Chapter 316

Including the Balearic and Canary archipelagos, Spain has a total of 14 state-level administrative regions, which also happens to lay a stronger foundation for the establishment of the Barcelona Special Municipality.

As everyone knows, the number 13 is a taboo in the Western world.

The earliest explanation comes from Christian tradition. According to the Bible, Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples before his passion. The 13th participant at the banquet was none other than Judas, who betrayed Jesus; this dinner is also believed by Christianity to have taken place on the 13th, causing the number 13 to be closely associated with betrayal and suffering.

The famous painter Leonardo da Vinci's work "The Last Supper" further spread this biblical story and reinforced the negative meaning brought by the number 13.

Although the influence of religion on European countries has gradually weakened, whether it is the common people or the high-level government officials of various countries, they will avoid the number 13 as much as possible.

A more common practice is that public places such as high-rise buildings or theaters will avoid numbers like the 13th floor or the 13th row.

When holding banquets in Europe, people also avoid having 13 people dining at the same table; each table will have either 12 seats, or 14 or more.

Even famous figures like Napoleon and Bismarck would refuse to start wars or sign government documents on the 13th, which clearly shows that the taboo of 13 has taken deep root in Europe and even the Western world.

If Barcelona were not established as a special municipality, Spain would only have 13 remaining state-level administrative divisions, which clearly violates the taboo.

If the number 13 can be avoided, it is naturally best to avoid it as much as possible.

After establishing Barcelona as a special municipality, Spain's administrative divisions on the Iberian Peninsula became 12 (excluding the two archipelagos), which is also a quite lucky number.

To dispel the concerns of the Spanish people regarding the establishment of Barcelona as a special municipality, Carlos had the newspapers controlled by the royal family report extensively on news related to the number 13, so that the public would support the parliament's decision.

In any era, the masses are blind. Under the propaganda of a large number of newspaper reports, the Spanish people soon believed that only by establishing Barcelona as a special municipality could the occurrence of the number 13 be avoided, and only in this way could good luck be brought to all of Spain.

As for those who still supported keeping Barcelona in Catalonia, the thoughts of those people would bring disaster and misfortune to Spain, and they were exactly that 13th person, that is, the betrayer of Spain.

And it must be said, because it is closely related to the biblical story, this argument has been accepted by many Spanish people.

Except for the Catalans who still had some slight objections, other Spaniards had no objections to the establishment of Barcelona as a special municipality, and some even had thoughts of clapping and cheering.

After the civilians no longer opposed it, the subsequent matters were easy to handle.

As for the remaining people who still insisted on opposing the parliament's decision, they were no different from betrayers like Judas.

Anyway, with the support of the public, Carlos was fearless.

Spain's security departments acted very quickly, arresting a large number of opponents every day and interrogating them, implicating even more traitors.

Although Spain lacks population, it does not mean it wants just anyone. For those who have no sense of belonging to the concept of the Spanish nation, Carlos has only one opinion, which is to exile them.

Spain now has many choices, and the destinations for these people will also be varied.

A portion of the more radical opponents will be exiled to the Philippines; since they want to cause trouble, let them go and cause trouble with the local indigenous people in the Philippines.

The remaining people who are not so radical will be exiled to several colonies in Africa. If they perform well in the future, they will still have a chance to return to Spain.

Of course, those who are exiled to the Philippines need not think about it. For this kind of extreme nationalist, Carlos will absolutely not trust them.

Spain only accepts citizens who identify with this country; for any behavior that wants to engage in independence or separatism on Spanish soil, Carlos has only one opinion, which is to strike with a heavy fist and not let a single one go.

Within just one month of the announcement of the administrative division reform plan, Spain had emigrated nearly 10,000 people abroad through various means.

Undoubtedly, these people were all confirmed radical reactionaries who had no sense of belonging to Spain and were attempting to seek national autonomy or even independence.

Most of these people were transported to the West African colonies, the Congo territory, and Guinea; they will fill the population of the African colonies and engage in the more arduous development work of the African colonies.

The remaining approximately one-third of the people were more extreme opponents, and they were sent directly to the Philippines.

It is worth mentioning that the places they went to were not the several large islands of the Philippines, but several small islands where Spain's control is not strong.

The Philippine government will issue them rifles and living supplies; their task is to survive locally, establish larger Spanish colonial strongholds, and strengthen Spain's rule in the area.

Don't look at these islands as being smaller; because Spaniards rarely set foot there, the local indigenous people are more wild and their aggression is also very strong.

If they can survive and successfully manage the islands they are on, Carlos is not opposed to considering letting them establish a country under Spanish control in the future.

But if they cannot even survive and still need to rely on the breath of the Philippine colony to live, then naturally no one will pay attention to them, and whether they can survive will only depend on their own efforts.

After dealing with those who opposed the political plan reform with thunderous means, Spain's reform was able to proceed rapidly.

Barcelona and Ma Deli both have new names, and their names are both special municipalities. Other regions have also been renamed as states; after the parliament and the cabinet government issued relevant decrees, the major regions issued announcements within a few days and changed the names of the regional governments and regional parliaments.

At this time, inside the Ma Deli Royal Palace, Carlos looked at the Spanish administrative map hanging in his office, and for a moment, he could not help but feel heroic.

Although Spain's land area is not large, it is also a major power with an area of over 500,000 square kilometers and a population of 22 million.

At present, the burden of development for Spain's 12 states and 2 special municipalities rests entirely on Carlos's shoulders; this is a supreme power, and it is also a responsibility as heavy as a mountain.

Carlos's gaze first looked at Spain's administrative divisions, then looked at the Principality of Andorra in northern Spain, then shifted his gaze to Portugal in western Spain, and finally to Morocco in the south.

With the shift of his gaze, a trace of ambition was revealed in Carlos's eyes, an ambition to completely unify the Iberian Peninsula and make Spain a super-nation spanning the two continents of Europe and Africa.

As for Gibraltar between the two continents of Europe and Africa, Carlos stared at it for the longest time.

If unifying the Iberian Peninsula could make Carlos one of the greatest monarchs of Spain, then recovering Gibraltar could make Carlos the greatest monarch of Spain.

Carlos even had the hope of becoming a god through this; by recovering Gibraltar, he could make himself the greatest ruler in the hearts of all Spaniards, possessing the title of Emperor.

In April 1885, Carlos officially launched the national inspection work visiting all states.

In addition to urging the reforms in each state, this inspection was also to stabilize the hearts of the people in each state, so that Spain's reforms could be stably sustained and finally achieve complete success.

The first stop of Carlos's inspection trip was placed in Spain's newly added administrative division, the Barcelona Special Municipality.

For Spain, the importance of Barcelona is no less than that of Ma Deli.

Ma Deli is Spain's political center, cultural center, and railway transport center, and it is also Spain's most populous city. And Barcelona is Spain's industrial center, economic center, and maritime transport center; Barcelona, along with Catalonia, is hailed as Spain's most developed region.

After Barcelona was established as a special municipality, the capital of Catalonia was moved from Barcelona to Tarragona further south.

But it is very clear that Tarragona cannot replace Barcelona.

From Spain's railway construction, it can also be seen that Ma Deli is the center of all railways; Ma Deli connects the three most populous states of Galicia, Andalusia, and Catalonia.

And Barcelona is the center of the Catalan railway, connecting to Zaragoza in the state of Aragon to the west, and connecting to Valencia in the state of Valencia to the south; it is an extremely important transport hub.

Although Tarragona is also a seaport city with a good geographical location, compared to Barcelona, which is located in the heart of Catalonia, Tarragona cannot become a transport hub and can only become an ordinary seaport city on the railway line.

Losing Barcelona is a heavy loss for Catalonia, which will definitely affect Catalonia's economy.

However, considering the support that Barcelona can receive from the Spanish government after becoming a special municipality, Catalonia's sacrifice is worth it.

For this inspection trip, Carlos decided to use his special train and take the train to one of Spain's brilliant twin-star cities.

However, unlike the previous trip to Barcelona via Zaragoza, Carlos chose to go east to Valencia first this time, and then go north from Valencia to Barcelona for inspection.

The scenery of Spain in spring is quite beautiful, at least it is like this around Ma Deli.

Once out of Ma Deli and into the mountainous area, the scenery is not so beautiful. Carlos appreciated Spain's unique scenery while arranging the things that needed to be done after arriving in Barcelona.

This trip carried enough security forces, also to prevent the counterattack of the Catalans.

Although on the surface, the radicals among the Catalans and Basques had been cleaned up, who could guarantee that no one would lurk and secretly plan assassinations of the King and other high-ranking government officials?

Carlos attached great importance to his own life safety.

This trip, along with the special train to Barcelona, in addition to some servants and government officials, also included hundreds of guards and Imperial Guard soldiers.

Such a scale of defensive force was enough to ensure Carlos's safety in any part of Spain. Even if there were really radicals in Catalonia creating chaos, Carlos's safety could still be guaranteed.

Time passed quickly, and Carlos and his party arrived in Valencia by train, and then went north from Valencia, arriving in Barcelona after passing through Zaragoza.

At the Barcelona train station, the Mayor of Barcelona, along with a group of officials and councilors from the municipal government and the city council, was already waiting respectfully.

Although the establishment of Barcelona as a special municipality is a heavy loss for Catalonia, for Barcelona itself, the benefits actually outweigh the disadvantages.

Just like the Mayor of Barcelona, his administrative rank is only that of a mayor. Although Barcelona is Spain's second-largest city and possesses Spain's largest industrial zone, it cannot change the administrative rank and status of the Mayor of Barcelona.

But after the establishment of the Barcelona Special Municipality, the Mayor of Barcelona leaped from an ordinary mayor to a new favorite in Spanish politics.

That's right, compared to other states, Barcelona's land area and population are indeed smaller.

However, Barcelona is more superior in terms of economy and industry, which also means that the Mayor of Barcelona has more opportunities to build political achievements.

Standing beside the Mayor of Barcelona were either important officials of the municipal government or the speaker of the city council and some councilors.

One person's identity was relatively special; he stood behind the Mayor of Barcelona, looking like the second-in-command of the Barcelona municipal government.

That person's appearance was still very familiar; the first time Carlos saw him, he recognized him, and that was the down-and-out noble whom Carlos had once thought highly of, Baron Angelo Orcajo.

Speaking of which, Baron Angelo Orcajo had also served as the head of the Barcelona Industrial Zone for several years. Spain's industrial development was so rapid, and it could not be separated from the high-speed development of the Barcelona Industrial Zone.

And the high-speed development of the Barcelona Industrial Zone also benefited from the excellent leadership of Baron Angelo Orcajo. Facts proved that Carlos's eye for talent was still quite good.

Although he was only a down-and-out noble, Baron Angelo Orcajo's ability was still quite excellent; during the period when he served in the relatively important position of head of the industrial zone, he successfully exerted his ability and created Spain's industrial heart.

With the establishment of Barcelona as a special municipality this time, Baron Angelo Orcajo also had high hopes of improving his administrative rank.

There were also rumors within Barcelona that when the next election for mayor was held, Baron Angelo Orcajo would very likely be elected as the new mayor of Barcelona.

You know, Baron Angelo Orcajo was not even 40 years old now. Being elected as the mayor of Barcelona, whose rank is equivalent to that of a state governor, at this age meant that he still had great hope of continuing to move upward.

In other words, Baron Angelo Orcajo was definitely a new favorite in the political arena, and the kind of new favorite with great potential.

(End of chapter)