[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-rise-of-the-empire-spain":3,"chapter-rise-of-the-empire-spain-rise-of-the-empire-spain-chapter-18":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Rise of the Empire: Spain",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2364946,4632,"Chapter 18: Winning","rise-of-the-empire-spain-chapter-18",18,"\u003Cp>Primo’s investigation ended quickly, and he told Victor Emmanuel II his final choice for the king.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, Carlo had emerged victorious from his competition with Amadeo and was about to become the new King of Spain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason Carlo was able to win this competition was, in fact, largely due to his support for reform and Garibaldi’s praise for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Juan Prim y Prats was drafting the list of candidates for the Spanish throne, he once remarked with a sigh: \"Trying to find a king in Spain who supports democracy is like looking for an atheist in heaven.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although a constitutional system had been nominally established during the reign of Isabella, Queen Isabella still held a vast amount of power, and the kingdom's government was quite ignorant and feudal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Primo was already tired of this extreme absolutism, and while searching for a new king for Spain, he had repeatedly mentioned the necessity of reform and democratization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A king could hold power, but he absolutely must not hold all power in his own hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On this point, Carlo, who had had contact with Garibaldi—a former supporter of the republican system—clearly had a greater advantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amadeo had no shortcomings, and in terms of age, he was even more advantageous. If Spain were in a stable state, Amadeo would certainly be the undisputed choice for King of Spain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the current Spain was riddled with holes, and Amadeo was powerless against the status quo. If deep reforms were to be carried out in Spain, the monarch and his ministers would have to be of one mind to jointly push for comprehensive reform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On this point, Carlo would have a greater advantage than Amadeo. Even if Carlo’s support for reform was not as firm as imagined, Primo could still forcibly push for reform through the consolidation of military and political power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, a 19-year-old king is easier to control than a 25-year-old king, which is very important for Spain's reforms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then there was Garibaldi’s assessment of Carlo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his investigation of Carlo and Amadeo, Primo discovered that the relationship between Carlo and Garibaldi was closer than he had imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only had Garibaldi published multiple articles in the Italian *Sun*, but his second son, Ricciotti, was also a palace guard for Carlo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being able to allow his own son to be close to Carlo also meant that in Garibaldi’s heart, Carlo was at least not the type of arrogant prince who could not see the situation clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Combined with the previous influence of the Italian *Sun* on Spain, it could basically be concluded that Carlo had long anticipated the Spanish selection of a king and had already made preparations in advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Primo himself still wanted to work with a smart king. If possible, achieving the close relationship between King Wilhelm I of Prussia and Chancellor Bismarck was not impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Decades ago, Prussia was also a country that could be casually invaded and bullied by France. But after decades of various reforms, Prussia had leaped to become one of the most powerful countries on the European continent, and the war with France was also a key focus of Primo’s attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Primo did not harbor extravagant hopes that a reformed Spain could be as powerful as Prussia. For Primo, what he hoped for was to see Spain achieve a revival and return to the throne of a first-class European power and great power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On this point, Primo was still quite confident. If he could welcome a monarch who supported his reforms, perhaps the revival of Spain would not be a dream, but a reality visible in 20 years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carlo’s mood was complex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although winning this competition was something Carlo had always looked forward to, after suddenly learning that he was to become the King of Spain, Carlo felt a bit nervous and hesitant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without joking, wanting to revive Spain in 1869 was absolutely the most difficult task among the major European powers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spain started as a massive pit. Internally, the Republicans, Reformists, Conservatives, and Carlists were all making trouble for each other, which could be described as constant chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Externally, Britain and France would not allow Spain to become too powerful. If Spain wanted to revive, the first to bear the brunt would be Britain and France.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was absolutely a hell-difficulty start, no less difficult than Poland counterattacking Germany at the beginning of World War II.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After slightly adjusting his mindset, Carlo decided to head to Spain, and he was determined to go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since he had transmigrated into this world, if he didn't fight boldly for once, how could he live up to this opportunity of transmigration?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Britain and France were not absolutely invincible, and the Spanish mainland was at least still very safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither Britain nor France could allow the other to occupy Spanish territory; at most, they would only block the expansion of the Spanish navy and colonies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, it was not only Spain that needed colonies now, and the one leading the opposition against Britain and France would definitely not be Spain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first five or even ten years of Carlo’s administration of Spain, the most important thing was to resolve Spain’s internal contradictions and implement reforms to improve Spain’s comprehensive national strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After this competition ended, Carlo met with his older brother, Amadeo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Putting aside this competition, the relationship between Carlo and Amadeo was still okay. Although not as close as Carlo was with the late Prince Oddone, they were not just \"surface brothers.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amadeo smiled and congratulated Carlo on becoming the King of Spain; although there was a trace of regret, there was not much resentment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carlo would certainly not take the initiative to make an enemy of his brother. During the important stages of Spain’s reforms, Italy would be an important ally for Spain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether it was his old father in power or the future Crown Prince Umberto inheriting the throne, Carlo wanted to maintain a good relationship with Italy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Italy could be considered a fallback; if Spain were truly beyond saving, he could at worst do as Amadeo did in history and flee back to Italy to be a carefree duke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also coming to congratulate Carlo was his eldest brother, Crown Prince Umberto.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crown Prince Umberto was the heir to the Italian throne, and therefore, he did not participate in this competition. Because he had been determined as the crown prince since birth, Crown Prince Umberto was actually quite friendly toward his younger brothers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his father’s office, Carlo saw the somewhat reluctant old king.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Child, I really didn't expect you to emerge victorious in the competition with Amadeo. But no matter what, I still want to congratulate you on being about to become the King of Spain.\" Victor Emmanuel II looked at Carlo with a complex expression, his face carrying a trace of surprise and some reluctance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Have you met with Primo? When do you plan to go to Spain?\" After expressing his blessings to Carlo, Victor Emmanuel II threw out two questions in succession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not yet, Father. If possible, I would like to go to Spain sooner and learn about everything in Spain as early as possible.\" Carlo shook his head and replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First update, asking for support! (The travel time calculation between Rome and Madrid has been corrected.)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of this chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1225,"2026-06-25T09:27:12.995Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","62f94fb1b033cd8e4c7dd40c8efbc0873bf90e265d69168b0d942d5785131374","rise-of-the-empire-spain-chapter-19","rise-of-the-empire-spain-chapter-17",493,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frise-of-the-empire-spain-cover.jpg"]