[{"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-20":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},2364948,4632,"Chapter 20: Arrival in Madrid","rise-of-the-empire-spain-chapter-20",20,"\u003Cp>On August 17, 1869, Carlo set off for Spain on a grand fleet, accompanied by his three confidants—Giaoti, Carmen Esposito, and Andrew Rosso—along with dozens of servants, chefs, tailors, and physicians personally selected by his father, Victor Emmanuel II, as well as a palace guard of about 500 men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carlo was very satisfied with the palace guard his father had provided. At Carlo's strong insistence, most of the soldiers in this guard had participated in the Italian Unification Wars, and many had served under Garibaldi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The combat effectiveness of these soldiers was guaranteed, and with Garibaldi’s second son, Giaoti, in command, there was no need to worry about their loyalty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furthermore, the families of these soldiers would follow Carlo to Spain, which was another means of ensuring their loyalty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simply put, from now on, these soldiers would be entirely under Carlo’s command. Carlo would also need to provide their military pay and equipment in exchange for their absolute loyalty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this foundation of 500 men, it would be much easier for Carlo to expand his own personal guard in the future. After all, to build an army, one needs not only carefully selected commanders at the top but also low-ranking officers who have truly experienced war to accelerate the formation of the army and forge the soul of an elite force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the largest ship in the fleet, Carmen Esposito and Andrew Rosso were looking at the vast Mediterranean Sea with excitement, their moods particularly stirred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon learning that Carlo was an Italian prince, the two were extremely thrilled. They had originally thought Carlo was merely a nobleman’s son; they had not expected his status to be even higher than they had imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when they learned from Carlo a few days ago that he was about to go to Spain to be crowned king, their shock was incomparable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This also led both of them to express their agreement with great excitement when Carlo invited them to go to Spain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, with their commoner status, there were no great avenues for advancement in Italy, and it was very difficult to climb the ranks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were many excellent graduates like them, and Italy did not have much room for them to exercise their talents freely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if they went to Spain, it would be completely different. Carlo did not have many people he could rely on, and as his closest confidants, they would naturally receive ample opportunities to prove themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although they would start as deputy captains of Carlo’s palace guard, Carlo had also promised that this palace guard would soon be expanded to the strength of a brigade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether it was Carmen Esposito or Andrew Rosso, both would be able to serve as regimental commanders in the expanded guard brigade. This was a much better prospect than staying in Italy, where their officer rank would only allow them to serve as company-level commanders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, both were wholeheartedly devoted to following Carlo, and both had persuaded their families to follow them to Spain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two fellows, one fat and one thin, were not stupid; they knew they had to do something to express their loyalty to gain Carlo’s heavy reliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carlo, of course, saw their efforts. If these two fellows truly had good capabilities, Carlo would not mind letting them grow into figures who could hold their own in the Spanish military.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If their abilities were merely mediocre, they would still serve as examples of Carlo’s willingness to pay a high price to attract talent, entering departments like the Ministry of Defense or the General Staff to hold important positions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After several days of sailing, the fleet finally approached Barcelona in the Catalonia region.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The port of Barcelona looked packed with people, surrounded by crowds, seemingly welcoming Carlo’s arrival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Majesty, Regent Serrano is already waiting for you at the port.\" Seeing Carlo’s slight confusion, Primo stepped up and said to Carlo with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Primo say this, Carlo immediately understood that these crowds had been prepared in advance by Serrano, specifically to ensure that Carlo’s arrival in Spain would not be awkward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Carlo had arrived in Spain without anyone to welcome him, or if the public had no attitude toward it, the only ones who would be embarrassed would be Carlo and the government that chose him to be king.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carlo nodded, the smile on his face unchanged: \"Where is Mr. Serrano?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following Primo’s guidance, Carlo and his party were escorted by the guard as they slowly walked onto the port and headed toward the location of the Spanish government.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Carlo stepped onto the port, the band already prepared at the docks played the Spanish national anthem, \"Royal March.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This song was excellent for the occasion; it not only highlighted the importance placed on welcoming the new king but also emphasized Spain’s monarchy, giving Carlo sufficient face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Highness!\" The members of the Spanish government bowed to Carlo one after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Carlo had not yet sworn an oath to the constitution to be crowned King of Spain, his status at this time was still that of an Italian duke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the oath could be taken at any time, which was different from the coronation ceremony, so everyone did not show the slightest slackness toward Carlo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Primo and Serrano smiled as they introduced the various officials of the Spanish government to Carlo, and Carlo entered Barcelona under the welcome of the numerous officials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was just a place to stop over. After a short rest, Carlo would embark on the journey back to Madrid with the officials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The good news was that although Spain did not have many kilometers of railway, it still had nearly 5,000 kilometers of track. And as a major city on the east coast, Barcelona naturally had a railway connecting to Madrid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the bad news was that the railway operating speed in this era was extremely slow, and the riding experience was far inferior to later generations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Carlo, the journey from Barcelona to Madrid might be even worse than the few days of tossing and turning on the Mediterranean.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the good news was that once he returned to Madrid, Carlo could live in the massive Royal Palace of Madrid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was known as the third-largest royal palace in Europe, a luxurious palace second only to the Palace of Versailles and the Schönbrunn Palace. This aspect also reflected the luxury of the Spanish Bourbon dynasty; at least in terms of royal food, clothing, and daily expenses, the successive Spanish kings of the Bourbon dynasty had never been stingy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On August 23, 1869, Carlo finally arrived in Madrid, and Primo also returned to the political center of Spain after many days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Carlo very much wanted to tour Madrid in 1869, after several days of travel fatigue, Carlo no longer had the energy to think about anything else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thoughts of the accompanying officials and soldiers were the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the first day of arriving in Madrid, Carlo only took his confidants and servants to the Royal Palace of Madrid and had a comfortable sleep in the clean king’s bedchamber that had been prepared long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First update, please support!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of this chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1208,"2026-06-25T09:27:12.995Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","88772cf3451b350e8fe57bdd6cf1b60b18b528f02cb95a4c58c84fee35276e8b","rise-of-the-empire-spain-chapter-21","rise-of-the-empire-spain-chapter-19",493,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frise-of-the-empire-spain-cover.jpg"]