Empire Rise: Spain

Chapter 95: Antonio Cánovas Del Castillo

Since the South Morocco Colony is already prepared to be established, it is natural to consider the issue of selecting the Colonial Governor for the South Morocco Colony.

Carlo still held his previous idea; the current Colonial Governor of the South Morocco Colony did not have much role for Carlo, and Carlo did not have a suitable candidate in hand to serve in this position.

It would be better to conduct an interest exchange with Prime Minister Primó, considering future interests.

Yes, the purpose of Carlo conducting an interest exchange with Prime Minister Primó was to plan for future power.

Exchanging the position of one South Morocco Colonial Governor for a Cabinet Minister seat would not be a loss for Carlo or Prime Minister Primó.

Because Carlo had long expressed his supportive attitude toward Prime Minister Primó’s reforms, this Cabinet Minister seat would not only not affect Prime Minister Primó’s reforms but would instead become an aid to Prime Minister Primó’s reforms.

And the position of South Morocco Colonial Governor could similarly increase Prime Minister Primó’s influence to suppress those forces opposing the reforms.

Carlo would not lose out either. The Colonial Governor ultimately needed to be appointed by Carlo, and the governor of the South Morocco Colony would not resist Carlo’s rule.

The exchanged Cabinet Minister seat could also allow Carlo to cultivate his own confidants in the government, preparing for the power transition after Prime Minister Primó’s future retirement.

Currently, the majority in the government supported the monarchy, but this did not mean the future government would remain the same. Carlo would not entrust his destiny to others to control; only by mastering sufficient right to speak in the government could he ensure his own power would not be shaken by any accident.

Upon hearing that Carlo wanted to exchange the position of South Morocco Colonial Governor for a Cabinet Minister seat, Prime Minister Primó first frowned and pondered for a moment, then decided to agree.

“Your Majesty, your proposal is certainly acceptable. But the Finance Minister and Minister of Industry cannot be easily moved; for other positions, I can think of a way.” Prime Minister Primó said.

Although he agreed to exchange the Colonial Governor position for a Cabinet Minister seat, this did not mean Carlo could choose from all government departments in the cabinet.

The most important were the Ministry of Finance and Industry Department. The Ministry of Finance controlled the country’s funds, which Prime Minister Primó had to keep firmly in hand.

The Ministry of Finance was extremely important for a national government department; Spain’s Finance Minister was currently one of Prime Minister Primó’s confidants.

And in a country like the United Kingdom, it was generally the Prime Minister who concurrently served as Finance Minister, which also proved the importance of the Ministry of Finance to the government and the country.

After all, the Finance Department managed a country’s money, and the massive scale of these funds was beyond normal people’s imagination.

Prime Minister Primó’s reforms required large amounts of funds everywhere, so he definitely would not abandon supervision of the Finance Department.

The Industry Department, as one of Prime Minister Primó’s plans for reforms in Spain, was also quite important.

The position of Minister of Industry was basically something everyone fought for, because Spain’s industry in the future was destined to have considerable growth, and the Minister of Industry could basically earn merit effortlessly.

Besides the Ministry of Finance and Industry Department, although other departments were also important, exchanging them for a Colonial Governor position was not impossible.

Prime Minister Primó and Marshal Serrano had both served as Colonial Governors; this was not only a glorious resume but also a way to train one’s abilities.

Carlo nodded; he was not surprised by Prime Minister Primó’s requirements.

If Prime Minister Primó let Carlo choose any cabinet position, that would be the problem, after all, every national government had some more important departments and some relatively less important ones.

Although Carlo and Prime Minister Primó did not mention the Ministry of Defense held by Marshal Serrano, neither had any objections to the selection of the Minister of Defense.

Marshal Serrano’s position as Minister of Defense was quite stable; even Prime Minister Primó, who had sufficient prestige in the military, would not easily abolish Marshal Serrano’s position.

Carlo had even less need to say more. Marshal Serrano himself was very close to the royal power represented by Carlo; how could Carlo destroy the relationship between him and Marshal Serrano?

If Marshal Serrano were not older than Prime Minister Primó himself, Carlo even had plans to let Marshal Serrano bear the transitional provisional government after Prime Minister Primó’s retirement, and then cultivate his own confidant to lead the government after Marshal Serrano.

Carlo’s choice was the Minister of Agriculture.

As an agricultural nation, Spain’s position of Minister of Agriculture was still quite important. Moreover, Spain had previously reduced taxes for farmers, so agriculture was destined to usher in a golden period of development in the future.

The position of Minister of Agriculture was also destined to earn considerable merit in the future; combined with Carlo’s propaganda capabilities from his public opinion empire, cultivating a representative figure with influence and support in both the political arena and among civilians was no problem.

Upon hearing that Carlo had chosen the position of Minister of Agriculture, Prime Minister Primó nodded without any objection.

The two quickly reached an agreement; after Prime Minister Primó selected a suitable Colonial Governor candidate, he would submit it to Carlo for confirmation.

After Carlo confirmed, he would appoint the Colonial Governor, and the vacant Minister of Agriculture position would be filled by Carlo’s recommended candidate.

This was a relatively normal political interest exchange, with both sides getting what they needed, and the result satisfied both Primó and Carlo.

After reporting the specific work, Prime Minister Primó returned to the government to preside over his political affairs, while Carlo carefully selected candidates for the new Minister of Agriculture.

Speaking of the candidate for Minister of Agriculture, Carlo actually had related candidates in mind. It was just that Carlo was not too sure if he could trust him, after all, this Minister of Agriculture seat was not only one of the cabinet ministers but also the beginning of Carlo exerting influence over the government.

The candidate that made Carlo somewhat hesitant was named Antonio Cánovas del Castillo, one of the main representatives of Spain’s Royalist Party.

As a conservative thinker, Antonio Cánovas del Castillo had expressed firm support for the monarchy, so in principle, he should be Carlo’s absolute supporter.

But the problem lay here. Antonio Cánovas del Castillo supported the monarchy and was a Spaniard, but he was an old minister who had served as a Cabinet Minister during Queen Isabella’s reign and had been loyal to the queen.

Carlo even somewhat suspected whether Antonio Cánovas del Castillo’s loyalty was to the monarchy or to the Bourbon family and Queen Isabella.

Faced with this staunch Royalist Party from the Conservative Parties, Carlo instead doubted his loyalty to himself, which was also the reason for Carlo’s hesitation.

But if considering prestige and influence in the political arena, Antonio Cánovas del Castillo was indeed a relatively suitable candidate.

During Queen Isabella’s reign, he had successively served as Minister of the Interior and Overseas Territories Minister; if Queen Isabella’s rule had not been overthrown, he even had hopes of ascending to the Prime Minister’s seat.

Another point was that Antonio Cánovas del Castillo was born in 1828; he was 18 years younger than Marshal Serrano and 14 years younger than Prime Minister Primó, right in the golden age of his political career.

Carlo considered him as a candidate also because of this; his age qualified him to wait for Prime Minister Primó’s retirement and seek major progress in his political career after Prime Minister Primó’s retirement.

Should he choose such a Royalist minister who seemed to protect the king but not himself? Carlo was somewhat hesitant.

After thinking for a long time, Carlo finally decided to meet this old minister from Queen Isabella’s era to see if he could be of use to him.

If he could not be loyal to him and of use to him, it would be best to find someone else.

After all, what Carlo wanted to cultivate was the transitional government Prime Minister after Primó, not an ordinary Cabinet Minister.

If he could not earn his trust, the best way was to find someone he believed in. Employ without doubt, doubt without employing. If there was suspicion from the beginning, the final result was destined to be bad.

In the resplendent banquet hall of the Madrid Royal Palace, Carlo received Antonio Cánovas del Castillo and had a brief conversation.

Carlo specifically chose the place to receive Antonio Cánovas del Castillo as the drawing room that Queen Isabella had once favored the most.

This place not only displayed antiques and paintings from Europe or even the entire world but also various luxuries, murals, and ornaments.

Just the value of this one drawing room was as high as hundreds of thousands of pesetas; those who could be received in this drawing room were generally the king’s confidants.

Returning to this vast and luxurious drawing room after several years, Antonio Cánovas del Castillo’s mood was somewhat complex.

The monarch before him had changed from Queen Isabella to the even younger Carlo, and the Spanish Government had long transformed from the autocratic kingdom government into a constitutional government after reforms.

“Your Majesty!” Antonio Cánovas del Castillo respectfully gave Carlo a Spanish-style noble salute, positioning himself very low.

“Mr. Cánovas, pleased to meet you,” Carlo smiled and nodded, gesturing for Antonio Cánovas del Castillo to sit in the chair next to him.

“I am also honored to meet you, Your Majesty.” Cánovas had a humble and respectful demeanor, carefully sitting on the stool next to him without any impropriety in his manners.

“You served as Minister of the Interior six years ago and as Overseas Territories Minister four years ago, right?” Carlo asked with a smile.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Antonio Cánovas del Castillo nodded, still not understanding Carlo’s intention.

“The position of Minister of Agriculture is about to become vacant; I plan to recommend you to Prime Minister Primó for Minister of Agriculture. What are your thoughts?” Carlo continued.

“It is my honor, Your Majesty.” Antonio Cánovas del Castillo immediately stood up, his eyes filled with gratitude toward Carlo.

“Sit first.” Carlo gestured again for Cánovas to sit, then said with a hint of depth: “However, Mr. Cánovas, before recommending you for Minister of Agriculture, I want to ask you a few questions first.”

“Please ask, Your Majesty.” Although Antonio Cánovas del Castillo did not know what Carlo would ask, he knew now he just needed to listen quietly to the questions and answer honestly.

“You served as a Cabinet Minister during Queen Isabella’s reign and expressed support for the Bourbon Dynasty during the Provisional Government period. Mr. Cánovas, I want to ask you, is your loyalty to the King or to the Bourbon family?” Carlo’s face bore a warm smile, but his words made Cánovas break out in a cold sweat.

“Of course I am loyal to the King, Your Majesty!” Antonio Cánovas del Castillo quickly stood up and explained hurriedly: “You are the King of Spain; the object of my loyalty is forever only one, that is you, Your Majesty the King.

The Bourbon Dynasty is in the past; the Spaniards chose a more suitable king, and as a member of the Spaniards, I naturally also support the Spaniards’ decision.

Your Majesty, Cánovas is your subject and will forever express loyalty only to you.”

Cánovas was not foolish; he naturally knew why Carlo asked this.

If his answer was even slightly off, let alone the Minister of Agriculture mentioned by Carlo earlier, his political career afterward probably would not go smoothly.

After all, Primó would not offend Carlo for Cánovas; although Carlo’s power was not great, he could still completely block an official.

The current political arena was not so pure. Even if Carlo were the kind of king who bore grudges, Cánovas might not see the next day’s sun after answering wrongly.

Although he had indeed supported the Bourbon Dynasty before, with Queen Isabella and the Carlist faction successively driven away, he naturally would not be foolishly loyal to the Bourbon Dynasty.

“Of course I believe you, Mr. Cánovas.” Carlo smiled and nodded, seemingly already believing Cánovas’s statement: “I was just asking; of course I believe in your loyalty.

Mr. Cánovas, I will recommend you to Prime Minister Primó. You Royalists are my loyal subjects; of course I will not forget your contributions to the kingdom.”

Antonio Cánovas del Castillo nodded repeatedly and said very respectfully: “Serving you is my honor, Your Majesty.

No matter whose rule Spain once belonged to, the Spaniards now are forever your loyal subjects.”

Carlo’s purpose, besides winning over Cánovas as this Royalist representative figure, was also to win over more Royalists to be loyal to him through him.

Because the Bourbon Dynasty had ruled Spain for over a hundred years, most in the Royalist Party still had favorable feelings toward the Bourbon Dynasty.

What Carlo needed to do was make them understand that the House of Savoy was still the current master of Spain; if these Royalists could not be of use to him, the best way was to abolish them and cultivate Royalist factions loyal to the House of Savoy.

Four thousand words, third update, seeking support!

Riwandi day five, already updated 10000/10000, seeking support!