[{"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-58":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},2364986,4632,"Chapter 58: Serrano Returns Home","rise-of-the-empire-spain-chapter-58",58,"\u003Cp>The grand ennoblement ceremony will be held in July 1870.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The army led by Duke Serrano is expected to return to Spain in the latter half of June.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After resting for more than a week, they will be just in time to attend the ennoblement ceremony and hold a small-scale military parade in Madrid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The purpose of the parade is quite simple. First, it is to celebrate Spain's success in resolving domestic and colonial rebellions, as the Spanish people can finally welcome peace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Secondly, it is to deter the Republican faction and other forces with ulterior motives within Spain. If even the Carlists and Cuban independence activists can be dealt with, other forces should weigh whether they can truly pose a threat to the Spanish government.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the Spanish public, the ennoblement ceremony and the parade are not only a spectacle to watch, but they can also inspire patriotism among some citizens and promote the esteem for earning titles through military merit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, most of the soldiers who received titles and rewards were ordinary people. If they could achieve this, why couldn't other Spanish civilians do the same?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Starting from the beginning of June, the government has already been building momentum for this ennoblement ceremony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Newspaper offices, including the *Sun* and others, have been continuously publishing news about the ceremony and boldly speculating on which nobles will be ennobled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them, Prime Minister Primo and Duke Serrano are the two names mentioned most frequently. Their prestige in the political arena and the military far exceeds that of others, and both are the greatest contributors to the suppression of the rebellions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amidst the anticipation of the public, Duke Serrano finally led the army to arrive in Spain and traveled all the way back to Madrid by train.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carlos attaches great importance to those who have rendered meritorious service. On the day Duke Serrano led the army back to Madrid, Carlos not only went to greet them in person but also had the temporarily assembled Royal Military Band play the \"Royal March\" to welcome the returning heroes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duke Serrano was clearly somewhat surprised by Carlos's personal welcome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Serrano reacted quickly. The moment he saw Carlos greeting him in person, he immediately left the army behind, rode forward alone, stopped at a distance of one hundred meters, and then walked toward Carlos by himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Majesty!\" Duke Serrano was the first to salute Carlos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Welcome back to Spain, Duke Serrano.\" Carlos nodded with a smile and said in a very intimate tone, \"I have already prepared a victory banquet for you. Go and get some rest, and we will have a good talk tonight.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duke Serrano nodded, and subsequently engaged in conversation with Prime Minister Primo and others behind Carlos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following behind Duke Serrano, Carlos saw two acquaintances: Andrew Luo Suo and Kaman Esposito, whom he had planted in the suppression army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the process of suppressing the rebellion in Cuba, Carlos had also read several reports on the battle results submitted by Duke Serrano.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Andrew and Kaman were indeed worthy of being excellent graduates of the Turin Military Academy; they performed quite well in the war against Cuba and were even personally praised by Duke Serrano multiple times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One must know that although Duke Serrano leans toward the conservative Royalist faction, this does not mean he would be lenient regarding anything involving Carlos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he knew that Carlos had planted these two fellows in the army to gild their resumes, Duke Serrano would absolutely not praise them proactively if they did not have sufficient ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being able to receive praise from Duke Serrano proves that the military command capabilities of both Andrew and Kaman can be considered excellent, and for Carlos, they are worth utilizing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It just so happens that the credit for suppressing the Cuban rebellion is quite significant. Taking the opportunity of ennobling Duke Serrano as a Grand Duke, Carlos also intends to ennoble Andrew and Kaman as Barons, further winning them over while giving them hope of entering the higher echelons of the Spanish military to take charge when Primo and Serrano retire in the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason he did not promote them directly, besides needing to practically examine their abilities, is that they are also Italians and have not yet established any merit in Spain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although it would be easy for Carlos as King to promote them, if he were to force their promotion without any merit, the soldiers under their command would have different opinions, and it would also arouse dissatisfaction among those generals and nobles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After gilding their resumes in Cuba, such problems no longer exist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The importance of Cuba to Spain is self-evident, which is also the reason why, in original history, Spain would rather spend 700 million pesos to keep Cuba within its colonial rule.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The credit for suppressing the Cuban rebellion is enough for the two of them to obtain a title and gain the opportunity for rapid promotion in the military.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for whether they can gain the recognition of the soldiers under their command and gradually enter the upper echelons of the military, that will depend on their actual abilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In any case, Carlos has already built the steps for their upward promotion. If they still cannot climb up to become the top brass of the military, it would only prove that Carlos's judgment was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regardless, Carlos has enough time to wait. As the Royal Military Academy gradually gets on the right track, there will be even more new-style officers cultivated in the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carlos also holds the title of Honorary President, and these young officers being cultivated can be said to be Carlos's protégés.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether Andrew and Kaman become the top brass of the Spanish military first, or whether they wait for those excellent young officers cultivated by the military academy to gradually climb to the top, it is something Carlos can accept.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In any case, Serrano and Primo are at least several years away from retirement, and these few years are precisely the golden stage for them to climb upward with all their might.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These few years are also the most stable stage for Spain. The military and political power is divided among Serrano, Primo, and Carlos, and others can only submit to the combined might of the three.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once Serrano and Primo retire one after another, if the confidants Carlos has cultivated cannot take over their power, what Carlos will face next will not be such a stable division of political power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well done,\" Carlos said to Andrew and Kaman with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two of them have completed the task he gave them, so Carlos naturally needs to express his intimate attitude toward them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, in some aspects, Andrew and Kaman, being fellow Italians, have a higher degree of closeness to Carlos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They are also outsiders in Spain, and to climb upward, they can only rely on Carlos's support; this is also the reason why Carlos chooses to trust them and give them opportunities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carlos is not short of ordinary talent. For Carlos, what is truly scarce are those subordinates whom he can trust completely and who also possess a certain level of ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Go back and get some good rest; as heroes, you cannot miss the banquet tonight,\" Carlos continued: \"You did well in suppressing the rebellion in Cuba this time, and I will absolutely not treat those who have rendered meritorious service unfairly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let me report to everyone: the current count is 1,300, and there is still some distance to go before reaching the Sanjiang list. Therefore, I won't be able to make it to the next Sanjiang, and I can only wait until next Monday to see if there is any hope. But everyone, please rest assured: although I am disappointed, it will not affect my mindset. This book will absolutely not be abandoned; the author will check and revise the entire book so as not to let down everyone's support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1337,"2026-06-25T09:27:12.995Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","0d09c2f3e0d45c8005a4d4e6d0d8c3acfd56d1679757fddf642bf3022053db0c","rise-of-the-empire-spain-chapter-59","rise-of-the-empire-spain-chapter-57",493,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frise-of-the-empire-spain-cover.jpg"]