still worried that any accident might occur.

If Primó were assassinated after returning to Spain, Carlo heading to Madrid would still face a situation like Amadeo’s, with no one usable.

Although the subordinates Carlo had selected for himself, including Garibaldi’s second son Giuseppe, already possessed good ability, these people could not start in high positions.

The only two people Carlo could rely on in Spain were Primó and Serrano, who held power in both the Spanish Government and the army.

The most important among them was Primó. Not only was Primó a key figure among the reformists, his ability also surpassed Serrano’s.

In Carlo’s plan, Primó would continue to serve as Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Spain until his body could no longer bear the burden or Spain’s reform was completed.

Compared to Primó, Serrano was actually more suited to be the army’s anchor. As a former officer, Serrano had sufficient prestige in the army, making him the best choice to lead the Spanish army.

In the first few years of Carlo’s governance, power would still be controlled by Primó and Serrano; this period was also the time for Carlo’s several prime ministers to gain experience and cultivate prestige.

Only after confirming that one of them could take over Primó and Serrano’s positions would Carlo consider letting these two anchors retire.

Second update, seeking support!