Empire Rising: Spain

November 1, 1875, noon, in a secret estate outside Madrid.

This place originally was an estate of a Spanish Earl for keeping mistresses, but since late October, it has become a venue for secret meetings of certain nobles.

The purpose of the nobles’ private gatherings is singular: to discuss how to overthrow the current Spanish Government and to instate Alfonso XII of the Bourbon family as the new King of Spain.

Previously, the meetings involved only a few Dukes, but since Carlo openly inspected the South Morocco Colony, the number of Dukes frequenting the estate has increased.

The nobles attending the meeting at this moment are cheerful and show great enthusiasm for the discussion, with the Duke of Oshuna being the most fervent.

Last time, when it was revealed that the real mastermind behind the assassination attempt on Prime Minister Prim was the Duke of Oshuna, for the stability of Spain, both Carlo and Prime Minister Prim decided to focus on handling the matter, which preserved the life of the Duke of Oshuna.

But mistakes are not without cost. The Duke of Oshuna sold the majority of his lands cheaply to the government and the Royal Family, leaving the historically long-standing Duke of Oshuna in a situation where his properties are even less than those of a common Earl.

Among these nobles, the most radical and opposed to Prime Minister Prim and Carlo is perhaps the Duke of Oshuna.

Only by overthrowing the rule of Carlo and Prime Minister Prim can the lands that once belonged to the Duke of Oshuna be reclaimed. It concerns his and his family’s interests, so the Duke of Oshuna has placed all his bets on Queen Isabella.

There’s no choice; just the crime of attempting to assassinate Prime Minister Prim is enough to exclude him from the core interest circles of Spanish politics.

Furthermore, after losing most of his lands and assets, if he doesn’t seize this opportunity to fight, the title of the Duke of Oshuna and his family will never see the light of day, even inferior to ordinary Duke families.

“Our Majesty the King is choosing to head south to Southern Morocco at such a time; has no one informed him that he’s about to face disaster?” The Duke of Oshuna took a sip of red wine from his family vineyard, his face wearing a mocking smile, speaking quite lightly.

Originally, he was worried that Carlo and Prime Minister Prim sitting firmly in Madrid would increase the difficulty of their coup. But now that Carlo has gone to Southern Morocco, isn’t he actively creating an opportunity for them to stage a coup?

It must be said Carlo is still a young man, unable to grasp the shifting dynamics of the political arena, and he acts without considering the consequences.

“It’s best not to let down our guard before completing our plan.” Another Duke standing beside the Duke of Oshuna expressed his opinion:

We still have to be cautious, investigating the situation thoroughly before drafting an action plan. Our Majesty the King heading to Southern Morocco at this particular time is somewhat extraordinary.

Even if our young King hasn’t considered this, wouldn’t Prim, that old guy, be wary? Our Majesty the King is crucial to his reform plans; he wouldn’t just let anything happen to Carlo.”

The attitudes of these two Dukes are more or less the same as all the nobles attending the meeting, divided into two camps: one being more radical, believing it’s the perfect time to overthrow Prim’s Government, and the other being more cautious, thinking they should wait for the right moment and determine if Carlo heading to Southern Morocco at this time is unusual.

As the talks reached an impasse, the situation was finally changed by the statements of the Bourbon family representative.

The so-called representative of the Bourbon family was actually the Guard Officer of the former Queen Isabella II. As one of Queen Isabella’s trusted confidants, what the Guard Officer says also represents Queen Isabella’s own views.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s really not that complicated. Although the evil revolution launched by Prim forced Queen Isabella to go to France, that doesn’t mean Her Majesty the Queen will surrender willingly.

In France, the Bourbon family’s power is enormous. We’ve trained a small, elite force precisely to reclaim the great rule of the Bourbon family.

No matter the purpose of Carlo’s trip to Southern Morocco, this is indeed our best opportunity. We will deal with Prime Minister Prim and Duke Serrano; you must be prepared for the chaotic restructuring of the government after the Spanish Government loses its Prime Minister and Minister of Defense.

When we take control of the Spanish Government, it will be the moment Queen Isabella and His Majesty King Alfonso return to Spain. When the Bourbon family’s rule is restored to Spain, its loyal subjects will also receive their deserved glory.”

Upon hearing the Guard Officer’s words, the nobles present all breathed a sigh of relief. Relying solely on their strength to push a coup is impossible to succeed, even to think about it is absurd.

Prime Minister Prim controls the government, and both he and Duke Serrano hold high prestige in the Spanish Army. This alone ensures the current Spanish Government is impeccable.

Unless Prime Minister Prim and Duke Serrano are dealt with, or there’s a stronger, larger army to confront the Spanish Royal Army, a coup is absolutely impossible.