Chapter 197: Primo Awakens

After the meeting concluded, Carlos immediately arrived at the Madrid Royal Hospital near the palace, where Prime Minister Primo, who had been severely wounded, was undergoing emergency treatment.

As a hospital directly controlled and funded by the royal family, the Madrid Royal Hospital was the most luxurious and advanced hospital in Spain, employing famous physicians and pharmacologists from across Europe.

Carlos placed great importance on the health of himself and his family. The funds allocated to the Madrid Royal Hospital every year reached millions of pesetas; besides being used for the research and development of various advanced medicines, another major purpose was to explore the development of medical equipment.

Although the current Madrid Royal Hospital was not the largest hospital in Spain, it was absolutely the hospital with the most powerful medical capabilities in the country.

Aside from receiving members of the royal family, the Royal Hospital generally only received high-ranking government officials and nobles, and was not open to commoners.

It was not that Carlos was unwilling to let commoners enjoy advanced medical services, but for most commoners, a year's income was not enough to lie in the Royal Hospital for a single day.

Inside a luxury ward at the Madrid Royal Hospital, Prime Minister Primo lay on the hospital bed with a pale complexion. Fortunately, the shrapnel from the artillery shell explosion had only passed through his abdomen and had not caused a fatal wound.

Coupled with the desperate protection of his guards, Prime Minister Primo would not die from his injuries being too severe, having preserved his life during the assassination attempt.

But unfortunately, the medical technology of this era was not that advanced. Although timely emergency treatment saved Prime Minister Primo from dying of excessive blood loss, wound infection could threaten his life at any time, and might even be more serious than the wound itself.

Although Europe symbolized civilization and advancement in this era, before the arrival of the 20th century, European medical technology could only be described as terrible and backward.

As for the suppuration and swelling caused by wound infection, how did European doctors treat it?

The most famous, of course, was the ancestral bloodletting therapy. The history of bloodletting therapy can be traced back to the humoral theory proposed by the famous Greek physician Galen in the second century AD.

Galen stated that there were four humors in the human body: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. When the humors lost their balance, the human body would also suffer from various diseases due to this imbalance.

Among the four humors, blood was the most prone to losing balance, because blood was produced by the liver and would be produced continuously.

The humoral theory allowed bloodletting therapy to prevail in Europe for over 2, 00 years, and a vast number of European commoners and high-ranking nobles died from such therapy.

Among the more famous people were King Charles II of England, Queen Anne, and the first President of the United States, George Washington.

Although in the mid-19th century, that is, more than 20 years ago, the progress of science and technology led more people to question bloodletting therapy, eventually causing it to be gradually abandoned by European doctors.

But in the relatively backward Spain, bloodletting therapy was still prevalent in some regions, and it was not a small number.

Even let alone Spain, even in some regions of the great powers, bloodletting therapy had not completely disappeared.

It can only be blamed on the fact that bloodletting therapy had been prevalent for too long. In the era when all of Europe was superstitious about bloodletting therapy, it was claimed to be able to cure all diseases.

From minor colds to various plagues and diseases, European doctors generally adopted the bloodletting therapy, and ultimately achieved quite moving results.

In the 2, 00 years it was prevalent, the number of Europeans killed by bloodletting therapy was at least in the millions, and there were countless famous figures among them.

Besides bloodletting therapy, for the treatment of wound infection, there were currently only two methods in European medical practice.

One was to use a soldering iron to cauterize the infected area, but doing so would cause the cauterized area to face even more serious infection. The other was direct amputation—yes, amputation.

For wound infection, there were currently only these three therapies in Europe. If praying to God could also count, that would be the fourth.

The treatment for Prime Minister Primo certainly could not adopt the first three, as doing so would only make Prime Minister Primo die faster.

The first thing Carlos did upon returning to Spain was to have the Madrid Royal Hospital change the sheets and bedding in Prime Minister Primo's room every day, and to disinfect Prime Minister Primo's wounds.

How to disinfect? Naturally, by using high-proof spirits.

Regardless of whether the effect of doing this was great or not, this was already the best method Carlos could think of at the moment. The medical technology of this era was just that terrible; if one was seriously injured, what one could rely on was not medical technology, but that ethereal God and the sliver of desire to live in one's heart.

Whether he could survive this ordeal depended on Prime Minister Primo's luck, and whether the God whom Carlos had never seen would favor Prime Minister Primo.

The assassination of Prime Minister Primo also reminded Carlos again that before the birth of various antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs, and before medical technology had developed to the point of ensuring one could be safe and sound even after being injured, the thing he should do most was to protect himself well and not get injured by accident.

Before medical technology developed, this world was still relatively fair in some aspects. Whether it was high officials and noblemen or top-tier nobles like Carlos, who was a King, when facing relatively serious injuries, all they could do was pray to God and pray that the person treating them was not a quack.

Such a method was not much better than that for commoners; basically, everyone was just waiting to die, and only those with good luck could survive.

Once medical technology was fully developed, this fairness would be broken. High officials and noblemen would possess more sufficient capital to treat their illnesses, while ordinary people would still only be able to wait for death when facing relatively serious diseases.

The good news was that in this era where medical technology was not advanced, Prime Minister Primo was clearly the person with better luck.

The reason why Carlos was in a hurry to come to the Madrid Royal Hospital was precisely because news had arrived from the hospital that Prime Minister Primo had already awakened.

After rushing to the hospital, Carlos saw the awakened Prime Minister Primo; his complexion was still just as pale, but his eyes were open, and he could turn his head.

In order to take care of his physical injuries, Prime Minister Primo was not allowed to get out of bed, and he could not even sit up.

Throughout the recovery stage, his eating, drinking, and waste disposal would all be handled by specialized caregivers arranged by the Royal Hospital. These caregivers were professional and could provide Prime Minister Primo with very attentive care.

Of course, after Prime Minister Primo was out of danger, his family could also come to take care of him.

"Prime Minister Primo, how are you feeling?" Carlos sat on the sofa next to the hospital bed and expressed his concern for Prime Minister Primo's physical condition.

"Not dead yet, Your Majesty." Prime Minister Primo said with a self-deprecating smile: "I've worried you, Your Majesty. This time it was my carelessness; I didn't expect the enemy to be able to plan another assassination in the heavily guarded Madrid.

How is the government? Have the workers' protests been resolved? Has this rebellion ended?"

Prime Minister Primo was concerned about the government and the current situation in Spain.

"The workers' protests have already dispersed, and the nobles who incited the rebellion have been arrested; what awaits them will be a harsh trial." Carlos said with a smile: "We have achieved a comprehensive victory in this incident, and from now on, there will be no factors to interfere with Spain's development."

"That's good, that's good." Prime Minister Primo nodded repeatedly, then looked at Carlos, and said with a serious face: "Your Majesty, in these six-plus years, you have grown too much.

I had originally thought about returning power to you after this term as Prime Minister ended; I didn't expect such an accident to happen.

Please forgive my previous behavior of monopolizing power; I had to do so for the sake of Spain. But now, Spain should be steered by a more suitable person, and Your Majesty, you are the most suitable helmsman for this warship that is Spain." The corners of Primo's eyes welled with tears, his face carrying a trace of relief and liberation; as he spoke, he seemed to have tugged at his injuries, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly, but he soon calmed down: "

Ruiz is a radical reformist, and he poses a certain threat to Your Majesty's rule. Your Majesty, if it really comes to the last resort, I support you in taking action early to resolve the potential threats facing the Kingdom.

Grand Duke Serrano is a reliable fellow; with him in control of the defense department, others will not dare to have any ideas.

The Canovas you selected is indeed a qualified Prime Minister, but he is better at maintaining the status quo than at pioneering. For the sake of Spain's future development, I suggest that you select a future Prime Minister from the existing Progressive Party and Liberal Party, and control and cultivate them.

If used well, the Liberal Party and the Progressive Party will become Your Majesty's reliable support. The Conservative Party can be used to check these two parties, but if they were to be the ruling party, it would cause Spain to lose the pioneering spirit that was so hard to cultivate.

In the future, when Spain is on par with Austria, perhaps the Conservative Party can be heavily relied upon. But before that, I still suggest that you keep an eye on the members of the Liberal Party and the Progressive Party.

Your Majesty, I believe you can achieve the goal you mentioned of making Spain great again, but unfortunately, I may not see it.

I really want to see the state of Spain at that time; perhaps we can stand at the pinnacle of the world again, right?"

Carlos held the hand that Prime Minister Primo had extended and patted it forcefully, feeling even more admiration for this Prime Minister in his heart.

Prime Minister Primo was concerned about the situation in Spain as soon as he woke up, but he had no concern at all for his own position as Prime Minister.

Upon learning that the Spanish political scene was stable and that the rebellious nobles had all been imprisoned, what Prime Minister Primo thought about was how to let Carlos stabilize the throne and resolve potential dangers.

Such selflessness was indeed rare, especially in a position like Prime Minister, which was second only to one and above ten thousand. Monopolizing power but not being arbitrary—perhaps this was the personal charm that Prime Minister Primo possessed.

It was Italy's good fortune that it could give birth to Garibaldi, but Carlos did not envy it. Spain also had a great figure like Prime Minister Primo, and this was likewise Spain's good fortune.

"God will bless you, Prime Minister Primo." Carlos was silent for a long time before speaking in a hoarse voice: "After you recover, you will still be the Prime Minister of Spain.

Our cooperation has not ended yet; we will see the future of Spain's great revival together, and witness the scene of Spain standing at the pinnacle of the world again together."

Prime Minister Primo shook his head, tears falling from his eyes again, but a smile appeared on his face: "Perhaps, Your Majesty. But regardless of whether God blesses me or not, it is indeed time for me to rest.

Spain will surely move towards greatness under your leadership; I have never worried about this, and I have never thought about obtaining the position of Prime Minister again.

Your Majesty, I will notify the Progressive Party about my resignation; from now on, the affairs of the Progressive Party will have nothing to do with me. The Progressive Party is not a party that pursues a republic; except for a very small number of radical reformers like Ruiz, most of the others hope to carry out appropriate reforms under a monarchical environment.

I suggest that you do not take action against the Progressive Party, so as not to break the party balance within Spain. But if the Progressive Party stands on the opposite side of you, please do not care about my feelings; prioritize everything for the sake of Spain's future development."

"Minister Ruiz?" Carlos had an unreadable expression as he replied: "Minister Ruiz forcibly convened a parliamentary meeting while you were injured and was elected as the acting Prime Minister of the government.

However, under his control, the workers' protests became more intense, and even armed conflicts broke out. The rebel forces besieged the government building and the parliament building, almost leading to the collapse of the Spanish government.

Because of such poor performance, and because the act of the parliament electing an acting Prime Minister violated the Spanish Constitution, I have already dissolved the parliament, and currently, Grand Duke Serrano is the Prime Minister of the Spanish interim government."

Hearing the various actions Ruiz had taken after he fell into a coma, Prime Minister Primo nodded without surprise and sighed: "This guy really did go to this step after all.

If he were willing to submit to your rule, he would definitely be the most suitable Prime Minister for you. But unfortunately, he is a radical reformer, and his dream is to promote a republic in Spain.

This is actually good; with the trouble of Ruiz resolved, the Progressive Party will pose no threat to Your Majesty. The balance between the three parties—the Progressive Party, the Liberal Party, and the Conservative Party—might be the best situation for Spain."

Carlos nodded. The two-party system in the UK was quite representative, where the party with the majority of parliamentary seats became the ruling party, and the one with the minority of seats became the opposition party.

The ruling party organized the British government, and the opposition party had the power to supervise the British government; it looked relatively balanced.

But the struggle between the two ideologies and parties was bound to be very intense, which would also lead to events of opposing for the sake of opposing, or agreeing for the sake of opposing.

When the two parties were struggling, what the members of parliament were thinking about was not the impact of the issue itself on the country's development, but the impact on their own elections and the impact on the party.

Of course, the two-party system also had certain advantages. Because political power only alternated between the two parties, the transition of power would be more stable.

The British King could also gain certain power through the struggle between the two parties, ensuring that he would not be completely excluded from the British government.

The struggle between the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party in Spain was like the party struggle of the British two-party system. The Liberal Party advocated for democracy and workers' rights, while the Conservative Party advocated more for free trade and maintaining the status quo.

The Progressive Party, which occupied the majority of parliamentary seats, was more like a balance between the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party. The Progressive Party, like the Liberal Party, advocated for reforms to change the social status quo, demanded the protection of workers' rights, and granted the public certain democratic rights.

But it was also like the Conservative Party, attempting to control reforms within a certain range, and did not want to completely change the country and cause social turmoil.

Prime Minister Primo was a very representative Progressive Party member. He promoted various reforms and promulgated laws and a constitution that were completely different from Spain's autocratic period.

But at the same time, Prime Minister Primo also supported Spain's monarchy and, in some aspects, also supported maintaining the status quo.

It was indeed as Prime Minister Primo said; the current Spain was not suitable for any one party to dominate, and it was more suitable for the three parties to compete in a healthy way.

As a relatively special existence among the three parties, the Progressive Party could either unite with the Conservative Party to form a government or unite with the Liberal Party to form a government; it was relatively flexible itself.

This could avoid the emergence of an extreme left or extreme right government, allowing Spain to maintain a relatively stable development.

With the three parties entering a certain balance, Carlos, as the King of Spain, naturally had much to do in terms of party balance.

The political orientation of the Progressive Party could also be classified as the Royalist Party. They supported Spain's monarchy, which also meant that the Progressive Party was loyal to Carlos to a certain extent.

Coupled with the Conservative Party, which was definitely a Royalist Party, it meant that Carlos could control two of the three major parties in Spain; didn't this mean that Carlos could indirectly manipulate the Spanish parliament?

By manipulating the Spanish parliament, he could decide the candidates for Spain's future Prime Minister. Compared to the British two-party system, the Spanish three-party system might be more suitable.

Carlos could adjust the composition of the Spanish government at any time through the balance between the three parties, ensuring that the development direction of the Spanish government would not go beyond his control.

Seeing that Carlos had listened carefully to everything he said, Prime Minister Primo nodded with satisfaction, and his whole person relaxed.

"Your Majesty the King, that is all I have to say. You are definitely the King I have seen who has the most hope of leading Spain to achieve a great revival; this is also the reason why I chose you in the first place.

Now it seems that my idea at the beginning was completely correct. Spain is already on the right track; perhaps Spain achieving a great revival is not just a goal, but a milestone that will be realized in the near future.

Regardless of whether I can see that moment, for me, I have no regrets. Your Majesty, it is an honor to have been able to cooperate with you for such a long time; this period is the golden development time of Spain that I have experienced.

It is absolutely the honor of all Spaniards that Spain can have a King like you." Prime Minister Primo looked at Carlos sincerely, recounting the reason why he chose Carlos as the King of Spain in the first place.

"It is Spain and all Spaniards' honor that Spain can have you." Carlos also looked at Prime Minister Primo, his eyes full of admiration and respect: "

Prime Minister Primo, you are one of the greatest Prime Ministers in Spain since its founding.

It is also my honor to have been able to cooperate with you for such a long time. I am still waiting for you to fully recover so that we can discuss the national affairs of Spain together.

Get well soon, Prime Minister Primo. Spain's development cannot do without you for a short time; you are the greatest contributor to promoting Spain's development, aren't you?"

5200-word two-in-one chapter, seeking support!

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(End of chapter)