Empire Rise: Spain

Chapter 193: Dissolving Parliament And Abolishing The Cabinet

At the very moment the Toledo army arrived in Madrid, Grand Duke Serrano, who had remained in the military camp without emerging, finally made a public appearance and brought new orders from King Carlo, namely nationwide martial law.

Because Prime Minister Primó was severely injured and unconscious, and due to Acting Prime Minister Ruiz’s erroneous decision, a massive conflict erupted between the police and the workers’ parade. As King of Spain, Carlo announced in accordance with the constitution to dissolve the Spanish Parliament, abolish the Spanish Cabinet Government, and establish the Spanish Provisional Military Government, with Army Marshal Serrano serving as Commander-in-Chief of the Provisional Military Government, and Minister of Industry Cánovas serving as Governor of Madrid for the Provisional Military Government.

At the very moment the order was promulgated, the Spanish Army marched grandly into the cities and launched extremely brutal suppression against the rebels besieging the parliament building and government building.

By this point, it would certainly cause unnecessary casualties to the parading workers. But there was no way around it; to completely draw out these rebel nobles, some helpless sacrifices were inevitable.

However, Carlo would not hold the parading workers accountable, as they too had been coerced by the rebel nobles. Although their parade had caused enormous losses to the Spanish Government, it had also promoted Carlo’s grasp of power.

With Prime Minister Primó severely injured and unconscious, and Progressive Party’s number two figure Ruiz’s reputation severely damaged, Carlo’s power had grown infinitely.

Indeed, as long as he could control the army, Carlo could establish a monarchical regime at any time, turning the entire Kingdom of Spain into his one-man show.

But excessive autocracy was not a good thing. Even if Carlo could steer Spain’s direction relying on historical experience and lessons, he could only ensure no problems arose during his own rule.

If the heirs to the throne made mistakes in their choices, the monarchy could very well push the House of Savoy’s rule in Spain into the abyss.

Among the monarchical systems of European countries, the one Carlo actually wanted to emulate was the United Kingdom’s monarchical system. Although the King of the United Kingdom usually had little power, as long as the king steadily cultivated his own prestige and governed for a longer time, he could still obtain substantial power in the mid-to-late stages.

This system could ensure that capable kings obtained the power they deserved, while incapable kings serving as figureheads was also fine, at least ensuring the throne would not be lost in their hands.

Of course, this system had to be promoted step by step. In the early stages of Carlo’s rule, Carlo would not relinquish all power to the government and parliament.

When announcing the final sweep, Carlo had already left the South Morocco Colony, leading a large entourage back to Madrid in grand style.

This inspection of the South Morocco Colony had originally been a lure the snake out of its hole; since the original purpose had been accomplished, the inspection of the South Morocco Colony should naturally end.

The entire fishing process had gone relatively smoothly, though some accidents occurred midway. Prime Minister Primó falling into a severe coma was something Carlo had not anticipated; Carlo had previously advised Prime Minister Primó multiple times to strengthen his defensive strength, but he had not expected the enemy to exploit a loophole anyway.

The good news was that although Prime Minister Primó was severely injured and unconscious, he at least had no life-threatening danger. However, when he would wake up, and the extent of bodily damage after waking, remained uncertain.

Perhaps Prime Minister Primó’s retirement would be advanced due to this assassination, but for Carlo, this might be a good thing, as no one could obstruct his grasp of power anymore, and the only threat, Ruiz, had stepped forward himself in this operation and dug his own pit.

Under the army’s suppression, the nobles’ rebellion was quickly quelled, and the government regained control of the government building and parliament building.

The workers’ parade that had threatened Madrid for several days was also resolved under Grand Duke Serrano’s personal promise.

After all, the workers’ initial purpose was merely to guarantee their own interests; they had no intention of opposing the government, merely following the crowd with hatred for capitalists.

Although Grand Duke Serrano’s prestige among the Spanish civilians was not as high as Prime Minister Primó’s, he represented King Carlo of Spain.

With promises from the king and Grand Duke Serrano’s personal appearance, plus the rebel nobles already executed, the workers’ parade was naturally resolved easily.

By the time Carlo returned to Spain, it was already the evening of the next day.

Upon just returning to the Royal Palace of Madrid, Grand Duke Serrano and Cánovas brought the list of nobles who participated in the rebellion and some officials who secretly defected to the Bourbon family.

It was quite shocking; the nobles and high officials connected to the Bourbon family numbered as many as hundreds, including 14 dukes, 4 marquises, 32 counts, and over 50 barons.

Just the number of rebel nobles approached a hundred, and the land held by the 14 dukes and 4 marquises alone was several times that in the hands of the Spanish Royal Family.

“It’s truly eye-opening!” Carlo looked at the list of rebel nobles in his hand, his icy gaze making even Grand Duke Serrano somewhat fearful.

Compared to these nobles, the officials related to the rebellion were unimportant. Apart from a small number of members of parliament, the remaining officials were not of high rank and had no qualifications to be listed alongside the nobles.

“Bring Cadillac over.” Carlo’s voice was extremely cold, devoid of any affection.

Director of the Royal Security Intelligence Bureau Cadillac walked over with his head held high, his eyes full of loyalty and fanaticism, respectfully saluting Carlo before quietly awaiting orders.

This was the first time Carlo had revealed his trump card in front of others; the Royal Security Intelligence Bureau had not been publicly disclosed before, and Prime Minister Primó only knew that Carlo had such an organization.

“Investigate these people thoroughly for me, don’t let a single one go.” Carlo’s face bore a cold smile, already sentencing them to death: “Investigate their families, investigate their friends.

Arrest anyone connected to the Bourbon remnants in the Royal Security Intelligence Bureau’s prison. Also, I don’t want such things to happen again; for the culprits in France, I believe you know what to do.”

“As you command, Your Majesty.” Cadillac nodded; of course he knew what Carlo meant.

Since the Bourbon family had planned the assassination of Prime Minister Primó, it was only natural for Spain to assassinate back.

Although the Bourbon family was once the Spanish Royal Family, that did not mean they had the right to meddle in Carlo’s Spain.

Since they had the audacity to participate in Spain’s internal affairs and plot the subversion and rebellion of the Spanish Government, they should have the audacity to bear all the consequences.

Carlo was not some indecisive person. Since the Bourbon family had become his enemy, the best way to deal with them was to annihilate the Bourbon family.

Hearing the naked implications in Carlo’s words, Grand Duke Serrano swallowed hard but did not dare refute in the slightest.

Cánovas beside him showed no expression whatsoever, quietly listening to Carlo’s further instructions.

After seeing Cadillac off, Carlo turned his gaze to Grand Duke Serrano and Cánovas waiting quietly beside him, smiling as he continued: “

Gentlemen, although the situation in Madrid has stabilized, Prime Minister Primó remains severely injured and unconscious. May God bless Prime Minister Primó with a swift recovery, but the most important issue for us now is to get the Spanish Government back to work and end the recent chaos.

The Acting Prime Minister for the parliamentary election handled this crisis very poorly, so I abolished the Spanish Parliament. To ensure the government’s smooth operation, I have decided to reorganize the Provisional Military Government into a Provisional Cabinet, with Grand Duke Serrano serving as Prime Minister of the Provisional Cabinet, and you, Cánovas, serving as Deputy Prime Minister of the Provisional Cabinet. What do you think?”

Grand Duke Serrano had not expected the prime minister’s seat to return to his hands after many years, so he naturally had no opposing attitude.

While Cánovas was taking the newly established position of Deputy Prime Minister, it was still related to the prime minister and was certainly a promotion compared to the previous Minister of Industry.

Seeing neither opposed, Carlo nodded in satisfaction before instructing: “In that case, the task of keeping the government running is entrusted to you.

The parliament has been dissolved, so your appointments only need to be announced in the government’s name. It won’t be too late to discuss parliament formation and cabinet elections after Prime Minister Primó recovers.”

Having Grand Duke Serrano serve as Prime Minister of the Provisional Cabinet was a choice Carlo made after consideration. While he could directly promote Cánovas to Prime Minister of the Provisional Cabinet, that would seem too deliberate, and Cánovas did not yet have sufficient prestige to suppress the government and army after the chaos.

Making Grand Duke Serrano the transitional figure in the power exchange was the best choice. He had sufficient prestige and status to maintain the stability of the government and army, and due to his advanced age, he would not affect subsequent power transitions.

If Prime Minister Primó, born in 1814, was nearing retirement age, then Grand Duke Serrano, four years older than Prime Minister Primó, was now at the advanced age of

This was actually one of the reasons Carlo felt at ease making Grand Duke Serrano Prime Minister of the Provisional Cabinet; after all, this was not posterity, and 65 was already quite advanced.

On the morning of November 7, 1875, the Spanish Government formally announced Carlo’s orders, namely that Spain would reorganize the Provisional Military Government into a Provisional Cabinet Government, with Grand Duke Serrano serving as Cabinet Prime Minister, and Cánovas serving as Cabinet Deputy Prime Minister, that is, Secretary of State.

Apart from adding a new Deputy Prime Minister as Secretary of State position, Spain’s Provisional Cabinet positions underwent quite a few changes.

The ten major departments of defense, finance, industry, agriculture, civil affairs, transportation, public security, medical treatment, education, and diplomacy remained unchanged; in addition, Minister of Royal Affairs, Minister of Colonial Affairs, and Minister of Justice were added, three positions.

Including the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Spain’s cabinet had a total of 15 important positions. However, the Deputy Prime Minister generally also served as minister of a department, so cabinet members were usually

Three thousand words additional update delivered; today’s main chapter will be a bit later.