Rise of Empires: Spain

Chapter 18: Preparations Before Departure

Seemingly anticipating Carlo's response, Vittorio Emanuele II sighed, but nodded helplessly, saying, "Well, my 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 money?” Carlo suddenly asked, looking like he was demanding payment.

“Haha, of course, my child.” Carlo’s interruption successfully eased Vittorio Emanuele II’s sadness, and the old king smiled and said, “But I must remind you, the king’s funds cannot be confused with the government’s finances. No matter how much the government is short of money, you can only provide funds to the government through loans, understand?”

This is actually a lesson learned the hard way. In a monarchical system, it would be better, as the king, who holds great power, can freely withdraw funds from the national treasury, and the government would be the one to suffer.

However, Spain is a constitutional monarchy, and if the king's private coffers are not separated from the government's treasury, the king will be the one who suffers.

Moreover, they are easily exploited and could easily be accused of misappropriating government funds, thus incurring the hatred of the Spanish people.

This is why Vittorio Emanuele II reminded Carlo that the king's personal treasury and the government's treasury must be clearly distinguished. Even for loans, the specific interest rates and repayment terms must be written down.

Carlo nodded. He understood all of this. Many of Carlo's plans required substantial financial backing, and his personal treasury could not be mixed with the government's treasury.

After a brief silence, Vittorio Emanuele II looked at his youngest son and said, "Although Italy's finances are not wealthy, the Savoy family still has some capital."

I'll give you 30 million lira, plus some servants to take care of your daily needs. My child, if you feel that being King of Spain isn't the life you desire, Italy is always open to you.

Carlo was quite surprised by the level of support Vittorio Emanuele II received.

30 million lira is equivalent to 1.2 million pounds. Although it may not seem like a large number, it was enough to build a capital battleship-class dreadnought in the era of dreadnoughts.

Even in the United Kingdom, currently the most powerful nation in terms of overall strength, the weekly wage for an average worker is only around 42 pence. (1 pound = 20 shillings, 1 shilling = 12 pence)

£1.2 million is equivalent to the income of 130,000 British workers after a year of hard work, which is enough to prove the size of this sum of money.

Even the Italian royal family's annual income, after deducting all expenses, is only between £300,000 and £400,000, and at most, it will not exceed £500,000.

This also means that Vittorio Emanuele II essentially handed over three years' worth of royal income to Carlo, giving him ample funds in Spain to carry out his plans.

Although he never experienced the father-son relationship with Vittorio Emanuele II from a young age, Carlo was still moved by his father's sincerity.

This solidified Carlo's resolve: he absolutely could not allow the Italian royal family and Mussolini to vanish together. Whether it was Vittorio Emanuele II or Crown Prince Umberto, as long as the House of Savoy controlled Italy, Carlo's Spain would never proactively antagonize Italy.

A few days later, Carlo saw Primo again.

Although there were less than ten days between the two meetings, their conversations became more intimate and friendly.

Primo looked at the king he had personally chosen and expressed his respect and support: "Your Highness Carlo, on behalf of the Prime Minister of Spain, I invite you to inherit the throne of Spain and become the King of all Spaniards."

“It is my honor, Marquis Primo.” Carlo nodded with a smile, showing no embarrassment whatsoever about winning the throne through legitimate competition.

“I look forward to cooperating with you, Marquis Primo,” Carlo continued. “As I said before, I will unconditionally support your reforms and will not be a hindrance to them.”

Upon hearing Carlo's straightforward expression of support for the reforms, Primo finally felt relieved, and his whole being became very relaxed and happy.

“It is my honor to serve you, Your Highness,” Primo said to Carlo with a standard Spanish aristocratic bow, then spoke very earnestly.

Primo was willing to serve any monarch he admired. Although Primo's loyalty was to all of Spain, he would also be loyal to Carlo as long as Carlo was on the Spanish throne and as long as Carlo did not show any signs of being a tyrant.

“Now that the throne has been decided, I will return to Spain in the next few days. Your Highness, I hope you can come to Madrid within a month, and we will prepare a grand coronation ceremony for you,” Primo said to Carlo with a smile.

“No need, Marquis Primo,” Carlo shook his head, declining Primo’s offer.

Seeing Primo's somewhat surprised expression, Carlo smiled and explained, "Give me a few days to prepare, and I will travel to Spain with you."

Although the Spanish throne was reached more than a year earlier than the Franco-Prussian War, Carlo was still worried about any unforeseen events.

If Primo were to be assassinated after returning to Spain, Carlo would still face the same situation of having no one available when he goes to Madrid, just like Amadeo.

Although Carlo's chosen subordinates, including Garibaldi's second son Jyoti, were already quite capable, it was impossible for them to be in high positions from the start.

Carlo only had two people he could rely on in Spain: Primo and Serrano, who held power in both the Spanish government and the military.

The most important of them all was Primo. Primo was not only a key figure in the reform movement, but his abilities also surpassed those of Serrano.

In Carlo's plan, Primo would remain Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Spain until his health failed him or the reforms in Spain were completed.

Compared to Primo, Serrano was actually more suitable as the army's anchor. With his officer background, Serrano possessed sufficient prestige within the military, making him the best choice to lead the Spanish army.

During the first few years of Carlo's rule, power was still controlled by Primo and Serrano. This period was also a time for Carlo's prime ministers to gradually gain experience and build their reputation.

Carlo will only consider letting Primo and Serrano retire once he has confirmed that one of them can take over their positions.