Empire Rising: Spain

Unfortunately, there is no so-called bullfighter march at the moment. The thrilling scene that stirs one’s blood can only have the audience’s cheers and the angry roars of the bulls as background music.

This gave Carlo a new idea before vigorously promoting bullfighting. First, a song specifically tailored for bullfighting must be composed, named the Spanish Bullfighter March.

A majestic and vigorous composition, combined with the brave, fearless, and confidently fighting bullfighter, is the perfect match.

A single bullfight does not involve just one bull; instead, three bullfighters appear one after another to fight six bulls in total.

For the safety of the bullfighters, they are not alone. They are equipped with three banderilleros and two picadors on horseback.

After watching the entire bullfight performance, Carlo left the Lairta Bullring quite satisfied and didn’t forget to offer encouragement to the person in charge of the Lairta Bullring before leaving.

As the King of Spain, Carlo personally watched the bullfight at the Lairta Bullring, which also drew the attention of some news media.

Although newspaper publications are subject to regulation, because this is not considered negative news, reports about Carlo watching the bullfight were not prevented.

This also attracted public attention, as, during the Bourbon Dynasty, bullfighting was prohibited for members of the Royal Family, which was one reason bullfighting transitioned from a noble sport to one for the common people.

Did Carlo’s attendance at the bullfight at Lereta Square indicate that this young king has a certain interest in bullfighting?

The public is quite attentive to this, as they are curious about how His Majesty the King will approach this sport, given that it is an ancient Spanish tradition.

After returning to the Royal Palace, Carlo discussed plans to promote bullfighting with Steward Loren.

Steward Loren was quite supportive of the idea but also offered a few suggestions: ”Your Majesty, relying solely on the existing number of bullrings is completely insufficient to vigorously promote bullfighting.

The largest bullring in the vicinity of Madrid is the Lairta Bullring, which has only 3,500 seats. Even counting those standing nearby, the maximum capacity of the entire bullring does not exceed 5,000 people.

If your plan is to develop bullfighting into a large-scale national sport, such a bullring size is far from adequate.

I suggest that while promoting bullfighting vigorously, we build a large bullring on the outskirts of Madrid, ensuring that a single bullfighting event in the large bullring can accommodate at least over ten thousand spectators.

This not only aids the promotion of bullfighting but also benefits the economic exchange in the Madrid area. Every bullfight that attracts thousands to watch can stimulate local economic exchange and attract more tourists.”

Carlo nodded in agreement, acknowledging Loren’s perspective.

The bullfighting tradition in Spain is very long-standing, with bullrings of different periods constructed across various regions. Especially in the southern region of Andalusia, which is the richest area in Spain regarding bullfighting culture and has numerous historic bullrings.

However, regardless of the historical length of these bullrings, they all share a significant drawback: the inability to accommodate more spectators.

The size of a bullring varies depending on the size of the city it is in and the financial capacity of those who built it.

Generally, bullring capacities vary from 2,000 to 3,500 seats, with some large bullrings accommodating over 4,000, but hardly exceeding 5,000 people.

After all, to have more seats, the bullring area must be continually expanded. And those seats further away from the bullring inherently offer a less satisfactory viewing experience.

For the sport of bullfighting, a larger, national-level bullring is necessary. Such a larger-scale bullring would also draw more attention from spectators both domestically and internationally, potentially becoming a representative event for Spain.

After Steward Loren presented his suggestion, Carlo immediately expressed his approval: ”You are right, Steward Loren. Bullfighters indeed need a large bullring that can hold over ten thousand spectators. This new bullring will also become one of Spain’s representative buildings.

Steward Loren, I entrust you with the task of constructing a large bullring outside Madrid. I don’t care about the expense, but I hope our constructed bullring embodies enough Spanish characteristics and can attract both bullfighters and spectators.”

A large bullring capable of holding tens of thousands of spectators, once completed, would instantly become a landmark building in Spain. Although this costs considerable funds, if the bullfighting promotion goes smoothly, the subsequent income from ticket sales and related commercial operations would also be enough to cover the cost of constructing the square.

For this reason, Carlo was not concerned about the investment in building the bullring. Constructing such a large venue was undoubtedly favorable.

Hearing Carlo’s instruction, Steward Loren nodded solemnly, expressing his understanding.

Placing no limit on funding demonstrated Carlo’s trust in him, giving him no room for reservation.

There are no technical challenges in building bullrings. The Spanish construction teams have ample experience in such projects.