Rise of Empires: Spain

Chapter 7: Prussian-Austrian conflict

Garibaldi eventually accepted Carlo's invitation to become a collaborator with the Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore, publishing his stories in the paper.

Although Garibaldi initially had some hesitation, all obstacles disappeared once Carlo obtained permission from his father, Vittorio Emanuele II.

The reason why Vittorio Emanuele II agreed to let Garibaldi publish his article was quite simple. After all, Carlo owned The Sun, and Garibaldi's articles would still be subject to review; it was impossible for just any article to be published.

As for whether Carlo would be misled by Garibaldi and agree to Garibaldi's articles advocating republicanism, Vittorio Emanuele II was not worried at all.

Laurent was a talent he personally selected, and his loyalty to the royal family and support for the monarchy are trustworthy.

Carlo was, of course, extremely excited. At that time, the Italians' attitude towards Garibaldi was equivalent to that of later die-hard fans towards their favorite celebrities; the word "fervent" simply doesn't do it justice.

Once Garibaldi's article is published in Il Sole 24 Ore, it will immediately become one of the most famous newspapers in Italy and expand at an extremely rapid pace.

Perhaps the task Carlo assigned to Loren could be completed in less than two years, giving Carlo more time to plan other things.

Time flies, and three and a half months have passed in a flash.

Thanks to Garibaldi's immense reputation, despite publishing only two articles in three and a half months, Il Sole 24 Ore became one of the most famous newspapers in the entire Kingdom of Italy, easily achieving a daily circulation of 10,000 copies.

The Sun newspaper is now profitable and is rapidly expanding by leveraging Garibaldi's fame.

Because of its location in a developed industrial area in northern Italy, the newspaper's expansion has been unimpeded, and it is expected to exceed 20,000 copies in daily sales this year, becoming a truly major newspaper.

This era was different from later generations; newspapers were the most effective means for people to learn about the outside world.

Although only 10,000 copies of the newspaper were sold, the number of readers was definitely more than 10,000. Considering that each household has 3 to 5 people, the Italian newspaper Il Sole could reach nearly 50,000 people.

Through word of mouth among these 50,000 people, news published in newspapers could reach hundreds of thousands of Italians in a short period of time.

This is also the power that public opinion can demonstrate. In a time when people's leisure activities are not very developed, the power of public opinion that newspapers can demonstrate is enormous.

Both times, it was Garibaldi's second son, Jyoti, who was in charge of delivering the manuscripts. Carlo also developed a good relationship with Jyoti through these two meetings.

The saying "Like father, like son" is quite apt when describing Garibaldi's two sons.

In Garibaldi's many military campaigns, both sons played important roles, acting as Garibaldi's assistants.

Moreover, compared to the already elderly Garibaldi, his two sons were in their prime, the peak of their lives.

To be honest, Carlo was quite envious of Garibaldi's two sons.

Although he was not as outstanding a military talent as Garibaldi, his level was definitely above average, and having been influenced by Garibaldi for a long time, he was not rigid in character.

It's a pity that Carlo is still too young, otherwise he would have considered inviting Jyoti to serve as his court guard.

As June 1866 arrived, Carlo's previously calm heart began to feel somewhat tense.

The good news is that the Austro-Prussian War will most likely unfold as it has in history, as border clashes between Prussia and Austria already occurred at the end of May.

This was indeed a war that was fundamentally unavoidable. Influenced by the trend of German unification, the two major powers within German territory, Prussia and Austria, were destined to have a victor.

Fortunately, Italy sided with Prussia, the historical victor. Moreover, Italy could achieve a victory effortlessly, easily recapturing the Venetian region while the Austrians were on guard against Prussia.

The bad news is that the Italian army performed extremely poorly in this war, setting a good precedent for Italy in both World War I and World War II.

If Prussia had not been so powerful at that time, the newly formed Kingdom of Italy would probably have been just a fleeting shooting star across the Apennine Peninsula.

For Carlo now, the most difficult question is how to influence his father, Vittorio Emanuele II.

Because the Italian army that was quickly defeated was led by his own father, Vittorio Emanuele II, and soon lost his head.

In other words, the southern front had no impact on Prussia in the north; otherwise, the world situation might have been very different.

Carlo understood that, given his abilities and status, it was impossible for him to influence the course of the Austro-Prussian War.

To reverse Italy's poor performance in the Austro-Prussian War, it was necessary to bring back Garibaldi, Italy's true war god, to command the Italian army.

But this is precisely the most troublesome issue. Under the current circumstances, it is highly unlikely that Vittorio Victor Emmanuel II would agree to let Garibaldi command the Italian army.

Having no other option, Carlo could only resort to a roundabout approach, using another method to persuade Garibaldi to join the war ahead of schedule.

As June arrived, the border conflict between Prussia and Austria intensified. The two major powers in the German region, one in the north and one in the south, were destined to be unable to coexist peacefully for long. Whoever won this conflict would unify the entire German region and achieve their strategic goal of dominating Central Europe.

The tense situation affected not only the entire German region but also Prussia's ally, Italy.

Vittorio Emanuele II has convened two cabinet meetings regarding the tensions in Germany and has instructed the Italian army to be ready at any time.

Amid this tense situation, Carlo also began his own experiment.

"My God, Carlo, do you even know what you're saying?"

Inside the small, luxurious dining room of the palace, Vittorio Emanuele II, who had been enjoying his breakfast with a relaxed expression, suddenly looked at his favorite son across from him with a surprised expression and asked incredulously.

“Of course I understand, Father.” Carlo nodded, took a deep breath, and then said, “That’s why I understand the importance of this matter.”

“I expect you to give me a reasonable explanation, otherwise I will consider the dangers of letting you get close to Garibaldi.” At this moment, Vittorio Emanuele II seemed more like the King of Italy than an ordinary father, looking at Carlo with a deep and serious gaze, and said each word clearly.