Chapter 190: Bourbon Remnants

From the moment Gao Da gathered personnel to discuss the proposal for modifying the Spanish flag to the Spanish House of Representatives voting to pass the proposal, the entire process actually took less than 40 days.

The process of modifying the national flag was quite smooth; after all, there were not many changes to the flag itself.

The newly modified flag received unanimous praise in the parliament. After all, the new flag reflected the five important regions that make up Spain—Castile, Leon, Navarre, Aragon, and Granada—within the escutcheon, while simultaneously highlighting the ruling status of the House of Savoy of the Spanish royal family.

For the officials, the difference between the new flag and the original one lay only in the escutcheon. Since the flags were not significantly different, there was naturally no need to risk offending the King by vetoing such a proposal.

After all, the proposal to modify the flag was put forward by members of the Conservative Party. The Conservative Party would naturally not have nothing better to do than to modify the flag, which also meant that the mastermind behind it was very likely Gao Da.

Spain's first new national flag made its debut on October 15, 1875. It was from this day on that all Spanish flags hanging at the Spanish government, parliament, and Wang Gong were replaced with the new one, and the change of the flag was announced to all of Spain in the form of government notices and news.

Because the new flag and the old flag only differed in the escutcheon, the Spanish people accepted the new flag very quickly, and not many people expressed opposition.

Because regional elements such as Granada, Aragon, and Navarre were added, it was actually welcomed by the people in these regions.

When the new flag was changed, the government's announcements and news clearly marked the meaning represented by each part of the new flag's escutcheon.

What made the Spanish people feel delighted was that the Spanish government emphasized its power over both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar through the two Pillars of Hercules on the sides of the escutcheon, a move that also received strong support from the Spanish people.

As the former empire on which the sun never set, the Spanish people had a strong sense of pride and identity in Spain, and the Spanish people were also willing to fight for their country.

The decline of Spain in the past had little to do with the ordinary people; it was more about the chaos among the high-level government and the selfishness of the royal family.

Just as the famous philosopher He Sai Ortega-Gasset wrote in 1921: "From the monarch to the church, those in power in Spain have always been selfish. Whether it is the monarch of this country or the church here, when have their hearts truly beaten for Spain? As far as we know, never. Their actions have been exactly the opposite. In order to ensure their private interests, they have racked their brains, pretending that those goals were beneficial to the country."

Under the rule of Gao Da, the Spanish people once again showed their patriotic side. Gao Da did not even need favorable public opinion propaganda; the Spanish people would spontaneously support any action of the government.

Even when the government previously announced an expansion of the military, a large number of Spanish people signed up enthusiastically. Although this was also due to the higher income of soldiers, if they really did not want to join the army, who would change their mind because of such a tiny bit of extra income?

Beautiful things are often only for a short time.

A few days after Spain changed its flag, bad news came from France in the north: the former Queen of Spain, Isabella II, publicly declared that her son Alfonso was the heir to the Spanish throne and the true King of Spain, and that Gao Da of Savoy was a usurper.

If it were just the lone barking of a deposed queen, it would be one thing, but according to intelligence from the Royal Security Intelligence Agency, a small portion of the Spanish aristocratic system had already begun to secretly contact Queen Isabella, and their purpose was already obvious.

Nobles rebelling against the king above them is relatively rare under normal circumstances.

But if one considers the development of Spain over the past decade and the impact of various policies issued by the government on the actual income of the nobles, it does not seem strange that such a thing happened.

The Bourbon dynasty ruled Spain for over a hundred years, while Gao Da had only been in Spain for a little over six years in total.

Some nobles were unwilling to accept the environment of decreasing income under Gao Da's rule; they preferred the period during Queen Isabella's reign when they were not regulated, could unscrupulously exploit the commoners, and enjoy their luxurious lives.

Since learning this news, Gao Da's complexion had never been good.

He did not expect that after the Bourbon family fled north to France, they would still be a scourge to Spain. However, this was indeed a good opportunity to completely resolve the long-term influence of the Bourbon family on Spain, while at the same time clearing away some of the scourges for Spain.

As mentioned before, the main reason for Spain's decline should be attributed to the high-level figures such as the Spanish government, the royal family, and the church; the bottom-level people had no responsibility.

Although the Habsburg dynasty also had some responsibility for Spain's decline, the main reason still had to be attributed to the Bourbon family, or more accurately, Queen Isabella and her father Fernando VII.

October 27, Madrid Wang Gong.

The Director of the Royal Security Intelligence Agency, Ka Dier, walked into Wang Gong with a serious face. When he saw Gao Da, he first bowed very respectfully, and then reported the news: "Your Majesty, it has been found out."

Gao Da then opened his eyes, with a trace of coldness and disdain in his eyes, and said in a tone without any emotion: "Tell me, how many of our noble masters participated in this incident?"

"According to our investigation, in the past few days, about 12 nobles have met privately many times and strengthened their contact with Isabella in France.

These 12 nobles are headed by the Duke of Osuna, and this small group seems to have a tendency to expand." Ka Dier lowered his head slightly and reported the specific news nervously.

"The Duke of Osuna?" A faint smile appeared on Gao Da's face, and he nodded, the smile that made people feel cold not diminishing at all: "Very good. Continue the investigation, but do not alert the enemy. I want to see how many pests our country has. Before the final action, the Royal Security Intelligence Agency should not take any action. Just let them discuss the conspiracy they think they can succeed in!"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Ka Dier nodded and stepped back respectfully.

"The Duke of Osuna?" After Ka Dier left, the smile on Gao Da's face disappeared, and his face was cold without any expression.

"Gao Da, are you okay?" Queen Sophie, who was on the side, walked to Gao Da's side and looked at Gao Da, who was exuding a cold aura at this time, with a worried face.

"Is the matter serious? Do you need my father's help?" Queen Sophie asked with a worried face.

"No, things have not reached that point yet." Gao Da shook his head, and a warm smile returned to his face, as if nothing had happened: "Alright, let's not talk about this, Sophie.

How is the little one? How is he now?"

Speaking of their son, a gentle smile appeared on Queen Sophie's face, and she said happily: "The little one just fell asleep. Gao Da, time flies so fast, in the blink of an eye, the little one can already roll over."

Gao Da nodded, the smile on his face undiminished: "When the little one can crawl, let's have a second child. The Spanish royal family has few members, and it all depends on the two of us to branch out and spread leaves."

Speaking of having children, a faint blush appeared on Queen Sophie's face, but she still nodded.

After all, having received an aristocratic education, Queen Sophie certainly knew the importance of nobles branching out and spreading leaves. If there were no heirs to inherit the family business, at best the noble titles and family property would fall into the hands of collateral branches, and at worst, it could lead to the extinction of the family line.

European nobles still attached great importance to family inheritance, so they naturally had to avoid this phenomenon as much as possible.

How to avoid it? Of course, it was to have more children. Especially considering the problem that newborns were prone to premature death in this era, newlywed noble couples in their twenties usually thought most about having children.

"Hahaha." Gao Da happily took his wife into his arms, gently scraped the tip of Queen Sophie's nose, which was adorned with a faint blush, and said with a smile: "I have already thought of the name for the next child.

If it's a boy, let's call him Ma Ding, and if it's a girl, let's call her Sophia. What do you think?"

Queen Sophie nodded, having no objection to this.

Starting from the end of October 1875, a dark cloud flowed in the shadows of Spain and swept across many regions.

Gao Da certainly knew who these people were and what their purpose was. But for Gao Da, this was not the time to settle accounts with them.

Letting them win over more people who might rebel, and then catching them all in one net was Gao Da's ultimate goal.

No matter what, the Bourbon family was always a hidden danger for Spain. Only by completely solving this problem could Spain's subsequent development be considered completely stable.

But soon, the development of things exceeded Gao Da's expectations.

The number of nobles contacting Queen Isabella soon exceeded 20 and was slowly approaching 50.

The reason why so many nobles began to contact the Bourbon family was mainly because of a piece of news that even Gao Da was a little shocked by: the orthodox Queen Isabella of the Bourbon family had united with the Carlists of the Bourbon family.

Yes, for the sake of the Spanish throne, Queen Isabella chose to unite with the Carlists to deal with the House of Savoy, which had already become a force to be reckoned with.

This made Gao Da have a doubt. Why didn't Queen Isabella choose to unite with the Carlists to crusade together when Gao Da first ascended the throne?

If the two had united when Gao Da's footing was not yet stable, they might have caused Gao Da greater trouble. But now, if it weren't for Gao Da's indulgence, I'm afraid the situation Queen Isabella caused wouldn't even be this big.

In the end, it was the investigation by the Royal Security Intelligence Agency that gave Gao Da the answer.

It's not that Queen Isabella was unwilling to unite with the Carlists in the early stages of Gao Da's succession, but that the Carlists were unwilling to cooperate with Queen Isabella at that time.

After Queen Isabella was driven out of Spain, in order to preserve the Bourbon family's throne, Queen Isabella announced that she voluntarily gave up the throne and abdicated to her son Alfonso.

But such a proposal was not agreed to by Primo, Serrano, and others. After all, they had just driven away Queen Isabella; if they were to enthrone Queen Isabella's son as the new king, wouldn't that mean their revolution had failed in another way?

Perhaps after Alfonso became the new King of Spain, those who had promoted the revolution would still be liquidated.

And the reason why the Carlists refused to cooperate with Queen Isabella was also very simple: the two sides had a fundamental conflict regarding the candidate for the throne.

Queen Isabella supported her son Alfonso, while the Carlists supported "Carlos VII".

After the Carlists failed completely, they were also driven out of Spain and fled to France.

However, due to various reasons, the cooperation between Queen Isabella and the Carlists was only established a few years later in 1875.

Another major factor leading Queen Isabella and the Carlists to cooperate was the impact of the land rent reduction policy issued by the Spanish government on the Spanish nobility.

Spain's early reforms had little to do with the nobles, but since the agricultural reform began, the nobles' income had been significantly affected.

Some people chose to accept the government's reforms and continue to unite under Gao Da's rule. Naturally, some people did not accept the government's reforms; they still wanted to return to the era of Spain before, to the era when nobles could unscrupulously exploit the commoners.

It was precisely under the influence and contact of this part of the nobility that Queen Isabella and the Carlists completely united to deal with Gao Da and attempt to restore the Bourbon dynasty's rule over Spain.

Their union also had a good effect; a small number of nobles quickly responded to their call and expressed their willingness to help them restore the Bourbon dynasty's rule.

From the restoration of Alfonso XII in history, it can also be seen that the Bourbon dynasty had a great influence in Spain. Even in later generations, the family that ruled Spain was still the Bourbon dynasty.

It's just that in this world, after Gao Da successively drove away Queen Isabella and the Carlists, he used the power of public opinion to vigorously publicize the Bourbon family's destruction of Spain, so that the people transferred all their hatred for Spain's decline to the Bourbon family.

Although a small number of nobles contacted her after Queen Isabella publicly opposed Gao Da's rule, the commoners still strongly supported Gao Da's rule.

After all, the people were the ones actually living at the bottom of Spain, and they certainly knew the difference between Queen Isabella's and Gao Da's rule.

Who was truly good for them and truly wanted to make Spain stronger, they definitely had a deep understanding.

What's more, the Spanish commoners did not want to see the arrival of civil war. For the people, having a peaceful and stable environment was more important than anything else.

Civil war would only bring misfortune to the Spanish people, bringing the pain of broken families and unnecessary sacrifices. Regarding the dark undercurrents within Spain, under the premise of some nobles responding, it was the Spanish commoners who remained rational.

Of course, this was also due to the power of public opinion mastered by Gao Da. Although Gao Da did not use the power of public opinion to disintegrate Queen Isabella's conspiracy, Queen Isabella was also unable to stir up momentum for herself through public opinion.

Simply put, Queen Isabella's actions had lost popular support in Spain, which also meant that no matter how many nobles supported her, such actions would eventually fail.

If Spain had not carried out military reform, perhaps Queen Isabella would have had a chance. But after the military reform was completed, the Spanish military system was no longer what it used to be.

The nobles of the previous Spanish army had a greater influence, but now in the new Royal Army of Spain, ordinary nobles found it very difficult to insert their hands into it again.

Only nobles who were truly capable could continue to maintain their military positions after the military reform. For example, Prime Minister Primo and Grand Duke Serrano, they still held the rank of Marshal of the Spanish Army, and their influence in the army was definitely in the top two.

And those nobles who supported Queen Isabella, including the Duke of Osuna, did not have high influence in the Spanish army.

Coupled with the help of the powerful Imperial Guard, even if Queen Isabella and the Carlists united, Gao Da would not worry at all.

The dark undercurrents in Spain also alarmed Prime Minister Primo. Although Spain did not have a corresponding intelligence department, as the controller of the Spanish government, some news and changes could not be hidden from him.

Upon learning the news, Prime Minister Primo hurriedly found Gao Da to discuss countermeasures against Queen Isabella and the Carlists.

What made Prime Minister Primo feel incredible was that Gao Da's face was not only not panicked at all, but was full of relaxation and smiles.

Prime Minister Primo proposed ways to deal with and prevent the remnants of the Bourbon family from inciting civil war, while the method proposed by Gao Da surprised Prime Minister Primo: that was to let the Carlists and Queen Isabella incite civil war, and then complete the suppression with lightning speed, liquidating all rebels including Queen Isabella.

Calling it a civil war, it was actually more like a small-scale rebellion.

After all, most nobles still had brains; they would also judge the situation in Spain, and it was impossible for them to run over just because Queen Isabella waved her hand.

Even if they were dissatisfied with Spain's reform policies, as long as the power of Queen Isabella and the Carlists could not completely subvert the Spanish government, they would not easily take sides.

Those who quickly took the side of the Bourbon family were either confidants and loyal ministers cultivated by the Bourbon family, or they had suffered significant interest losses under Gao Da's rule, and they could only save their interests by resisting Gao Da and the current Spanish government.

In the discussion between Gao Da and Prime Minister Primo, Gao Da stated that he would not only not stop them from inciting rebellion, but would actively create opportunities for them to help them incite a larger-scale rebellion.

And the task of Prime Minister Primo and the Spanish army was to quickly suppress them after these people incited rebellion, and quickly arrest the leaders who incited the resistance.

Including Queen Isabella and the Carlists who were far away in France, they would also be liquidated by the Spanish government. If the French government was unwilling to hand them over, Gao Da would not mind using other means; after all, the agent system of the Royal Security Intelligence Agency had already matured.

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(End of this chapter)