Empire Rising: Spain

Chapter 51: Chapter 50: Assassination

The establishment of the German Empire was a good thing for Carlo.

The Franco-Prussian War, which broke out a year earlier than expected, had already caused Carlo some concern. If the geopolitical dynamics of Europe changed due to Carlo’s presence, it was very likely to affect his predictions of the future.

Although the timing is different now, the situation is still gradually moving along the wheels of history, which means Carlo’s inherent advantage as a transmigrator still exists.

Although the unified German Empire has become one of the most powerful countries on the European Continent, Carlo does not intend to cozy up to the Germans at this time.

Even though Germany received a large amount of reparations from France, developing their domestic affairs also requires a significant amount of funds, and they might not be able to provide financial support to Spain that satisfies Carlo.

Moreover, Spain’s extremely important geographical position dictates that it cannot easily take sides, or it will certainly invite the caution and hostility of other major powers.

If Spain clearly becomes an ally of the German Empire, it would truly become a common enemy of the United Kingdom and France.

France does not want to see itself caught in a pincer movement by German forces from the north and south, and the United Kingdom does not want to see the western gateway of the Mediterranean influenced or even controlled by other countries.

Until Spain becomes truly powerful enough to determine its own destiny, the best approach is to keep its stance ambiguous, swaying between several major powers.

As long as Spain does not clarify its position, it does not need to worry about being invaded by any major power.

Because no matter which country harbors thoughts about the Spanish mainland, other major powers will not allow that country to occupy Spain’s territory.

If France wants to invade Spain, the Germans will cause trouble. If the United Kingdom wants to invade Spain, France and Germany will make trouble. As for the Germans, there’s no need to mention them—they are too far away to have thoughts about the Spanish mainland.

Only by swaying temporarily can Spain ensure its safety in the early stages and achieve more stable economic and industrial development.

If it were to clearly take sides, it might soon face sanctions from other major powers, such as increased tariffs, restrictions on imports and exports, and so on.

This is also the sorrow of small countries; sometimes they really cannot control their own destiny. It looks like they are swaying between two major powers, but in reality, it is just to avoid offending anyone and to survive in the gaps.

However, the strategy of swaying is not always applicable. If the major powers are already at each other’s throats, this strategy will only make oneself more conspicuous.

No country likes a subordinate with an unstable position. If a decisive battle is imminent and one does not have the strength to be taken seriously, there is a high probability of being targeted by both sides, becoming the first to fall.

Carlo’s expectation for Spain is to have a preliminary successful reform within the next ten years, achieving the strength of a major power, similar to Italy now.

In the next 20 years, it should be able to step up to the level of a middle power and gain the right to control its own destiny, so it wouldn’t need to survive in the gaps between strong nations.

As for the historically recorded First World War that broke out more than 40 years later, by that time Spain’s reforms might have already fully succeeded, allowing it to leap from being just a chess piece on the board to being one of those who make moves, or become an onlooker, observing the developments of the European situation.

In any case, whichever path is chosen, there is a prerequisite, which is that Spain must possess a certain level of strength to make the major powers take it seriously.

In Carlo’s plans for Spain, military reform and economic-industrial reform are equally important, and neither can be neglected.

Reform in the economy and industry will significantly enhance Spain’s overall national strength, repositioning it onto the throne of major powers.

Military strength is the only way to ensure that one’s wealth is not lost. If there isn’t sufficient military strength, a large economy and industry will instead become a feast for the major powers.

It’s like the United States and Europe being separated by the Atlantic Ocean; if the United States were on the European Continent, its development might not have gone so smoothly.

The only good news now is that there’s still time. It’s 1870, more than 40 years before the outbreak of World War I, and Spain has ample time to carry out long-term and stable reforms within these 40 years.

Reforms cannot be rushed, they must be stable. Reforms that are too rapid will ignite strong opposition from domestic forces, which would not be a good thing for Spain, having just quelled rebellions.

May 1870, Madrid, Spain, inside a certain luxurious manor.

This is one of the estates of the famous Spanish noble, Duke Osuna. As one of Spain’s top aristocrats, alongside the Duke of Alba, the Osuna family owns dozens of castles and manors across Spain, as well as a wealth of property, including countless lands.

Of course, one of the reasons why Duke Osuna is well-known is the famous painting “The Family of the Duke of Osuna” by the famous Spanish painter Goya in 1788.

As one of Spain’s top aristocrats, the Duke of Osuna was supposed to indulge in his lavish lifestyle.

But at this moment, there was not even a hint of a relaxed smile on the Duke’s face. Instead, dark clouds loomed over his face, and he seemed to be in a foul mood.

Thump, thump, thump!

The sound of leather boots stepping on the floor, and then a middle-aged man dressed in a butler’s uniform walked in, respectfully saying to the Duke of Osuna, “Everything is ready, Your Grace, we can proceed at any time.”

The wine glass in the hand of the Duke of Osuna gently swayed, the deep red wine surged within the glass before gradually calming down.

“Can you ensure the smooth progress of the plan? You know, I don’t want any surprises. This plan must succeed, it cannot fail.” The Duke of Osuna turned his gaze towards his butler, placing the wine glass down.

“It will proceed smoothly, Your Highness. We have prepared thoroughly for this plan, the two assassins involved will be silenced after success, ensuring no more people know about our plan.” The butler nodded confidently, quite assured of his arrangements.

“I hope so.” A smile appeared on the Duke of Osuna’s face, although it didn’t seem so simple. His gaze fleetingly swept over his butler and then quickly moved away.

“Go ahead, I hope you bring me good news, may God bless you.” The Duke of Osuna waved his hand, and the butler answered with a departure.

About half an hour later, a stout man in a black robe entered, respectfully saluting the Duke of Osuna: “Your Highness.”

“Shadow, I’ll leave the aftermath to you.” The Duke of Osuna’s face finally revealed a true smile, saying ambiguously.

“As you command, Your Highness.” The man known as Shadow continued to conceal his true appearance, merely nodding respectfully, and then left without a sound.

Once Shadow had left his room, only then did the Duke of Osuna lift his wine glass again, glancing at the precious paintings hanging in his room, chuckling to himself: “King? Prime Minister? Hah, why should Italians become King of Spain? Not understanding even simple rules, why should they gain the support of the nobles?”

That night, the Madrid Royal Palace.

Prim walked out of the palace, looking exhausted.

Just now, he had met with Carlo to report on the government’s recent work, and submitted the plan for Spanish military reform to Carlo.

Carlo then stated he would soon confer the title of Duke to Prim and host a celebratory banquet to mark the end of the Spanish internal chaos.

Since it was under the guise of celebrating the end of chaos, Prim couldn’t refuse but repeatedly requested the banquet’s scale be reduced, so more funds could be directed toward government reforms.

This back and forth took several hours of discussion, and by the end of the talks, it was already past eleven at night.

As the Prime Minister, Prim was used to working late into the night. He boarded the carriage and instructed his subordinates to head to his residence.

Swaying on the return journey, the motion of the carriage made Prim drowsy.

Bang!

The sudden sound of gunfire was exceptionally loud, jolting Prim awake, the carriage also slowed down.

“Damn it, what’s going on? Why is there gunfire in Madrid?” Prim questioned.

“I’m afraid they’re coming for us, protect the Prime Minister!” The subordinate driving the carriage was actually a guard Carlo had insisted Prim agree to, soldiers carefully selected from the Spanish Army, who also carried weapons.

Although only one person appeared to be driving the carriage outside, Prim’s outings were always accompanied by secret bodyguards for protection, and there were at least ten or so guards.

Though Prim’s carriage wasn’t as distinctive as the Royal Family’s carriage, the exterior was also protected by iron sheets, and the windows had steel plates that could be lowered.

Upon hearing the gunfire possibly targeting him, Prim lowered the steel plates on the windows and picked up a weapon already prepared in the carriage, his eyes showing no hint of panic.

As a general who had personally led troops in battle, would Prim fear a minor assassination? He would not.

Moreover, he was surrounded by a protective force, unless the enemy was a well-trained army of a hundred, or their sharpshooter could deal with Prim in a few shots, the assassination was likely unsuccessful.

Such conspicuous gunfire and fighting would quickly attract Madrid’s police and military, the palace wasn’t far away, the Guard Army would be able to arrive quickly.

Bang! Bang Bang!

The collision of bullets and steel plates surprised the assassins and thoroughly alerted the bodyguards secretly protecting Prim.

The assassins had no choice but to try aiming at other parts of the carriage, praying the bullets could penetrate the carriage to hit Prim inside.

As for killing Prim, there were no guarantees now. Who would have thought a seemingly ordinary carriage would have steel plates?

Normally, bullets could easily penetrate wooden carriages and hit those inside, but if the whole carriage was protected by steel or iron, the lethality would be greatly reduced.

“Damn it, a bunch of worthless fools!”

Hiding in the shadows, the butler cursed at the two assassins, but the top priority now was to eradicate them completely.