Chapter 51: Assassination
The establishment of the German Empire is a good thing for Carlo.
The Franco-Prussian War happening a year earlier had already caused Carlo worry. If the situation in Europe changed due to Carlo’s arrival, it could very well affect Carlo’s judgment of the future.
Although the time is different now, the situation is still advancing slowly along the wheels of history, which means Carlo’s natural advantage as a traverser still exists.
Although the unified German Empire has become one of the most powerful countries on the European Continent, Carlo does not plan to cozy up to the Germans at this time.
Although Germany obtained a large amount of indemnity from France, the Germans also need a lot of funds to develop their domestic economy, and they may not be able to provide funds satisfactory to Carlo to support Spain.
Moreover, Spain’s extremely important geographical position means it cannot easily take sides, otherwise it will inevitably arouse the wariness and hostility of other great powers.
If Spain openly becomes an ally of the German Empire, it will truly become a common enemy of the United Kingdom and France.
France does not want to be pincered north and south by German forces, and the United Kingdom does not want to see the western gate of the Mediterranean Sea influenced or even controlled by other countries.
Before Spain truly becomes powerful and can decide its own destiny, the best way is to keep its stance ambiguous and swing back and forth between the great powers.
As long as Spain does not clearly state its position one day, there is no need to worry about any great power invading Spain.
Because no matter which country has ideas about Spanish Mainland, the other great powers will not allow that great power to occupy Spain’s land.
If France wants to invade Spain, the Germans will stir up trouble. If the United Kingdom wants to invade Spain, France and Germany will both stir up trouble. The Germans go without saying; they are so far away that they will not have ideas about Spanish Mainland.
Only by temporarily swinging back and forth can Spain ensure its safety in the early stage, as well as obtain relatively stable economic and industrial development.
If it really takes a clear side, it may soon suffer sanctions from other great powers, such as raising tariffs, restricting imports and exports, and so on.
This is also the sorrow of small countries; sometimes they really cannot master their own destiny. It looks like swinging back and forth between two great powers, but in reality, it is just to avoid offending both and seek survival in the cracks.
However, the strategy of swinging back and forth is not applicable at all times. If the great powers have reached a life-and-death struggle, this strategy of swinging back and forth will instead make oneself more conspicuous.
No country will like a little brother whose stance is not firm. Swinging back and forth before the decisive battle, if there is no strength worthy of attention, will most likely be jointly targeted by both sides and become the one that dies the fastest.
Carlo’s expectation for Spain is to initially succeed in reforms within the next ten years and possess great power-level strength, roughly like Italy now.
Within the next 20 years, it can squeeze into the ranks of medium great powers and obtain the right to control its own destiny, so there will be no need to seek survival in the cracks between great powers by then.
As for the World War I that erupted more than 40 years later in history, by then Spain’s reforms may have fully succeeded, and Spain can leap from a pawn on the chessboard to a chess player, or be a bystander, watching the development of the European situation.
In any case, no matter which choice it is, there must be a prerequisite, that is, Spain itself possesses certain strength that can make those great powers take it seriously.
In Carlo’s plan for Spain, military reform and economic industrial reform are equally important; neither can be missing.
Reforms in economy and industry can greatly enhance Spain’s comprehensive national strength and return it to the throne of great powers.
While reform in military strength is the only means to ensure that one’s wallet does not suffer losses. Without sufficient military strength, the massive economy and industry will instead become fat meat in the mouths of great powers.
That is, the United States and Europe are separated by the Atlantic Ocean. If the United States were on the European Continent, its development probably would not be so smooth.
The only good news now is that time is still early. 1870, there are more than 40 years until World War I, and Spain has enough time in these 40-plus years to carry out long-term and stable reforms.
Reform cannot seek speed; it must seek stability. Too fast reform will arouse the indignation of a large number of opposing forces domestically, which is not a good thing for Spain that has just quelled rebellion.
May 1870, Madrid, Spain, inside a certain luxurious manor.
This is one of the manors of the famous Spanish noble, the Duke of Osuna. As one of Spain’s top nobles on par with the Duke of Alba, the Duke of Osuna family owns dozens of castles and manors across Spain, as well as a large amount of property, including land that cannot even be counted.
Of course, one of the reasons why the Duke of Osuna is famous is the famous painting《Duke of Osuna family》 painted by the famous Spanish painter Goya in
As one of Spain’s top nobles, the Duke of Osuna should have been wantonly enjoying his luxurious life.
But at this time, on the duke’s face, not only was there no relaxed smile, but instead it was full of dark clouds, and his mood looked very unpleasant.
Dong dong dong!
The sound of leather boots stepping on the flooring, then a middle-aged man dressed in butler attire walked in, and said respectfully to the Duke of Osuna: “It is ready, Your Highness. Action can begin at any time.”
The wine glass in the Duke of Osuna’s hand gently shook, and the deep red wine surged turbulently in the glass, then gradually calmed down.
“Can you ensure the smooth implementation of the plan? You know, I do not hope for any accidents. This plan can only succeed, not fail.” The Duke of Osuna turned his gaze to his butler, and put down the wine glass in his hand.
“It will proceed smoothly, Your Highness. This plan has been meticulously prepared. The two assassins participating in the plan will be silenced after success to ensure that no more people know about our plan.” The butler nodded confidently, quite confident in his own deployment.
“I hope so.” A smile appeared on the Duke of Osuna’s face, but it did not seem so simple. His gaze vaguely swept over his butler, then quickly left.
“Go ahead with the action. I hope you can bring me good news. May God bless you.” The Duke of Osuna waved his hand, and the butler respectfully took his leave.
About half an hour later, a sturdy man wearing a black robe walked in, and bowed respectfully to the Duke of Osuna: “Your Highness.”
“Shadow, the cleanup is entrusted to you.” Only at this time did a real smile appear on the Duke of Osuna’s face, and he said abruptly.
“As you command, Your Majesty.” The man called Shadow never revealed his true face, just nodded respectfully, then left without making any sound.
After Shadow left his room, the Duke of Osuna picked up the wine glass again, glanced at the expensive paintings hanging in his room, chuckled, and muttered to himself: “King? Prime Minister? Hehe, on what basis can Italians become the king of Spain? They don’t even understand simple rules; on what basis can they obtain the support of the nobles?”
That evening, Madrid Royal Palace.
Primó walked out of the royal palace with a tired face.
Just now, he met with Carlo to report on the government’s recent work and submitted a plan for Spain’s military reform to Carlo.
Carlo said that he would soon confer the ducal title on Primó and hold a celebration banquet to celebrate the end of Spain’s internal strife.
Because it was under the name of celebrating the end of internal strife, Primó could not refuse and could only repeatedly request that the scale of the banquet be minimized as much as possible, and more money be used for government reforms.
This back-and-forth discussion took several hours, and by the end of the meeting, it was already past 11 p.m.
As prime minister, Primó was accustomed to working until the early hours every day. He got into the carriage and instructed his subordinates to head to his residence.
On the way back, he felt drowsy, and the rocking of the carriage made Primó drowsy.
Bang!
A sudden gunshot was exceptionally clear, and Primó was startled awake, while the carriage slowed down at the same time.
“Damn it, what’s the situation? Why is there a gunshot in Madrid?” Primó asked.
“It’s probably coming for us. Protect the prime minister!” The subordinate driving the carriage was actually a guard whom Primó had only agreed to after Carlo repeatedly insisted. They were soldiers carefully selected from the Spanish Army and carried weapons with them.
Although it looked like only one person was driving the carriage outside, Primó’s outings always had hidden guards following for protection, with at least about ten guards.
Although Primó’s carriage was not as distinctive as the royal family’s carriage, it had iron sheet protection on the outside, and steel plates that could be lowered over the windows.
Hearing that the gunshot was probably aimed at him, Primó lowered the steel plate over the window and picked up the weapon already prepared in the carriage, with no trace of panic in his eyes.
As a general who had personally led troops in battle, would Primó be afraid of a small assassination? No.
Moreover, there were guard forces by his side. Unless the enemy was an army of hundred-man scale that was well-trained, or the opponent’s marksmanship was very accurate and could deal with Primó in a few shots, the assassination would most likely fail.
Such obvious gunshots and fighting would quickly attract the police and army in Madrid. This place was not far from the royal palace, and the Guard could arrive in a short time.
Bang! Bang bang!
The collision of several bullets with the steel plate shocked the assassins and thoroughly alerted the guards secretly protecting Primó.
The assassins had no other choice but to try aiming at other parts of the carriage, praying that the bullets could penetrate the carriage and hit Primó inside.
As for whether they could kill Primó, it was already impossible to guarantee now. Who could have thought that a carriage that looked very ordinary would have steel plates like this?
Originally, bullets could easily penetrate a wooden carriage and hit the person inside, but if the entire carriage had steel plates or iron sheets for protection, the lethality would definitely be greatly reduced.
“Damn it, a bunch of trash!”
The butler hiding in the shadows cursed at the two assassins, but the most important thing now was to cut the grass at the root.
3000-word additional update, seeking support!
