Rise of Empires: Spain

Chapter 19: Arrival in Madrid

On August 17, 1869, Carlo, accompanied by his three confidants—Jioti, Carmen Esposito, and Drew Rosso—as well as dozens of servants, cooks, tailors, and doctors personally selected by his father, Vittorio Emanuele II, and a royal guard of about 500 men, boarded a ship bound for Spain.

Carlo was quite satisfied with the palace guard his father had entrusted to him. At Carlo's insistence, most of the soldiers in this palace guard had participated in the Italian unification wars, and many of them had even served under Garibaldi.

The fighting capacity of these soldiers is guaranteed, and with Giovanni Garibaldi's second son, Jyoti, in command, their loyalty is also assured.

Furthermore, the families of these soldiers would accompany Carlo to Spain, which was another way to ensure their loyalty.

Simply put, from now on, these soldiers will be entirely under Carlo's control. Carlo will also need to provide them with military funding and weapons in exchange for their absolute loyalty.

With these 500 men as a foundation, it will be much easier for Carlo to expand his personal guard in the future. After all, to build an army, in addition to carefully selecting the commander, it is also necessary to have some junior officers who have actually experienced war in order to speed up the formation of the army and shape the soul of an elite force.

On the largest ship in the fleet, Carmen Esposito and Andrew Rosso were looking at the vast Mediterranean Sea with great excitement.

The two were extremely excited when they learned that Carlo was an Italian prince. They had initially thought Carlo was just a nobleman, but his status was far higher than they had imagined.

The two were utterly shocked when they learned from Carlo a few days earlier that he was about to be crowned king in Spain.

This led to both of them expressing their excitement and agreement when Carlo invited them to Spain.

After all, as commoners, they didn't have many opportunities for advancement in Italy, and it was very difficult for them to get promoted.

There are many outstanding graduates like them, but Italy doesn't offer them much room to develop their talents freely.

But things would be completely different if they went to Spain. Carlo didn't have many capable men under his command; they were his most trusted confidants, and they would naturally receive ample training.

Although he was initially only Carlo's deputy captain of the palace guard, Carlo promised that the palace guard would soon be expanded to a brigade.

Both Carmen Esposito and André Rosso were able to serve as regimental commanders in the expanded Guards Brigade. This was far better than their prospects of remaining in Italy, where, as junior officers, they could only hold the rank of company commander.

At this point, both men were completely devoted to Carlo and had even persuaded their families to go to Spain with them.

The two guys, one fat and one thin, weren't stupid. They knew what they had to do to show their loyalty in order to gain Carlo's favor.

Carlo certainly recognized their contributions. If these two men were indeed capable, Carlo wouldn't mind nurturing them into leading figures in the Spanish army.

If their abilities are average, they will also become models for Carlo's extravagant spending to acquire Magu, and enter important positions in departments such as the Ministry of Defense or the General Staff.

After several days at sea, the fleet finally approached Barcelona in Catalonia.

The port of Barcelona was packed with people, with crowds surrounding the area, seemingly welcoming Carlo's arrival.

“Your Majesty, Regent Serrano is already waiting for you at the port.” Seeing Carlo’s puzzled expression, Primo stepped forward and said to Carlo with a smile.

Upon hearing Primo's words, Carlo immediately understood that this crowd was prepared in advance by Serrano to make Carlo's arrival in Spain less awkward.

If Carlos comes to Spain and no one welcomes him, and the public doesn't even react positively, then it will only be embarrassing for Carlos and the government that chose him as king.

Carlo nodded, his smile unchanged: "Where is Mr. Serrano?"

Following Primo's directions, Carlo and his entourage, escorted by guards, slowly walked onto the port and headed towards the location of the Spanish government.

The moment Carlo stepped onto the port, the band that had been waiting there played the Spanish national anthem, "Royal March."

This song is excellent here, as it not only highlights the importance of welcoming the new king but also emphasizes the Spanish monarchy, giving Carlos ample face.

"Your Highness!" The Spanish government officials bowed to Carlo.

Because Carlos had not yet sworn in as King of Spain, he was still a Duke of Italy at this time.

However, the oath could be taken at any time, unlike the coronation ceremony, so no one was lax in their treatment of Carlo.

Primo and Serrano smiled as they introduced Carlo to the Spanish government officials, and Carlo entered Barcelona amidst their warm welcome.

This is just a stopover. After a short rest, Carlo and the other officials will embark on their journey back to Madrid.

The good news is that although Spain doesn't have a vast railway network, it still boasts nearly 5,000 kilometers of railway lines. And Barcelona, ​​as a major city on the east coast, naturally has a railway line connecting it to Madrid.

The bad news is that railways in this era were extremely slow, and the riding experience was far inferior to that of later generations.

For Carlo, the journey from Barcelona to Madrid was perhaps even worse than the turbulent days on the Mediterranean.

The good news is that once he returns to Madrid, Carlos will be able to live in the sprawling Royal Palace of Madrid.

This is known as the third largest royal palace in Europe, second only to Versailles and Schönbrunn Palace. This also reflects the extravagance of the Spanish Bourbon dynasty; at least in terms of the royal family's food, clothing, and daily necessities, the successive Spanish kings of the Bourbon dynasty were never stingy.

On August 23, 1869, Carlo finally arrived in Madrid, and Primo returned to the political center of Spain after many days.

Although Carlo was eager to visit Madrid in 1869, after several days of travel, he had no energy left to think about anything else.

The officials and soldiers traveling with him shared the same thought.

On his first day in Madrid, Carlo simply went to the Royal Palace of Madrid with his confidants and servants, and slept soundly in the clean royal bedroom that had been prepared for him.