Chapter 78: Meeting Garibaldi (Please Subscribe!)

While Gao Da and Victor Emmanuel II enjoyed their royal leisure, the Spanish officials who had come to Italy truly began their busy work at this moment.

Diplomatic visits are not for sightseeing, but for the practical resolution of the problems currently facing the Spanish government.

What is the biggest problem for the Spanish government right now? First, there is no money, and second, there is not enough foreign capital involvement.

The various developments of a nation are not that simple; it is not the case that throwing money at them will achieve effective growth.

For example, in terms of industry, industrial growth requires all kinds of factories to blossom everywhere in Spain, which is simply impossible to achieve by relying solely on domestic Spanish capital.

Although there is a large amount of royal investment in steel and other industries, it ultimately still requires the help of Spanish private capital and some foreign capital to achieve comprehensive growth and expansion.

Therefore, in addition to negotiating a low-interest loan with the Italian government, Prime Minister Primo also issued another order to the diplomatic delegation: to attract as much Italian capital as possible to invest in Spain, including bidding for the construction of Spanish railways and so on.

Both kings tacitly chose not to pay attention to the negotiations between the two governments, letting the government officials conduct the consultations themselves.

After all, the interests of the royal family do not represent the interests of the nation; although the two royal families are one family, this does not mean that Spain and Italy are one family.

Although the First World War was known as a war between the royal families of Europe, it was actually a conflict that broke out because of the different interests of various countries.

The royal families did not have much say, nor were they qualified to call a halt to this war. Regardless of whether Gao Da or Victor Emmanuel II interfered in the negotiations between the two governments, it would cause unnecessary trouble; it was better to sit and wait for the two governments to negotiate a result themselves.

In any case, as long as it does not affect the interests of the two royal families, it does not matter which country the negotiated result is favorable to.

Gao Da spent a relatively relaxed and pleasant few days with Victor Emmanuel II, and then decided to meet the famous Italian figure Garibaldi under the guidance of Ceng Bei.

Gao Da personally admired Garibaldi very much. If Garibaldi had any selfish motives, it would not have been so easy for Victor Emmanuel II to become the King of Italy.

As one of the heroes who unified Italy, Garibaldi's life in his later years still required relief from the Italian government, which is enough to prove Garibaldi's selflessness.

Of course, the situation in this world had long been different.

Because Garibaldi had long been serializing his articles in the Sun Newspaper founded by Gao Da, the royalties he earned were enough for his family's living expenses.

Garibaldi did not mention any words supporting a republican system or opposing a monarchy in the stories he wrote, which also made Victor Emmanuel II, as the King of Italy, feel very relieved and relaxed the restrictions on Garibaldi.

However, due to his age, Garibaldi still chose to live in seclusion on Caprera Island, enjoying his leisurely later years.

The purpose of Gao Da's trip to Caprera Island to meet Garibaldi, besides seeing this famous Italian figure with his own eyes, was also to poach some talent from Garibaldi's side.

Garibaldi had three children in total, two of whom were sons. In addition to his second son, Ceng Bei, Garibaldi's eldest son, Menotti, was also a capable assistant during Garibaldi's military service.

Regarding talent, Gao Da's attitude had always been that there can never be too much.

Including the talent among the Redshirts previously commanded by Garibaldi, if he could win over a group to go to Spain to work for him, that would of course be the best thing.

Harboring his own goals, under the guidance of Ceng Bei and protected by a guard, Gao Da bid farewell to his father, Victor Emmanuel II, and headed to Caprera Island.

"Ceng Bei, how long has it been since you came back?" Gao Da looked at the island whose outline was already visible and asked Ceng Bei beside him.

"About two and a half years, Your Majesty." Ceng Bei thought carefully for a while and was surprised to find that he couldn't even remember when he had last returned.

"I allow you to stay on Caprera Island for a few more days to keep Mr. Garibaldi company." Gao Da felt quite emotional; after returning to Spain this time, perhaps he would not come to Italy again for the next few years.

"No need, Your Majesty." Ceng Bei shook his head and said, "My duty is to protect Your Majesty; Your Majesty's safety is the most important thing."

"Besides, Father probably wouldn't keep me either. If you left me alone on Caprera Island, I reckon I'd have to sleep on the beach."

Garibaldi's life was quite tumultuous, and his two sons had also experienced a lot with him since they were young.

Including the previous Expedition of the Thousand and the Italian Unification movement, Ceng Bei had been Garibaldi's capable assistant and had already matured too much.

Moreover, Ceng Bei also knew his duty as the commander of the Royal Guard; if he were really left alone on Caprera Island, the first person to be unhappy would probably be Garibaldi himself.

In Garibaldi's very simple residence, Gao Da finally met this famous Italian figure.

Under Gao Da's specific instructions, this visit to Garibaldi was not notified in advance.

This also allowed Gao Da to see Garibaldi wearing a simple robe, leaning on a cane with his right hand, looking like an ordinary old Italian farmer.

Beside Garibaldi was his wife, or rather, Ceng Bei's mother. Because at this time, the two had not yet held a wedding and were just living together as husband and wife.

"Father." Ceng Bei spoke first.

Gao Da's status was noble, so it was certainly impossible for Gao Da to be the first to speak in greeting. Ceng Bei could only gently remind his father to interrupt Garibaldi's train of thought.

Hearing someone calling him from behind, Garibaldi turned his head and immediately saw Gao Da and Ceng Bei beside him.

"Ceng Bei? This is? Your Majesty Gao Da?" Garibaldi was stunned for a moment, then immediately came to his senses, stepped forward leaning on his cane, his expression somewhat excited and seemingly surprised: "Your Majesty Gao Da, when did you arrive?"

"Mr. Garibaldi, it is my honor to meet you." Gao Da smiled, stepped forward, took Garibaldi's hand, and greeted him.

"Little Gao Da, oh no, Your Majesty Gao Da, it is my honor to meet you." Garibaldi was a bit surprised; the young king who had grown into adulthood before his eyes was still as polite as he was when he was a child.

"Have you met me before?" Gao Da was not angry at the address he had inadvertently used, but rather curious if he had met Garibaldi before.

"Yes, Your Majesty. When I met with His Majesty Victor Emmanuel, Your Majesty was just as approachable back then." Garibaldi said with some emotion.

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(End of chapter)