Chapter 290: The Hero's Twilight

Since the time entered 1882, many cabinet ministers began reporting their work to Gao Da frequently.

Gao Da was currently a presence the Spanish government could not ignore; if they could obtain Gao Da's support, it would also be beneficial for their reelection.

Gao Da naturally understood the purpose of these cabinet ministers frequently reporting their work to him, and this was a result Gao Da had intentionally fostered.

The reason was also very simple: it was to prevent the Prime Minister from becoming too powerful within the cabinet government, thereby creating a situation where the Wang Quan was sidelined.

Although the Prime Minister could appoint nine cabinet minister positions, the King of Spain could also control five cabinet positions—including the Deputy Prime Minister, the Archbishop, the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Royal Affairs, and the Minister of Colonial Affairs—through direct appointment or election by the Upper House.

Adding in the Minister of Defense elected by the Military Committee, the political power held by the King of Spain was fully capable of contending with the Prime Minister; this was also a means to ensure that future Kings of Spain would not be sidelined.

Starting in March, the atmosphere of the cabinet general election in Spain became intense. Although the so-called cabinet general election was not produced by popular vote, the Spanish public still paid close attention to every cabinet election.

After all, to put it plainly, the Prime Minister was elected by the Lower House, and the members of the Lower House were elected by the regional councils of each major district.

The members of the regional councils were elected by the public of each major district, and the public held direct decision-making power over the qualifications of the regional councilors.

Any citizen over the age of 18 who had resided in Spain for more than ten years and held Spanish nationality could participate in the election of regional councilors and also possessed the qualification to be elected as a councilor.

Compared to the direct appointment system during the time of Queen Isabella, this approach was far more democratic; the Spanish public actively participated in every regional councilor election and paid close attention to every rotation of power in the cabinet government.

According to polls conducted by major newspapers, there were still many people who supported the reelection of Prime Minister Canovas.

Although Spain had lost the colony of Cuba during his term, the West African colony gained in exchange was not without value.

More importantly, Spain's Congo territory was currently a colony with an area of several million square kilometers; the scale of the Congo territory alone was enough to make up for the regret of Spain losing Cuba.

This was also due to the stability of the Spanish political scene; the Conservative Party had become the largest party in Spain, and as the leader of the Conservative Party, Canovas's chances of reelection were much greater than anyone else's.

Gao Da's attitude was also very clear: he supported Prime Minister Canovas in continuing his reelection.

After becoming Prime Minister of Spain, Canovas had not forgotten Gao Da's support for him. On every important decision of the Spanish cabinet government, Prime Minister Canovas would fully consider Gao Da's opinions and attitude, showing sufficient respect for the Wang Quan.

This was also the reason why Gao Da was willing to let him be reelected.

With no major suspense regarding the choice of Prime Minister, Gao Da did not intend to pay too much attention to Spain's cabinet election.

Currently, there was a more important matter worthy of Gao Da's attention: the former Prime Minister of Spain and the greatest contributor to the Savoy Dynasty of Spain, Duke Primo, was critically ill.

Ever since being assassinated in 1875, Prime Minister Primo had gradually faded from the political scene.

On one hand, he had willingly returned all power to Gao Da and believed that Gao Da could lead Spain toward greatness.

On the other hand, it was also because Prime Minister Primo's physical condition had been very poor after the assassination.

Although that assassination did not endanger Prime Minister Primo's life, the medical technology of this era was not exactly reliable.

Since then, Prime Minister Primo's health had become very poor, and he seemed as if he had aged more than ten years.

As the greatest contributor to the Kingdom of Spain, after Prime Minister Primo announced the end of his political career, Gao Da gifted Prime Minister Primo a large amount of assets in the name of the royal family, which included a castle and thousands of acres of land.

These assets were enough for Prime Minister Primo to live very well after ending his political career; the rent from the land alone was enough for Prime Minister Primo's living expenses.

Besides this, Gao Da also assigned a small guard unit to Prime Minister Primo. This was not to monitor Prime Minister Primo; Gao Da's purpose was merely to protect Prime Minister Primo's safety.

Prime Minister Primo's reforms were certainly developing in a good direction for Spain, but for the previous vested interest groups, it was like cutting their flesh piece by piece.

If Primo could be assassinated while he was still Prime Minister, now that he had withdrawn from the political scene and had no political power, who could guarantee that Primo would not be assassinated?

The guard unit sent by Gao Da was precisely to protect Primo's safety. Gao Da was still quite grateful to Prime Minister Primo; if not for his support, Gao Da could not have become the King of Spain and so smoothly grasped most of the political power.

If it had been any other Prime Minister greedy for power, after Gao Da showed sufficient ability, they would likely have been even more guarded against Gao Da and would never have given Gao Da any power or influence.

Having said that, 13 years had passed since Gao Da became the King of Spain. Old fellows like Prime Minister Primo who had once pushed for the Spanish revolution had now reached the twilight of their years.

Prime Minister Primo was born in 1814 and was already 68 years old this year, which was definitely considered a long life in this era. If not for the assassination causing his physical condition to take a sharp turn for the worse, Prime Minister Primo living to seventy or eighty would likely not have been a problem; this was also vastly different from the historical outcome where he was assassinated in 1870 at the age of only 56—at least he lived 12 years longer than in history.

Prime Minister Serrano, who was four years older than Prime Minister Primo, was already at the advanced age of 72 this year. Gao Da had also communicated with Prime Minister Serrano, and Prime Minister Serrano had formally submitted a request to no longer hold any positions, intending to retire honorably and spend his later years in peace.

In fact, people of every era are similar. No matter how many years one can live, in old age, one will always face the torment of various illnesses.

Grand Duke Serrano's health was relatively good, but after turning 70, his health condition gradually began to deteriorate.

It was also fortunate that Prime Minister Canovas was capable enough; as Deputy Prime Minister, Grand Duke Serrano did not need to bear too many government affairs, basically existing as a mascot to increase the influence of Count Canovas, the Prime Minister.

Now that Prime Minister Canovas had grasped sufficient political influence, it was naturally time for Grand Duke Serrano to retire.

Regarding Grand Duke Serrano's proposal to retire, Gao Da naturally had no objections.

Because Grand Duke Serrano had already reached the very pinnacle of the Spanish nobility, the rewards Gao Da gave Grand Duke Serrano were basically money and the like, allowing him to spend his later years in wealth; this could also be considered a gesture to all officials loyal to the royal family, letting the officials understand that being loyal to the royal family not only meant a good end but also gaining titles and property, allowing their children and descendants to enjoy glory and wealth.

Compared to Prime Minister Primo, Grand Duke Serrano's health was still much better. Prime Minister Primo was already critically ill, while Grand Duke Serrano was still in a relatively healthy state.

Gao Da had also communicated with Prime Minister Primo's doctors regarding his health issues; the doctors were already helpless regarding Prime Minister Primo's physical condition, and now it was entirely a matter of how long Prime Minister Primo could hold on.

According to the doctors' estimates, Prime Minister Primo could only hold on for at most half a year. This also caused Gao Da to increase the number of times he visited Prime Minister Primo; for Gao Da, Prime Minister Primo was indeed a mentor and friend, and it was precisely his protection that allowed Gao Da to survive the most vulnerable period of his first few years as King of Spain.

A significant part of the reason why Gao Da's older brother, the historical King Amadeo I of Spain, quickly and voluntarily gave up the Spanish throne was precisely because Prime Minister Primo had already been assassinated before he even arrived in Spain.

Without supporters under the King, this throne was destined to be impossible to sit firmly upon.

What Gao Da did not expect was that before Prime Minister Primo, another figure worthy of attention had quietly passed away.

When the news of Garibaldi's death came from Italy, Gao Da was in the Wang Gong accompanying his young son Ma Ding and daughter Sophia.

Ma Ding was not yet three years old this year, just at the age when a child is most adorable. Gao Da was also happy to be at leisure, holding six-year-old Sophia in his left arm and Ma Ding, who was not yet three, in his right, while checking the studies of seven-year-old Prince Juan Fernando.

Upon learning the news of Garibaldi's death, Gao Da immediately put the two little ones down, his gaze fixed on the messenger guard, and he asked in disbelief, "What did you say? Mr. Garibaldi is already dead?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. News has come from Italy that Mr. Garibaldi passed away this morning at his residence on Caprera Island. Currently, the Italian government is already preparing for Mr. Garibaldi's funeral." The guard respectfully handed over a telegram document and explained to Gao Da.

Gao Da took the original telegram, read it carefully, and sighed, saying, "This is truly bad news. Have Giotti and Menotti been notified?"

"Not yet. After learning the content of the telegram, I immediately rushed over to report to you," the guard replied.

"Go notify Giotti first, then send a telegram to Lanfang to have Menotti recalled," Gao Da thought for a moment and ordered.

"As you command, Your Majesty." The guard nodded and went to convey Gao Da's order.

After the guard left, Gao Da sat in the Wang Gong, looking toward the direction of Rome, not knowing what he was thinking in his heart.

"Father." Prince Juan Fernando walked up, looking at Gao Da with a concerned face.

"Don't worry, little Juan. A hero like Garibaldi will certainly enter heaven, and he will no longer be tormented by illness." Gao Da put away his complex emotions and looked at his eldest son with a gratified expression.

For Gao Da, nothing was more gratifying than his eldest son being quite promising.

Since accepting the strict elite aristocratic education formulated by Gao Da, Juan Fernando had not had a single complaint and had meticulously completed all the studies Gao Da had arranged.

The teachers Gao Da specifically hired from all over Europe for him were also quite satisfied with little Juan's efforts and had already praised his diligence in front of Gao Da many times.

As of now, Prince Juan's performance was quite satisfactory to Gao Da. After he finished his studies and underwent some political ability training, even if he could not grow into a wise and martial pioneering monarch, being a mediocre monarch with enough ability to maintain the status quo would be perfectly fine.

Considering the future historical trend, for Spain, after Gao Da, there really would be a need for a monarch who could maintain the status quo to consolidate the territory Gao Da had conquered.

If the plan in Gao Da's scheme to annex Portugal and establish the Iberian Empire could truly be realized, then the future Spain would need decades to digest the entirety of Spain.

Once Portugal and Morocco were swallowed and fully digested, Spain's potential would be infinitely expanded, and it would truly become a presence capable of wrestling with the super powers.

Since he had already learned the news of Garibaldi's death, Gao Da would naturally not remain indifferent. At the very least, he had to send a trusted aide to attend Garibaldi's funeral; after all, Garibaldi had been very supportive of Gao Da back then.

His two sons had both traveled far from Italy to Spain to serve Gao Da; one was currently the Commander-in-Chief of the Spanish Imperial Guard, and the other was the head of the Spanish Military Advisory Group stationed in Lanfang, both of whom were deeply trusted by Gao Da.

Gao Da had also considered attending Garibaldi's funeral in person, but in the end, he thought about it and gave up on that idea.

Gao Da was, after all, the King of Spain, and Garibaldi was a national hero of Italy; the two were fundamentally unrelated.

Even if Gao Da and Garibaldi had a good relationship, it had not reached the point where a King would personally condescend to attend a funeral.

The only ones qualified for Gao Da to personally attend their funerals would perhaps only be the kings and emperors of various countries. Even the kings of those small countries were not qualified; only the rulers of great power-level countries were qualified for Gao Da to personally attend.

If Gao Da insisted on going, it would only damage the prestige of the Spanish royal family. If a King did not value his own authority, then who else would value it?

Of course, considering that Giotti and Menotti were both serving him, Gao Da also found it necessary to send someone of sufficient status who could represent him to attend Garibaldi's funeral.

In fact, for Gao Da, there was only one such candidate, and that was the Chief Steward of the Spanish Wang Gong, Luo Lun.

As the Chief Steward of the Wang Gong, Luo Lun represented Gao Da and the Spanish royal family externally, so attending Garibaldi's funeral was naturally no problem.

Soon, the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard, Giotti, also learned the news of his father's death. He immediately came to request an audience with Gao Da, wanting to ask for leave to return to Italy to attend his father's funeral.

Gao Da naturally would not refuse; not only did he immediately agree to Giotti's request, but he also had Giotti accompany Steward Luo Lun on a warship to Italy.

In order to let the two reach Italy as quickly as possible to attend Garibaldi's funeral, Gao Da decided to mobilize a warship to head to Italy.

This could not only reflect Gao Da's importance placed on Garibaldi but also take the opportunity to increase the Italian public's favor toward Gao Da.

One must know that Garibaldi was the recognized national hero of Italy and one of the three great contributors to Italian unification.

Even in terms of public support, Garibaldi was far higher than the Father of the Italian Fatherland, Vittorio Emanuele II.

This was also the reason why Garibaldi was highly guarded against by the Italian royal family; if Garibaldi were willing, he could potentially launch a revolution at any time based on public support and push himself onto the throne of the ruler of Italy.

Upon learning that Gao Da intended to let Steward Luo Lun attend his father's funeral, Giotti was still very grateful to Gao Da.

After all, Garibaldi had made no contribution to Spain, and Gao Da had absolutely no need to attach such importance to it.

On the Italian side, after King Umberto I of Italy learned the news of Garibaldi's death, he first revealed an imperceptible smile, and then a trace of regret appeared on his face.

Garibaldi's death could be considered good news for the Italian royal family; the person who posed the greatest threat to the royal family was dead, and the status of the Italian royal family could become more stable.

But his death was simultaneously bad news for Umberto I. Umberto I was a nationalist, and if he wanted to promote Italy's improvement in military aspects, he had to have Garibaldi's support.

Previously, in the colonial competition in Tunisia, it was precisely because of Garibaldi's strong support that they successfully stirred up Italian public anger.

Without the support of this national hero who was deeply trusted by the public, the future path of Italy in nationalism and militarism would become even more difficult.

Most of the public still wanted to maintain a peaceful and stable life; for the ordinary public, war only brought pain, and most of those who walked onto the battlefield were just ordinary people.

Although the Italian royal family had been very guarded against Garibaldi while he was alive, when Umberto I learned the news of Garibaldi's death, he did not hesitate in the slightest and immediately decided to hold a state funeral for Garibaldi, and allowed the public from all over Italy to come and mourn Garibaldi.

Regarding the news of the national hero Garibaldi's death, the Italian government did not hide anything at all.

This also led many Italian citizens to spontaneously head to Garibaldi's former residence, Caprera Island; they were all commemorating this national hero in their own ways.

To maintain order, the Italian government had to send hundreds of additional police officers to Caprera Island and persuade the Italian public.

The Italian government stated that Garibaldi's funeral would be held in Rome, and at that time, the public could go to Rome to mourn Garibaldi.

It was precisely the repeated statements of the Italian government that eased the Italian public's idea of wanting to go to Caprera Island to commemorate Garibaldi.

For Umberto I, the previous guarding against Garibaldi was no longer important. What was important now was how to make good use of Garibaldi's funeral to properly boost the royal family's favorability.

The more importance the Italian royal family placed on Garibaldi's funeral, the more the public's favor toward the Italian royal family could be increased.

Precisely because of this, on the day the news of Garibaldi's death was announced, Umberto I high-profilely announced a donation of 500, 00 Lira to hold a state funeral for Garibaldi, and in accordance with Garibaldi's final wishes, buried Garibaldi in the family cemetery on Caprera Island.

5, 00-word two-in-one chapter, please support!

I had originally intended to post this in the afternoon, but something suddenly came up, my apologies!

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(End of chapter)