Chapter 95: Antonio Cánovas del Castillo

Since the South Morocco colony is ready to be established, it is natural to consider the candidate for the Governor of the South Morocco colony.

Carlo still held his previous view; the current Governor of the South Morocco colony was of no great use to him, nor did he have a suitable candidate in hand to fill the position.

It would be better to conduct an exchange of interests with Prime Minister Primo, considering future benefits.

Yes, the purpose of Carlo's exchange of interests with Prime Minister Primo was to plan for future power.

Trading the position of Governor of the South Morocco colony for a seat as a Cabinet Minister is a deal that would not be a loss for either Carlo or Prime Minister Primo.

Because Carlo had long expressed his support for Prime Minister Primo's reforms, this Cabinet Minister seat would not only fail to hinder the Prime Minister's reforms but would instead become an aid to them.

And the position of Governor of the South Morocco colony could likewise increase Prime Minister Primo's influence to suppress those forces opposing the reforms.

Carlo would not lose out either. The colonial governor must ultimately be appointed by Carlo, and the Governor of the South Morocco colony would not oppose Carlo's rule.

The exchanged Cabinet Minister seat would also allow Carlo to cultivate his own confidants within the government, preparing for the power transition after Prime Minister Primo's future retirement.

Currently, those who support the monarchy make up the majority in the government, but this does not mean the future government will remain the same.

Carlo would not entrust his fate to others; only by mastering sufficient discourse power within the government could he ensure that his own power would not be shaken by any accidents.

Upon hearing that Carlo wanted to trade the position of Governor of the South Morocco colony for a Cabinet Minister seat, Prime Minister Primo first frowned and pondered for a moment, then decided to agree.

"Your Majesty, your proposal is certainly acceptable. But the Ministers of Finance and Industry cannot be easily moved; I can think of a way for other positions," Prime Minister Primo said.

Although he agreed to trade a colonial governor position for a Cabinet Minister seat, this did not mean all cabinet departments were open for Carlo to choose from.

The most important ones were the Ministry of Finance and the industrial departments. The Ministry of Finance manages the nation's funds, which is something Prime Minister Primo must keep in his own hands.

The Ministry of Finance is extremely important to a national government department; the current Spanish Minister of Finance is a confidant of Prime Minister Primo.

In a country like Britain, the Prime Minister usually serves concurrently as the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which also proves the importance of the Finance Ministry to the government and the nation.

After all, the finance department manages a nation's money, and the scale of these funds is large enough to exceed the imagination of ordinary people.

Prime Minister Primo's reforms require large amounts of funding everywhere, so he is certainly unwilling to give up supervision of the finance department.

As one of Prime Minister Primo's plans for the reform of Spain, the industrial department is also quite important.

The position of Minister of Industry is basically an object of competition for everyone, because Spain's industry is destined to have significant growth in the future, and the Minister of Industry is basically lying down to earn credit.

Apart from the Ministry of Finance and the industrial departments, while other departments are also important, trading one for a colonial governor position is not out of the question.

Both Prime Minister Primo and Marshal Serrano have served as colonial governors; this is not only a brilliant resume but can also temper a person's abilities.

Carlo nodded, not surprised by Prime Minister Primo's requirements.

It would be problematic if Prime Minister Primo let Carlo choose any cabinet position; after all, a national government always has some more important departments and some relatively less important ones.

Although neither Carlo nor Prime Minister Primo mentioned the Ministry of Defense where Marshal Serrano serves, neither had any objections to the candidate for Minister of Defense.

Marshal Serrano's position as Minister of Defense can be described as quite stable; even Prime Minister Primo, who possesses sufficient prestige in the military, would not easily remove Marshal Serrano from his post.

Needless to say for Carlo. Marshal Serrano himself is very close to the Wang Quan that Carlo represents, so how could Carlo destroy the relationship between himself and Marshal Serrano?

If it were not for the fact that Marshal Serrano himself is older than Prime Minister Primo, Carlo even had plans to let Marshal Serrano take charge of the transitional government after Prime Minister Primo retires, and then cultivate his own confidants to lead the government after Marshal Serrano.

Carlo's choice is the Minister of Agriculture.

As an agricultural country, the position of Minister of Agriculture is quite important in Spain. Moreover, Spain had previously reduced taxes for farmers, and agriculture is destined to usher in a golden period of development in the future.

The position of Minister of Agriculture is also destined to gain significant credit in the future. Combined with the propaganda capabilities of Carlo's media empire, it is no problem to cultivate a representative figure with influence and support in both the political arena and among the people.

Hearing that Carlo chose the position of Minister of Agriculture, Prime Minister Primo nodded without any objection.

The agreement between the two was quickly reached; after Prime Minister Primo selects a suitable candidate for colonial governor, he will submit it to Carlo for confirmation.

After Carlo confirms, the appointment of the colonial governor will be made, and the vacated position of Minister of Agriculture will also be filled by a candidate nominated by Carlo.

This was a relatively normal exchange of political interests where both sides got what they needed, and the result left both Primo and Carlo very satisfied.

After reporting the specific work, Prime Minister Primo returned to the government to preside over his official duties, while Carlo carefully selected the candidate for the new Minister of Agriculture.

Speaking of the candidate for Minister of Agriculture, Carlo actually had a candidate in mind. It was just that Carlo was not quite sure if he could trust him; after all, this seat of Minister of Agriculture was not just one of the cabinet ministers, but also the beginning of Carlo exerting influence on the government.

The candidate who made Carlo hesitate was named Antonio Cánovas del Castillo, one of the main representatives of the Spanish royalists.

As a conservative, Antonio Cánovas del Castillo expressed firm support for the monarchy, so logically he should be Carlo's absolute supporter.

But the problem lies right here. Antonio Cánovas del Castillo supports the monarchy and is indeed Spanish, but he was an old minister who served as a cabinet minister during the reign of Queen Isabel, and was once loyal to the Queen.

Carlo even doubted whether Antonio Cánovas del Castillo's loyalty was to the monarchy, or to the Bourbon family and Queen Isabel.

Facing this staunch royalist of the conservative party, Carlo instead doubted his loyalty to himself, which was the reason for Carlo's hesitation.

But in terms of prestige and influence in the political arena, Antonio Cánovas del Castillo was indeed a relatively suitable candidate.

He had served successively as Minister of the Interior and Minister of Overseas Territories during the reign of Queen Isabel; if Queen Isabel's rule had not been overthrown, he might even have had hopes of reaching the throne of Prime Minister.

Another point is that Antonio Cánovas del Castillo was born in 1828; he is 18 years younger than Marshal Serrano and 14 years younger than Prime Minister Primo, which is the golden age of a political career.

Carlo considered him as a candidate also taking this into account; his age qualifies him to wait for Prime Minister Primo's retirement and seek a major advancement in his political career after Prime Minister Primo retires.

Should he choose such a minister who is a royalist but seems to only protect the monarchy and not himself? Carlo was hesitant.

After thinking for a long time, Carlo finally decided to meet this old minister from the Queen Isabel era to see if he could be used by him.

If he cannot be loyal to himself and be used by him, then it is better to find someone else.

After all, what Carlo wants to cultivate is the Prime Minister of the transitional government after Prime Minister Primo, not an ordinary cabinet minister.

If he does not have his own trust, the best way is to find someone he trusts. Do not doubt those you employ, and do not employ those you doubt. If there is suspicion from the beginning, the final result is destined to be bad.

In the magnificent banquet hall of the Madrid Royal Palace, Carlo received Antonio Cánovas del Castillo and engaged in a brief conversation.

Carlo deliberately placed the meeting with Antonio Cánovas del Castillo in the reception room that Queen Isabel once liked the most.

Not only were there antique paintings and calligraphy from Europe and even the whole world placed here, but also various luxury goods, murals, and ornaments.

The value of this reception room alone reached hundreds of thousands of pesetas; those who could be received in this room were generally only the King's confidants.

Coming to this vast and luxurious reception room again after several years, Antonio Cánovas del Castillo's mood was somewhat complicated.

The monarch in front of him had changed from Queen Isabel to the much younger Carlo, and the Spanish government had long since changed from an autocratic kingdom government to a reformed constitutional government.

"Your Majesty!" Antonio Cánovas del Castillo respectfully performed a Spanish aristocratic salute to Carlo, putting his posture very low.

"Mr. Cánovas, it is a pleasure to see you," Carlo smiled and nodded, signaling Antonio Cánovas del Castillo to sit on the chair next to him.

"I am also honored to see you, Your Majesty." Cánovas looked humble and respectful, carefully sitting on the stool next to him, his manners without the slightest impropriety.

"You served as Minister of the Interior six years ago, and Minister of Overseas Territories four years ago, is that right?" Carlo asked with a smile.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Antonio Cánovas del Castillo nodded, not yet understanding Carlo's intention.

"The position of Minister of Agriculture is about to become vacant, and I intend to have Prime Minister Primo recommend you to serve as Minister of Agriculture. What are your thoughts?" Carlo continued.

"This is my honor, Your Majesty." Antonio Cánovas del Castillo stood up immediately, his eyes full of gratitude toward Carlo.

"Sit down first." Carlo signaled Cánovas to sit again, then said with a hint of depth: "However, Mr. Cánovas, before recommending you to serve as Minister of Agriculture, I would like to ask you a few questions first."

"Your Majesty, please ask." Although Antonio Cánovas del Castillo did not know what Carlo was going to ask, he knew that what he needed to do now was to listen to the questions quietly and then answer honestly.

"You served as a cabinet minister during the Queen Isabel era, and also expressed support for the Bourbon dynasty during the provisional government era. Mr. Cánovas, I would like to ask you, is your loyalty to the King, or to the Bourbon family?" Carlo had a warm smile on his face, but the words he spoke made Cánovas break into a cold sweat.

"I am, of course, loyal to the King, Your Majesty!" Antonio Cánovas del Castillo stood up in a hurry and explained: "You are the King of Spain, and I have always had only one object of loyalty, and that is you, King Your Majesty.

The Bourbon dynasty is a thing of the past; the Spanish people chose a more suitable King, and as a part of the Spanish people, I will of course support the decision of the Spanish people.

Your Majesty, Cánovas is your subject and will always only express his loyalty to you."

Cánovas is not stupid; he certainly knows why Carlo asked this.

If his answer was wrong, let alone the Minister of Agriculture position Carlo mentioned earlier, I am afraid Cánovas's future political career would not be smooth either.

After all, Primo would not offend Carlo for Cánovas; although Carlo's power is not great, he can still manage to completely block an official.

The current political arena is not that clean. Even if Carlo were the kind of king who seeks revenge for the slightest grievance, Cánovas might not even see the sun of the next day after answering incorrectly.

Although he did indeed support the Bourbon dynasty in the past, with both Queen Isabel and the Carlist faction driven away, he would naturally not be blindly loyal to the Bourbon dynasty.

"I certainly believe you, Mr. Cánovas." Carlo smiled and nodded, appearing to have believed Cánovas's statement: "I was just asking; I certainly believe in your loyalty.

Mr. Cánovas, I will recommend you to Prime Minister Primo. You royalists are my loyal subjects, and I will certainly not forget your contributions to the Kingdom."

Antonio Cánovas del Castillo nodded repeatedly and said very respectfully: "It is my honor to serve you, Your Majesty.

No matter who Spain once belonged to, the Spanish people of today will always be your loyal subjects."

Carlo's purpose, besides winning over Cánovas, the representative of the royalists, was also to win over more royalists to be loyal to him through him.

Because the Bourbon dynasty ruled Spain for hundreds of years, most of the royalists still had a good impression of the Bourbon dynasty.

What Carlo needs to do is to let them understand that the House of Savoy is still the current master of Spain; if these royalists cannot be used by him, then the best way is to replace them and cultivate royalist factions loyal to the House of Savoy.

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(End of this chapter)