Empire Rising: Spain

Chapter 101: Chapter 93: Antonio Canovas del Castillo

Since the South Morocco Colony is already prepared to be established, it’s natural to consider the selection of the Governor of the South Morocco Colony.

Carlo maintains his previous thoughts; the current Governor of the South Morocco Colony doesn’t have much use for Carlo, and he doesn’t have a suitable candidate for this position.

It might be better to engage in a power exchange with Prime Minister Prim for future interests.

Indeed, Carlo’s purpose in exchanging interests with Prime Minister Prim is to plan for future power.

Trading the position of Governor of the South Morocco Colony for a seat as Cabinet Minister is a deal that won’t cause losses for either Carlo or Prime Minister Prim.

Because Carlo has long expressed his support for Prime Minister Prim’s reforms, this Cabinet Minister’s seat won’t affect those reforms; it will, instead, become an aid to those reforms.

Meanwhile, the position of Governor of the South Morocco Colony will also help Prime Minister Prim increase influence to suppress forces opposed to reform.

Carlo won’t suffer losses either. Eventually, a colonial governor needs Carlo’s appointment, and the Governor of the South Morocco Colony won’t resist Carlo’s rule.

The exchanged Cabinet Minister’s seat allows Carlo to cultivate his confidants within the government, preparing for the power transition after Prime Minister Prim’s future retirement.

Currently, those supporting the monarchy are in the majority in the government, but this doesn’t mean the future government will remain the same.

Carlo certainly won’t let others dictate his fate; only by having enough voice within the government can he ensure his power doesn’t waver due to any incident.

Upon hearing Carlo’s intention to exchange the position of Governor of the South Morocco Colony for a Cabinet Minister’s seat, Prime Minister Prim first frowned in thought for a moment and then decided to agree.

“Your Majesty, your proposal is certainly viable. But the Ministers of Finance and Industry cannot be easily moved; I can think of other possibilities.” Prime Minister Prim said.

Although agreeing to trade the colonial governor’s position for a Cabinet Minister’s seat, this doesn’t mean Carlo can freely choose across all cabinet departments.

The most important are the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Industry. The Ministry of Finance controls the nation’s finances, which Prime Minister Prim must keep in hand.

The Ministry of Finance is immensely important for a country’s government departments, and Spain’s current Minister of Finance is one of Prime Minister Prim’s confidants.

In countries like the United Kingdom, it’s common for the Prime Minister to also serve as the Minister of Finance, proving the importance of the Ministry of Finance to both government and nation.

After all, the Ministry of Finance manages a country’s treasury, a sum so large it exceeds the imagination of regular people.

Prime Minister Prim’s reforms require a substantial amount of funds everywhere, so he certainly won’t relinquish control over the finance department.

The industrial sector, as part of Prime Minister Prim’s reform plan for Spain, is also extremely important.

The position of Minister of Industry is essentially sought after by everyone because Spain’s industrial growth is destined to increase significantly in the future, making the Minister of Industry earn credit effortlessly.

Besides the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Industry, although other departments are important, nothing prevents trading a colonial governor’s position.

Both Prime Minister Prim and Marshal Serrano have served as colonial governors, not only as a glorious resume but also as a means of enhancing one’s capabilities.

Carlo nodded, unsurprised by Prime Minister Prim’s requirements.

If Prime Minister Prim had allowed Carlo to choose any cabinet position, then there would be a problem; after all, in a country’s government, some departments are inherently more important than others.

Although neither Carlo nor Prime Minister Prim mentioned Marshal Serrano’s tenure at the Ministry of Defense, neither had any objections to the choice of Minister of Defense.

Marshal Serrano’s position as Minister of Defense is extremely stable, even for Prime Minister Prim, who holds considerable influence over the military, enough to not easily remove Marshal Serrano.

There’s no need for Carlo to say more. Marshal Serrano is inherently close to the monarchy Carlo represents, so why would Carlo damage that relationship?

If it weren’t for the fact that Marshal Serrano is older than Prime Minister Prim, Carlo might have considered appointing Marshal Serrano to lead a transitional government after Prime Minister Prim’s retirement, then cultivating his confidants to lead the government after Marshal Serrano.

Carlo chose the Minister of Agriculture.

As an agricultural country, the position of Minister of Agriculture is still quite important for Spain. Moreover, Spain has previously reduced taxes for farmers, and the future of agriculture is set to experience a golden development period.

The position of Minister of Agriculture is also destined to earn considerable achievements in the future, and combined with Carlo’s media empire’s propaganda capabilities, grooming a representative figure with influence and support both in politics and among the populace is achievable.

Upon hearing Carlo’s choice of Minister of Agriculture, Prime Minister Prim nodded, without any objections.

The agreement between the two was quickly reached: once Prime Minister Prim selects a suitable candidate for colonial governor, it will be submitted to Carlo for confirmation.

Upon Carlo’s confirmation, the appointment of the colonial governor will proceed, and the vacant position of Minister of Agriculture will be filled by a candidate nominated by Carlo.

This is a normal political interest exchange, where each side can pursue its needs, and the results satisfy both Prime Minister Prim and Carlo.