Empire Rising: Spain

Chapter 128: Chapter 115: Military Reform

This meeting between two people eventually evolved into a small meeting of three. The extra person, naturally, was the one with the highest status and prestige in the military apart from Prime Minister Prim, namely the current Minister of Defense, Duke Serrano.

When he was temporarily called to the Royal Palace, Duke Serrano clearly did not know what Carlo was thinking. But after Carlo explicitly stated that Spain now needed a military reform, Duke Serrano was first taken aback, then quickly understood and expressed his stance:

“Your Majesty, I support your proposed reform. Since the Austro-Prussian War and the Franco-Prussian War, there has been a significant gap between the Spanish Army and the top European land forces.

If we cannot catch up with the currently more powerful German Army, our Royal Army may become stagnant and its combat capability could deteriorate.”

The Austro-Prussian War and the Franco-Prussian War, these two wars that led to the formation of the German Empire, profoundly changed the European countries.

These wars also marked the complete retirement of line infantry and muzzle-loaded rifles from the historical stage, as breech-loading guns and advanced artillery technologies became increasingly prioritized by various countries.

Currently, the full strength of the Spanish Army barely exceeds 100,000, of which about 30,000 are stationed in the various colonies.

This means that there are only around 70,000 troops stationed in mainland Spain, and if a reform is to be implemented, the progress should be swift.

However, Duke Serrano also raised concerns based on the current situation of the Spanish Army: “However, I believe that the issue of military reform requires careful consideration of the environment in the Spanish Army.

Our military composition is indeed too complex. If we rush into reform, it might provoke dissatisfaction among some soldiers and lead to a coup d’état.”

The current Spanish Army mainly consists of the military from the revolutionary period and the surrendered forces of the original Kingdom Government. Apart from conservative factions like Duke Serrano, there are also some radical factions supporting the republic within the army that first initiated the revolution.

If a military reform is hastily initiated, these radical republicans will certainly not stand by indifferently. This could severely destabilize the already stable situation in Spain, potentially even leading to the outbreak of another civil war.

“I am well aware of this, Duke Serrano. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss a method of military reform that can effectively address this issue,” Carlo nodded, speaking to Duke Serrano:

“Despite the many difficulties, our military reform is necessary. Military expenditure accounts for 25.1% of our total fiscal spending, and at least one-third of this military budget can be saved.

If we complete the reform of the military, we can streamline the total number of troops to around 60,000-70,000, and the savings in military expenditure can be used to purchase new weapons and equipment.

Even if the military is re-expanded to 100,000, we can ensure that the new military will be much stronger than the current one. For Spain, this is something that must be done.”

Carlo’s attitude towards military reform was still relatively firm. There were indeed some capable officers in the Spanish Army, but there were also many who were merely passing the time as officers.

Many soldiers were essentially just farmers with rifles, knowing nothing about military knowledge and merely aimlessly pointing their guns when fighting.

Although this phenomenon was quite common in many European countries, it didn’t mean Carlo was willing to see it in the Spanish Army.

Spain already had a small population, which meant that the size of its military was far smaller than that of other major powers.

In a situation where the army size was already small, if the combat power of the military could not be guaranteed, it would be impossible to compete with other major powers.

To ensure the security of Spanish mainland while deploying on European colonies, a land force with a strength exceeding 200,000 and ranked among Europe’s best was necessary.

Currently, reaching such a number is very hard, given that maintaining an army of 100,000 is already straining the finances of the Spanish Government.

If the army were rashly expanded to 200,000, it is feared that Spain’s economy would go bankrupt due to the enormous military costs after just a few years.

Therefore, without the expansion of the size of the army, improving the military quality of each soldier as much as possible became the only way to enhance military combat capability.

With the temporary inability to develop a Navy, Spain must maintain a fairly capable land force to ensure that no major power dares to invade the Spanish mainland.

Prime Minister Prim, standing quietly on the side, pondered for a long time before voicing his thoughts: “Your Majesty, the biggest challenge with military reform is what to do with the soldiers who are cut.

If we cannot solve their employment issue, this military reform might provoke some discontent.”

In fact, Carlo had already thought of this. Ultimately, it was because the current Spanish Government was established after the revolution, and it considered the opinions of those revolutionary forces too much.

Were it the traditional Kingdom Government of Spain, why would it care about the opinions of these dismissed soldiers? After all, without work, they could still be farmers, and farming wouldn’t starve them.

“The construction of the Seville Industrial Base should be nearly complete? The first batch of soldiers that are discharged can opt to work at the factories in the Seville Industrial Base,” Carlo said, ”

I will ensure they receive a wage at the average income level, and thus supporting their families won’t be an issue. Currently, the reform temporarily does not involve colonial forces; it only targets our domestic force of 70,000 soldiers.

The army of seventy thousand must be streamlined to at least fifty thousand, cutting those soldiers with low military competence and mixed ideology.

After completing the streamlining, the next step of the expansion plan can be initiated, restoring our homeland forces to around seventy thousand.

Future recruits for Spain must meet both physical and ideological standards. I hope that one hundred thousand soldiers from Spain are excellent ones tested through trials, not mercenaries looking for a paycheck.

As for those insistent on causing trouble, there need be no further tolerance. I believe you can solve these problems; if anyone attempts to incite a rebellion, crush it hard and let them understand who the true master of Spain is.”

Upon hearing this from Carlo, Prime Minister Prim and Duke Serrano both nodded, expressing no objections.

In fact, what they worried about were the soldiers supporting the government, rather than the radical factions disloyal to the government.

Many of those unqualified soldiers and officers were also government supporters, but their capabilities were inadequate.

If a fallback could be arranged for these individuals, the military reform would be feasible.

As for the radical Republican Faction in the military, they are currently a minority. Even if the Republican Faction could incite part of the army to rebel, Carlo was not overly concerned.

After all, with military leaders Prim and Serrano stationed in the capital, even a coordinated effort with the Carlos Faction couldn’t breach Madrid.

It’s true Prime Minister Prim did offend some groups, but his reputation among farmers and the new Liberal Faction is quite high.

Meanwhile, Duke Serrano has clearly become a representative of the Spanish nobility. As he gradually aligns closer to royal authority, Carlo naturally welcomed the loyalty expressed by this military leader, and the two were in perfect sync.

Prime Minister Prim’s New Liberal Faction and Reform Faction, Duke Serrano’s Conservative Faction, and Canovas’ Old Royalist Faction together form the current Spanish Government and military forces supporting Carlo.

Against these forces, or rather against the Spanish monarchy, naturally stand the so-called Democratic Faction and Republican Faction.

However, following a series of policies and reforms, the current Conservative Faction and Reform Faction control the government and occupy the majority of seats in the Spanish Parliament.

Simultaneously, the New Liberal Faction and Royalist Faction also form considerable influence, with these four factions essentially controlling the entire Spanish Parliament.

The Republican Faction no longer has much of a market in Spain. The monarchy and Spain are inseparable; without a king, Spain would splinter into pieces.

This was precisely why domestic support for the monarchy and its factions continues to grow, forming an overwhelming advantage over pro-Republican factions.

Especially after defeating the Carlos Faction, the vast majority of the Spanish population, the farmers, also expressed their strong support for the monarchy.

Given these circumstances, even Prime Minister Prim can no longer change the fact that Spain is a monarchy.

Since the decision to proceed with military reform has been made, the next crucial step is to discuss the specific procedure and timing of implementing this reform.

In this regard, as the Minister of Defense, Duke Serrano holds significant influence.

Duke Serrano is most familiar with the Spanish Army’s situation and knows best how and where to implement reforms.

After more than two hours of discussion, Carlo and the two military leaders finally agreed on the preliminary plan for reforming the Spanish Army.

Following this military reform, Spain’s homeland army of seventy thousand is set to expand to one hundred thousand, implying that Spain will have at least one hundred thirty thousand regular troops.

However, before expansion, the seventy thousand homeland troops need to be strictly streamlined, cutting soldiers and officers with inadequate military competence.

Officers will be appointed from graduates of the military academy, which yearly contributes over four hundred graduates to the army, ensuring a dependable reserve of officers.

Once the army is thoroughly streamlined, the expansion of the Spanish Army’s process will begin. Nevertheless, this expansion will be very strict, requiring Spanish recruits not only to have good physical fitness but also to possess clear family backgrounds, ideally being farmers for generations.

The reason is simple: currently, farmers have the highest support for the monarchist government and are least likely to join anti-government activities.

Upon completing this military reform, the government will also consider raising the salaries of soldiers and officers according to financial conditions. Stabilizing the army by increasing their pay is what Carlo, Prime Minister Prim, and Duke Serrano have agreed upon.

Streamlining the army unavoidably causes instability of morale, so a slight salary increase is undoubtedly beneficial for the development of the army.