Chapter 17: Conversation Between Father and Son

In the end, Gao Da finally met Primo.

This leader of the Spanish revolutionary army, who came from a military family and had experienced many wars, looked like a gentleman at this moment, appearing very friendly and kind.

At the welcome banquet held by his father, Victor Emmanuel II, for Primo, Gao Da not only met Primo but also had a very brief yet pleasant conversation with him.

"Your Highness Gao Da, is the Italian Sun newspaper your property?" Primo asked Gao Da with a look of great interest the first time he met him.

"Yes, Marquis Primo." Gao Da nodded, not surprised by Primo's inquiry.

The Italian Sun newspaper and the content published within it were important means for Gao Da to create more advantages for himself.

If he could not attract Primo's attention, then Gao Da would have found it strange.

"I have read the content reported by the Sun; the editor-in-chief of the newspaper certainly has many ideas. I heard that you have also reached a cooperation with General Garibaldi?" Primo asked with a smile on his face, looking curious.

"Yes, Marquis Primo. General Garibaldi is an important contributor to the unification of Italy; it is our honor that the Sun could reach a cooperation with him." Gao Da also smiled and nodded; basic etiquette had to be maintained.

Garibaldi was the first question Primo used to test Gao Da. After all, Garibaldi had once defected to the republican system; if Gao Da supported an absolute monarchy, he certainly would not have much affection for such a republican.

The conversation ended just as briefly, so briefly that even Gao Da found it somewhat unexpected.

If he were not certain that there were no issues with his answer, Gao Da would have even suspected that there was a flaw in his response that made Primo decide to give up on supporting him.

As for Primo, after a brief contact with the two princes of Italy, he decided to take his next step, which was to personally investigate and understand the two princes.

Whether it was Amadeo or Gao Da, they had both lived in Italy for ten or even twenty years.

Their experiences from childhood to adulthood and their attitudes toward certain matters could still be investigated, especially their attitudes toward Garibaldi and their thoughts on reform.

What Primo actually cared about most was the two princes' desire for power and their attitude toward supporting reform.

To be honest, Primo did not want to welcome a king who would fight for power. Military and political authority were necessary conditions for Primo to push forward reforms, and he would not allow a new king to compete with him for military and political power as soon as he took office.

Needless to say, reform was essential. If the new king did not support reform, Primo would not support the new king.

Since it concerned whether Spain could achieve a revival in the future, Primo would not have any emotional factors outside of rationality when choosing a Spanish king.

Even if he had a better impression of Gao Da, it was absolutely impossible for him to decide on the candidate for the Spanish king before finishing his investigation of the two princes.

Watching Primo talk to his two sons one after another, but pointedly not saying a few words to his own Crown Prince Umberto, Victor Emmanuel II instantly understood Primo's true intention.

It turned out that Primo did not come to Spain to investigate a specific prince, but to investigate his two sons and choose one of them to become the King of Spain.

Theoretically speaking, this was a good thing for the House of Savoy, which was only entrenched in Italy.

If they could establish the Savoy dynasty in Spain, the status of the House of Savoy among European royal families would be further elevated, which was also a good thing for Victor Emmanuel II himself.

But as a father, Victor Emmanuel II did not really want to see any of his children go to Spain.

The current Spain was too chaotic, and it would not be easy to stabilize if one lacked the ability.

More importantly, although Spain was only separated from Italy by the Mediterranean Sea, it felt like a natural chasm in these times when transportation conditions were extremely inconvenient.

Although the distance from Madrid to Rome was just over 1, 00 kilometers, a round trip required at least a week.

Whether traveling from Rome to Madrid or from Madrid to Rome, a single trip would take at least half a month.

And for Victor Emmanuel II and the child who was about to become the King of Spain, they might not be able to spare a few half-month periods of free time in a year.

Having finally understood all of this, Victor Emmanuel II decided to have a talk with his two children.

The first person Victor Emmanuel II found was his youngest son, Gao Da, who had just graduated from the Turin Military Academy and had happily received the rank of Captain in the Italian Royal Army.

Gao Da had also long anticipated the arrival of Victor Emmanuel II and appeared very calm.

Looking at his son who was gradually growing up, Victor Emmanuel II seemed to see his own once ambitious self.

"Gao Da, you were prepared for this, weren't you?" Victor Emmanuel II did not know how to start for a moment, and only spoke after a moment of silence.

"When I founded the Sun, I thought about using it as a form of propaganda and waiting for an opportunity like Spain.

I am not content with just being a Duke of the Kingdom, but you know, I cannot become the King of Italy, can I?" Gao Da did not know how to explain it, so he could only try to express his ambitions in a tactful way.

Victor Emmanuel II nodded. Although Gao Da was still the third in line to the Italian throne, that was only because the descendants of Crown Prince Umberto and Prince Amadeo had not yet been born.

Once their descendants were born, Gao Da's order of succession would drop further. This also meant that being third in line might be the closest Gao Da would ever get to the Italian throne; it was basically impossible for Gao Da to become the King of Italy.

Victor Emmanuel II naturally understood this as well. In fact, he did not oppose Gao Da and Amadeo becoming the King of Spain.

It was just that Victor Emmanuel II was old after all, and the old king still felt reluctant to see his son potentially going to a distant place.

But reluctance aside, Victor Emmanuel II also knew that he should not stand up and oppose his son.

"I understand, Gao Da." After a long silence, Victor Emmanuel II finally nodded. Looking at his son who was already taller than him, he patted Gao Da's head and then said with a hint of reluctance: "I will not interfere with the competition between you and Amadeo; no matter which one of you becomes the King of Spain, I will express my support.

Even if, after you become the King of Spain, you find that it is not easy to be a qualified king and you want to give up, Italy will always welcome you back.

My child, I am your father; I can never oppose you. I also hope you understand that whether you are the King of Spain or a Duke of Italy, the blood relationship between me and you, as well as Umberto and Amadeo, will never change. The glory of Savoy will always be with us!"

The second update, asking for support!

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(End of chapter)