Chapter 384

The diplomatic visit team led by the Danish Royal Family soon arrived in Spain, and Gao Da also met with Crown Wang Chu Frederick of Denmark to discuss the specific details of the marriage between Wang Chu Juan Fernando and Louise Caroline Josephine Sophie Thyra Olga.

Because both sides had the intention to match the two, plus Wang Chu Juan Fernando and Princess Louise also had good feelings for each other, this marriage was quickly determined.

The engagement ceremony will be held at the end of this year, and the wedding ceremony will be held next summer.

The scale of the engagement ceremony for the two can be smaller, but the wedding ceremony is very important and requires careful preparation by the governments and royal families of the two countries for a long time.

As Gao Da's eldest son and the country's crown prince, the scale of Wang Chu Juan Fernando's wedding will be huge, and the cost of the wedding is destined not to be small.

Fortunately, the assets of the Spanish Royal Family are already countless; taking out millions of Pesetas to hold a grand wedding is just a splash of water for the Spanish Royal Family.

After the marriage of the two sides was determined, Crown Wang Chu Frederick took Princess Louise and several royal family members to stay in Spain for a few days.

Compared with Denmark, which is further north, the climate in Spain is clearly warmer. Plus, because of the vast land and abundant resources, Crown Wang Chu Frederick was still very curious about Spain.

Led by the reception personnel of the Spanish government and Wang Chu Juan Fernando, the Crown Wang Chu and his party visited the Ma Deli "City That Never Sleeps," which was famous in Europe, which was actually a prosperous street installed with a large number of streetlights.

Crown Wang Chu Frederick also watched Spain's bullfighting competition. Today's bullfighting competition has become an indispensable part of Spanish culture; whether it is a big city or a small city, any bullfighting competition can attract thousands of spectators to watch.

Those star players who perform well in bullfighting competitions will often also be sought after by a large number of Spaniards. The final winner who can win in the annual bullfighting competition can become a warrior famous throughout Spain overnight.

Although bullfighting competitions have brought a large number of casualties. Since Gao Da decided to promote bullfighting competitions in Spain, so far, the number of bullfighters who have died or been seriously injured in bullfighting competitions has reached hundreds.

If you count those who were slightly injured, the total number of accidents in bullfighting competitions has reached hundreds.

But it is clear that the high accident rate cannot stop bullfighters from bravely and fearlessly challenging bulls, nor can it stop the audience from enthusiastically watching bullfighting competitions.

Crown Wang Chu Frederick praised Spain's bullfighting competition. Although such a competition looks a bit dangerous, there are not many entertainment items in this era; if you can watch such a competition from time to time, for most European people, it must be willing.

During the few days of playing in Spain, what surprised Crown Wang Chu Frederick most was not the development and prosperity of Spain today, but the love and support of the Spanish people for Gao Da from the bottom of their hearts.

Gao Da's prestige in Spain is extremely high. Especially after the annexation of Morocco, Gao Da's prestige has reached its peak, and thus he has obtained supreme power.

As long as it is an order from the Royal Palace of Ma Deli, the people will support it without hesitation. This also means that Gao Da has hope of achieving a true sense of absolute monarchy and becoming the only ruler of this country who says one thing and one thing.

The higher Gao Da's prestige and the greater his power, the better it is for the Danish Royal Family. After confirming the marriage between the two royal families, the Spanish Royal Family became an ally of the Danish Royal Family.

Starting from his own interests, Crown Wang Chu Frederick naturally hopes that the power of the Spanish Royal Family is greater, so that he can help the Danish Royal Family in more aspects.

In order to express the sincerity of the Danish side, during the few days the Danish Royal Family played, the government officials sent by Denmark had already negotiated the content of their respective cooperation with the Spanish side.

Although it belongs to a small European country like the Netherlands, the current status of Denmark is clearly not as good as the Netherlands. The Netherlands still possesses the vast colony of the Dutch East Indies, which can provide a large amount of fiscal revenue for the Netherlands every year.

And Denmark's main colonies are only two left; whether it is Iceland or Greenland, they cannot create substantial income for Denmark.

The only reason why Denmark can still hold these two colonies until now is because the value of these two pieces of land is really not high.

The area of Iceland and Greenland is not small, but because they are too close to the Arctic Circle, most of the land is not suitable for living.

Plus, these two colonies are islands, far away from the European and American continents, so they are naturally more inaccessible.

Stronger countries don't look down on these two colonies, and weaker countries cannot defeat Denmark, which is the reason why Denmark has always held these two colonies.

The cooperation reached between Denmark and Spain mainly includes grain import and export trade, the purchase of warships, and the import of weapons and equipment, etc.

Speaking of which, compared with other small European countries, Denmark is actually quite special.

The Danish mainland is composed of several large islands and peninsulas; the top three are the Jutland Peninsula, Zealand Island, and Funen Island.

Don't look at the fact that Denmark's land is all peninsulas and islands, but in terms of agricultural products, Denmark has achieved basic self-sufficiency.

The area of these islands and peninsulas added together is as high as 43,000 square kilometers, but Denmark's population is only a pitiful 2.28 million.

You know, countries like the Netherlands, Belgium, and Portugal, which are regarded as small European countries together with Denmark, have populations basically reaching 5 million or more.

Even countries like Switzerland and Greece have already exceeded 3 million people. Denmark's population is only 2.28 million; such a population is relatively small among small and medium-sized European countries.

The reason why Denmark can achieve self-sufficiency in grain, in addition to the small population, is that there are fewer mountains and more plains in the country.

Denmark's animal husbandry is relatively developed, and the production of dairy products and meat is relatively high; it even exports a large amount of dairy products and meat every year.

For Spain, the grain import and export trade with the Danish side can allow Spain to obtain dairy products and meat from Denmark.

The original Spain was not short of these, but because of the continuous growth of the population, although the grain production barely kept up, the production of dairy products and meat clearly could not keep up with the speed of Spain's population growth.

Spain can obtain dairy products and meat from Denmark, and Denmark can also obtain vegetables and fruits from Spain.

In terms of vegetables and fruits, Spain can swear that it is number one in Europe.

After the West African colonies undertook the task of planting grain, many lands on the Spanish mainland were transformed into producing vegetables and fruits.

It is precisely because of this that Spain's vegetable and fruit production has continuously increased; under the premise of supplying the consumption of more than 30 million people in the country, it still exports a large amount of vegetables and fruits every year, earning quite a lot of foreign exchange income.

Compared with the Netherlands, Denmark's shipbuilding industry is not so developed. Denmark also does not need to maintain a large-scale navy; after all, they do not have many overseas colonies, and they are not too far from the mainland.

After sending away the Danish diplomatic visit team, the focus of various departments of the Spanish government was placed on the work wrap-up at the end of the year.

It has been mentioned before that next year, which is 1897, Spain will hold the election of a new cabinet government.

This also means that in the remaining few months, the ministers of various departments must make their final efforts to add bricks and tiles to their work performance for this five-year term.

Only if their report card is beautiful can they be qualified to seek re-election or go further.

If their political achievements are a mess, re-election is naturally impossible, and members of parliament cannot support someone with no ability to continue to serve in the high position of cabinet minister.

As early as the beginning of this year, Gao Da had already communicated with Prime Minister Evan Bradley.

Prime Minister Evan Bradley is no longer young; he is considering retiring officially after the end of this cabinet prime minister term to enjoy his few remaining years of life.

Gao Da naturally will not stop Prime Minister Evan Bradley; the continuous replacement of Spanish cabinet prime ministers is actually a good thing for Gao Da.

Of course, such replacement must be a normal replacement. If the cabinet prime minister is impeached and stepped down before his term expires, it will only cause turmoil in Spain's political situation.

In the nearly 30 years Gao Da has been the King of Spain, Spain has actually only experienced four cabinet prime ministers, and the average term of each cabinet prime minister has reached more than 7 years; such a prime minister term is quite healthy.

It can ensure that the government's policies are implemented for a long time, and it will not allow the prime minister to obtain power sufficient to threaten the royal power.

Since it has been determined that Prime Minister Evan Bradley will retire after the end of this cabinet prime minister term, for Gao Da, the most important thing is to find a successor for Prime Minister Evan Bradley.

The choice of cabinet prime minister is still very important; it relates to the stability of Spain's political situation and the development of Spain in the next five years. The first more suitable candidate is the current Deputy Prime Minister Jovellanos Soler. As the number two figure of the Conservative Party during the Canovas prime minister period, after a five-year term as Deputy Prime Minister, Gao Da does not need to worry that his political prestige is not enough to serve as prime minister.

Jovellanos Soler's political stance is somewhat similar to Prime Minister Canovas, and he is considered one of the more suitable prime minister candidates.

The second more suitable candidate is the current Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ewald Bartel. Compared with Jovellanos Soler, Ewald Bartel has longer qualifications; he served in important positions such as Minister of Finance during the Primo prime minister period and was an absolute confidant of Prime Minister Primo.

Because he was deeply trusted by Prime Minister Primo, Ewald Bartel became the Minister of Finance of Spain in 1869 and did not leave this position until 1882, serving as Minister of Finance for a total of 13 years.

He successfully returned to the cabinet during the administration of Prime Minister Evan Bradley and became the Speaker of the Spanish House of Representatives. This also made him the only cabinet minister in Spain to have experienced the terms of four prime ministers, and his qualifications and political prestige naturally go without saying.

However, compared with Jovellanos Soler, Ewald Bartel has a quite obvious disadvantage, that is, his age is already very old.

Ewald Bartel was born in 1834 and is already 62 years old this year. If he serves as cabinet prime minister for another five years, by the time he retires, his age will have reached 67.

Whether the five years from 62 to 67 can make one a qualified cabinet prime minister is a question worth Gao Da's consideration.

It is undeniable that the average life expectancy of people in this era is very short. People in their 60s are already an elderly group; whether it is physical condition or the energy to handle government affairs, they cannot be compared with younger people.

Compared with the elderly Ewald Bartel, Jovellanos Soler's age is smaller, but not much smaller.

Jovellanos Soler was born in 1839 and is exactly 57 years old this year. If he is allowed to serve as cabinet prime minister for five years, by the time he retires, it will be exactly Ewald Bartel's current age, 62.

Compared with these two older prime minister candidates, Gao Da actually favors the current Minister of Industry, Angelo Orcajo.

Baron Angelo Orcajo, born in 1847, is only 49 years old now; whether it is physical condition or the energy to handle things, it is clearly much better than the two old guys above.

More importantly, Baron Angelo Orcajo is one of his own in the true sense and is Gao Da's confidant.

His ability in industrial development is also unquestionable; coming all the way from the original position of District Mayor of Barcelona Industrial Zone, he has successively served as District Mayor of Barcelona Industrial Zone, Special Mayor of Barcelona, Special Mayor of Ma Deli, and Minister of Industry of the Spanish Cabinet, which is enough to see how excellent his ability is.

In fact, in the cabinet prime minister election in 1892, Gao Da considered letting Baron Orcajo serve as prime minister.

But at that time, Baron Orcajo was only the Mayor of Ma Deli; wanting to step into the sky and become prime minister without entering the cabinet, the difficulty was undoubtedly still very large.

At that time, Jovellanos Soler and Ewald Bartel and the leaders of other parties were all competitors; competing with these people, Baron Orcajo's own advantages were not enough to support him in being elected.

It is precisely because of this reason that Gao Da let Evan Bradley, who came from the military, serve as prime minister, striving for a five-year opportunity for Baron Angelo Orcajo to brush up on qualifications and prestige.

Looking at it now, Baron Orcajo has done quite well in the position of Minister of Industry. Spain's industry has experienced good development in the past five years, and even once had a trend of sitting firmly in the seat of the world's fourth industrial power.

Under these circumstances, it seems not strange to reuse Baron Orcajo.

If Jovellanos Soler or Ewald Bartel are allowed to serve as Spain's prime minister, they can at most serve one term as cabinet prime minister.

After all, one must also consider the age problem; even if their ability is excellent, Gao Da cannot let an old man close to 70 continue to serve as Spain's prime minister.

On the one hand, it is considering the physical condition of the prime minister; people in their 70s are very likely to die of illness during their term as prime minister.

On the other hand, it is also considering Spain's own development. As a powerful country, Spain needs to face various things and situations.

A prime minister close to 70 simply does not have enough energy to handle these affairs, which will also affect Spain's own development to a certain extent, which is something Gao Da cannot accept.

If Baron Angelo Orcajo is allowed to serve as Spain's prime minister, there will be no restriction of only being able to serve one term as prime minister.

Because Baron Orcajo is only 49 years old, as long as his health condition does not have any accidents, he can at least serve two consecutive terms as cabinet prime minister in the future.

And in the ten years he serves as cabinet prime minister, Spain's political situation can become more stable, and industrial and economic development can also make great progress.

Just considering this point, Gao Da's choice for the prime minister candidate is more inclined to Baron Angelo Orcajo.

Unless there are any accidents in these few months that affect Gao Da's judgment, otherwise, in the cabinet prime minister election at the beginning of next year, the one who wins will likely be Baron Orcajo.

Although Gao Da already has a preliminary prime minister candidate, on the surface, the competition for the next cabinet prime minister is still quite fierce.

In addition to the three cabinet prime minister candidates mentioned, the Progressive Party, the Conservative Party, and the Workers' Party also have their own candidates.

Theoretically speaking, as long as they are members of the Spanish House of Representatives, they are qualified to run for the position of prime minister.

It's just that there are certain restrictions on various political parties. Each political party can only recommend one candidate to participate in the prime minister election, and this candidate also represents their own political party.

If you cannot obtain the qualification to run for prime minister through the recommendation of a political party, you can only run as an independent.

Running as an independent has a great disadvantage. The prime minister election itself relies on the votes obtained by oneself, and being an independent means almost no help from others.

In addition to party recommendation and independent self-recommendation, you can also become a prime minister candidate through the King's personal nomination.

The prime minister election is divided into three rounds in total; the first round is the competition of all independent candidates. The two winners can participate in the competition with other party recommenders in the second round, and finally decide on three prime minister candidates to participate in the final round of competition.

If the King does not personally nominate a prime minister candidate, then the final round of competition is the competition between these three candidates. If the King personally nominates a prime minister candidate, the final round of competition is conducted among four people.

The one with the highest final vote count will become Spain's prime minister, and others can only take a step back and seek the position of cabinet minister.

Such an election process is clearly much more perfect than in the Primo prime minister period. As the King of Spain, Gao Da also has more say in the prime minister election stage.

If Gao Da does not want someone recommended by a certain political party to become a prime minister candidate, he can also reject the prime minister candidate recommendation of that political party and require the political party to resubmit another candidate as a prime minister candidate.

Doing so can ensure that the final few prime minister candidates are what Gao Da is willing to see, and there will be no prime minister with ambition and absolute power reappearing on Spain's historical stage.

Doing so is also to avoid Spain's royal power being hollowed out. The King can not be dictatorial, but the power in his hands must not be hollowed out.

Even if these powers are not used, holding them in one's hands is a huge deterrent. These powers are the trump card for the future King of Spain to keep his throne.

Even if there are voices opposing royal power in Spain in the future, the King of Spain can also use the power in his hands to try his best to prevent those extreme republicans from becoming high-level officials of the Spanish government.

This is about all Gao Da can do. Gao Da can only ensure that the throne will not be lost in the hands of his son and grandson; as for things further down the line, it is not something Gao Da can manage.

Even if Gao Da can successfully annex Portugal, recover Gibraltar, and become one of the greatest monarchs in the hearts of the Spanish people, he cannot let the Spanish throne be passed down in the Savoy family for hundreds of years.

Wanting to hold onto the Spanish throne also requires the efforts of every future King of Spain. Only by gaining the trust of the people can the Spanish royal power have the possibility of being passed down.

If the day really comes when the Spanish throne must be lost, it may not necessarily be the end for the Spanish Royal Family.

After all, Gao Da has already established huge wealth for his descendants; just relying on these wealth, it can make the future Spanish Royal Family become top capitalists.

Royal power cannot make the Spanish Royal Family the person in charge of the country, but these huge wealth can. Even if they lose their noble titles at that time, just relying on the wealth in their hands is enough to become the upper-upper class of the country.

(End of this chapter)