Chapter 46: Gao Da's Private Banquet

"Congratulations, Your Majesty. The establishment of the Royal Union Bank is a great success. Perhaps this year, Spain will see the birth of a mega-bank with over a million depositors," the Duke of Alba, Gao Da, said with a smile, flattering Xiang Kaluo.

"You are also a shareholder of the Union Bank. Since the Union Bank has achieved results, every shareholder has a share in it." Xiang Kaluo nodded with a smile, quite satisfied with the achievements of the Royal Union Bank.

Just moments ago, the butler Luo Lun reported that the Royal Union Bank had reached 684 depositors that day, with total deposits exceeding 18 million pesetas, an average deposit of as high as 26, 70 pesetas per person.

Of course, such data is actually quite inflated.

Among the 684 depositors, the vast majority were nobles who had received the news. There were three people in total who deposited over a million, namely the Duke of Alba, Gao Da, the Duke of Albuquerque, Fei Ernan Duo, and Xiang Kaluo himself.

The true commoner depositors were actually only one or two hundred, which is the reason why the average deposit was ultimately pulled so very high.

From this aspect, one can also see how massive the assets of the Spanish nobility are. The deposits they brought out to show their sincerity were merely a drop in the bucket compared to their assets, but for Xiang Kaluo, it was already a quite important starting capital.

18 million pesetas was already more than half of the assets Xiang Kaluo had brought to Spain, and this was just the total savings obtained on the first day of the Royal Union Bank's opening.

If the Royal Union Bank could gain the trust of the public and attract a large number of Spanish citizens to deposit, the funds available to Xiang Kaluo would be endless.

With sufficient funds, Xiang Kaluo could continuously lay out the expansion of industrial and financial sectors and earn more money.

In this era, it is still very easy to make money, especially making money as a king. Relying on the massive capital brought by the Royal Union Bank, Xiang Kaluo could easily monopolize an industry, maximize the profits of a certain sector, and quickly fill his own pockets.

"Your Majesty, please do not miss the banquet tomorrow night. A large number of nobles will be attending, and it is time for Your Majesty to meet these fellows," Gao Da said with a smile.

Ever since Pu Li Mo quelled the Carlist rebellion, Gao Da had not held even half a point of contempt for Xiang Kaluo. Because he knew that from then on, Xiang Kaluo's throne would become very stable, and Xiang Kaluo's fate was tied together with the Spanish nobles.

For them to look down on Xiang Kaluo as king at such a time was, in reality, also looking down on themselves as subordinates to the king.

The nobles possess a transcendent status entirely because of the public's obedience and support for the monarchy. If the public no longer supports the king and overthrows the monarchy, that is when the nobles' sense of superiority ceases to exist.

Although Xiang Kaluo is an outsider, isn't the House of Bourbon also an outsider? The House of Savoy still controls the throne of Italy, and the House of Bourbon currently does not control any country.

"Of course." Xiang Kaluo nodded with a smile.

"Since it is a banquet personally hosted by you, Gao Da, what reason would I have not to go?" Xiang Kaluo said with a smile.

Gao Da nodded, took his leave from Xiang Kaluo's Wang Gong, and returned to prepare for the banquet that had been planned for a long time.

This banquet was held in Gao Da's private name, and its greatest purpose was to show his loyal attitude to Xiang Kaluo, while at the same time helping Xiang Kaluo completely win over the Spanish nobles during the banquet.

After all, Xiang Kaluo is an outsider. To gain the recognition of the entire noble class, the support of old-school Spanish nobles like the Duke Gao Da is very important.

Gao Da naturally also understood the principle that providing help in times of need is far more important than adding flowers to a brocade. If he waited until Xiang Kaluo had already won over a portion of the nobles to then crowd around, it would not be so easy to become Xiang Kaluo's confidant.

One must know that although nobles possess a transcendent status, their families are not eternal.

To ensure a family's longevity, the first step is to gain the support and trust of the king, and the second is to conduct political marriages and cooperate with other nobles.

And in this banquet, Gao Da also had some of his own selfish motives.

His daughter, Anna, was born in 1855 and is about to turn 16. Xiang Kaluo was born in June 1851 and is not yet 19 years old; the age difference between the two is not too great.

If Anna and Xiang Kaluo happen to take a liking to each other at the banquet, perhaps the status of the De Toledo family in Spain will rise to a higher level.

Even if she cannot become the Queen of Spain, if she is favored by Xiang Kaluo and becomes one of his mistresses, the Toledo family would not actually be at a loss.

After all, it is truly too normal for European monarchs to keep mistresses, and the chaotic lives among the nobles are also beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

Time quickly arrived at the day of the banquet.

The banquet was held in the Duke Gao Da's castle. The castle is located in the suburbs of Madrid, and further south, it is not far from Toledo.

Gao Da attached great importance to this banquet and invited a large number of nobles from within Spain to participate. However, due to the limitations of the venue, the lowest rank of noble who could participate in this banquet had to be a Count; Viscounts and Barons, unless they had high prestige or status, were basically not qualified to participate.

This is also a matter of necessity. After all, the number of Dukes, Marquesses, and Counts in Spain already reaches several hundred. Although due to distance, fewer than a hundred could come to attend the banquet.

But if one counts the female companions and family members brought by the nobles, it is no problem for several hundred people to participate in this banquet.

This is also about the limit for a private banquet. If there were any more people, the banquet scene would be quite chaotic, and for the nobles attending the banquet, safety could not be guaranteed.

Especially with Xiang Kaluo also participating, security work must be tightened. If this banquet were to end unhappily due to some accident, then Gao Da's preparations would have fallen short of success.

Xiang Kaluo was also quite looking forward to this banquet.

Although Xiang Kaluo had already met many Spanish nobles during the last coronation ceremony, the attitude of the nobles toward Xiang Kaluo at that time was not this sincere.

Now with the support of Gao Da, and coupled with the fact that Xiang Kaluo's throne is already quite stable, the nobles have only one choice: to obey Xiang Kaluo's rule.

Tonight's banquet is the beginning of Xiang Kaluo completely gaining the allegiance of the noble class, becoming a true King of Spain, and being able to exert his influence on the government through the noble class.

From tonight on, Xiang Kaluo will gain a large group of trustworthy subordinates. At the very least, in terms of maintaining the monarchy, these nobles will definitely stand with Xiang Kaluo.

Xiang Kaluo will not be alone when facing the Republicans; these nobles are Xiang Kaluo's best helpers and are also the group of people in all of Spain, besides Xiang Kaluo, who are most opposed to the republican system.

In order to gain enough of Xiang Kaluo's trust, and also to ensure the smooth progress of the banquet without any accidents, the Duke Gao Da, when organizing this banquet, specifically requested that Xiang Kaluo dispatch a portion of the Royal Guards to help maintain order at the banquet site.

This also included performing simple body searches on the personnel attending the banquet to ensure that no one was carrying weapons.

This point was also discussed in advance with the nobles attending the banquet. After all, Xiang Kaluo is not willing to have anyone carry weapons into the banquet and deliver a fatal blow when he is at his most relaxed.

One's own life must still be held in one's own hands; when necessary, no one can be trusted.

This is not because Xiang Kaluo is unwilling to believe in others, but mainly because the various assassinations of kings across Europe are already countless, and Xiang Kaluo is no fool.

Even if one can trust Gao Da, can one trust every noble attending the banquet? Even if all the nobles are fine, can they ensure that the female companions they bring do not have rebels mixed in among them?

Screening one by one is both time-consuming and inefficient; the best way is to ensure that no one carries weapons, making the castle where the banquet is held a weapon-free safe zone.

At about six o'clock in the evening, Xiang Kaluo took a carriage and, under the escort of the Guards, slowly drove toward Gao Da's castle.

This carriage was also specially made, and even the windows had a steel plate that could be pulled down to prevent bullet penetration.

Because the carriage was inlaid with steel plates and was heavy, the entire carriage was pulled by four horses to ensure the speed of the carriage.

To ensure Xiang Kaluo's safety, two identical carriages set out from the Wang Gong at the same time, ensuring that even if there were assassins, they would not be able to distinguish which carriage Xiang Kaluo was sitting in within a short time.

At seven o'clock in the evening, Xiang Kaluo's carriage finally arrived at Gao Da's castle.

Outside the castle, a large group of nobles had been waiting for a long time.

The standing positions of the nobles also reflected their status. Standing at the very front were Dukes like Gao Da, followed by Marquesses, and standing at the end were Counts and a small number of Viscounts and Barons.

Beside the nobles were their female companions and family members; hundreds of people stood outside the castle to welcome Xiang Kaluo's arrival, and the scene was quite lively.

"His Majesty is here!"

Watching the carriage slowly drive over, the Duke Gao Da hurriedly shouted, signaling the nobles to tidy up their attire so as not to lose etiquette in front of the king.

Watching Xiang Kaluo step off the carriage with the support of a maid, all the nobles together performed a standard noble salute to Xiang Kaluo, welcoming the king's arrival with the highest etiquette.

"Good evening, my nobles." Xiang Kaluo also waved with a smile, showing his close attitude toward these nobles.

Gao Da hurriedly stepped forward and said very respectfully: "Everything is ready, Your Majesty. Just waiting for your order, the banquet can begin at any time."

"Well done, Gao Da. Alright, fellows, let us go in and enjoy this banquet." Xiang Kaluo said with a smile, without the slightest airs of a king.

Surrounded by a large group of nobles, Xiang Kaluo slowly walked into the castle, beginning to experience a private noble banquet with unique Spanish characteristics.

Three thousand words for the first update! Kneeling and begging for support! Seeking follow-up reads! Six thousand words updated today!

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(End of chapter)