Chapter 60: Investiture and Military Parade

The investiture ceremony arrived on schedule.

Serrano advanced a step further from his noble rank of Duke, becoming a Grand Duke, a true rarity in Spain.

Primo was also promoted from Marquess to Duke; at the very least, his title now matched his status in the military and government.

Having successively quelled the Carlist rebellion and the Cuban rebellion, Carlo was in high spirits and did not hold back in the slightest when bestowing titles.

In addition to one Grand Duke and one Duke, this ceremony also added two Counts, seven Viscounts, and more than a dozen Barons; Andrew and Caman were among those on the list.

Although both were only the lowest-ranking Barons, they had at least entered the ranks of the Spanish nobility, and their status had improved significantly compared to before.

The promotion of the two was not reflected solely in their noble titles. Because of their meritorious service in the war against the Cuban rebels, both of their military ranks were exceptionally promoted from their initial Lieutenant to Major, and they were appointed to the position of Battalion Commander.

Relying on Carlo's trust and their own merits, from here on out, as long as nothing unexpected happens, they could climb to the rank of Colonel within a few years.

If it weren't for the fact that their Italian identity held them back, after quelling the Cuban rebellion, their military ranks should have been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel or higher, and serving as a Colonel would not have been impossible.

After all, compared to an Italian suddenly placed above them, the soldiers were more willing to accept a Spaniard as their immediate superior.

If Andrew and Caman wanted to win the trust of the soldiers, they had to expend more energy than Spanish officers.

However, this was also a good thing. Once they had passed the soldiers' tests and climbed step by step to the higher echelons of the military, their control over the army would be even more stable.

The army they commanded would then become a source of support for Carlo, which was effectively military power in Carlo's own hands.

The reason Carlo could develop his own forces with such peace of mind was precisely the age of Serrano and Primo.

Serrano was born in 1810 and was already 60 years old this year. Primo was born in 1814 and was already 56 years old this year.

Two old men around the age of 60 would not care about the slow development of Carlo's power, because they would definitely not live to see the day Carlo's power took shape.

According to the average life expectancy of Europeans, both men were already of quite advanced age at nearly 60. Primo's plan was also simple: to push for revolution in Spain during his lifetime and complete as much of the revolution as possible.

Serrano was not that keen on revolution, and his desire for power was not that great either. What Serrano truly cared about was his status; being invested as a Grand Duke made Serrano very satisfied.

It was precisely because Serrano, Primo, and Carlo did not form an overt conflict of power for various reasons that the current Spanish government was able to maintain a fairly stable state.

This was also what all three were willing to see; after all, with their primary needs met, who would want to fight a powerful enemy to the death?

Carlo was also happy to see Primo's reforms and Serrano's own grasp on power. With these two present, Carlo's throne would become very secure.

By the time they retired or passed away of old age, Carlo's forces would have been cultivated enough, and that would be the time for Carlo to gradually take control of power.

What Carlo felt quite fortunate about was that although Queen Isabella had made no contribution to Spain, she at least agreed to bestow titles upon Primo and Serrano.

Especially Serrano. If Serrano had been pushed to the Republican side, I fear the Spain that followed Queen Isabella would have become a Republican government, and it would not have been so easy to restore the monarchy.

The reason Alfonso XII was able to achieve a restoration in history was that the Republican government at the time was unpopular, and coupled with Primo being assassinated early on, the status quo in Spain was even more chaotic than during the period of Queen Isabella.

If Primo had been a Republican and had not been assassinated, perhaps Spain would have become a thorough Republican state afterward.

It can only be said that Primo, who supported the monarchy, was a huge help to Carlo. Before Primo's reforms were completed, Carlo's stance was to firmly support Primo.

After the investiture ceremony, Carlo also attended a small-scale military parade.

The number of troops participating in the parade was not large, totaling just over two thousand people.

But one had to admit, the sight of an army of over two thousand people marching past in a grand procession was incomparably shocking.

Watching the grand army march past before his eyes, and then glancing at the surrounding crowds of onlookers, Carlo could not help but feel high-spirited.

This was his army, and these were his subjects. Regardless of how Spain's history developed, at this time, in this world, he was the King of Spain, the sole ruler of Spain.

As expected, after all the day's activities concluded, the investiture ceremony and the military parade became the hottest news in Madrid.

To commend the soldiers' merits, related news would also be published throughout Spain, letting all Spaniards know which nobles had been ennobled this time, and the contributions the nobles had made to Spain.

This was also Carlo's goal. At the very least, he wanted Spaniards to understand that the reason nobles were nobles was because they had made huge contributions to Spain.

Even if the public's attitude toward the nobility would not change drastically, some small changes were what Carlo was willing to see.

After all, the King and the nobility were one. If the reputation of the nobility was completely ruined, how good could the reputation of the King, the greatest noble of all, be?

On the other hand, Carlo also hoped to stir up the desire of soldiers and the public for being ennobled through military merit.

Only by letting soldiers see the benefits gained after establishing military merit would they truly be willing to risk their lives for the country and the government.

Only by letting the public see the huge changes that being ennobled through military merit brought to them could the public not be repelled by joining the army, and even actively and enthusiastically enlist.

Although this seemed to have no major effect, it was quite effective in boosting the morale of the army.

After the investiture ceremony, Primo became even busier.

Because he had to devote all his energy to the work of the government. Reform and national development were the top priorities, and in his spare time, he still had to investigate the mastermind behind the assassination attempt.

Fortunately, after Serrano returned from Cuba, he could help Primo handle some of the government affairs. After all, Serrano had served as the Prime Minister of the Spanish provisional government before the parliamentary elections; his handling of government affairs could not be called excellent, but it was definitely above proficient.

Under the joint efforts of Serrano and Primo, Spain would also usher in a stage of stable development. Carlo was also looking forward to the speed of Spain's subsequent development, to see if this former empire on which the sun never set could find a new life amidst its long-term decline.

First update, asking for support!





(End of chapter)