Chapter 750 Saint Prim High School (3)

Frankly speaking, this high school is designed to cultivate political and military talents for the heir to the Spanish throne.

Studying together from the high school stage allows the heir and the nobility to develop deeper bonds, enhancing their loyalty.

For the nobility, they certainly won’t miss the opportunity to have their children study alongside the future King.

The nobility and the King prosper and suffer together. Only with the full trust of the King can the nobility fully utilize their abilities.

This is also seen as an early establishment of a support base for his son, Prince Juan Fernando. Based on the young fellow’s age, by the time his classmates have acquired certain abilities and risen to the upper echelons of the state, it would coincide with the time Carlo abdicates and passes the reins to a younger successor to steer the country.

By then, the new King will have his confidants in both the political and military arenas, eliminating the need to worry about being sidelined by the Prime Minister and parliament.

If the Monarch is a visionary leader, they can naturally assert control over the government and military through their own capabilities, realizing their ambitions and goals.

Even if they lack ability and ambition, they can maintain a certain level of influence through their confidants, ensuring the safe transmission of the throne without excessively concerning themselves with government and military affairs.

This is somewhat another trump card Carlo leaves for the future heir to the throne.

The historical reason German Emperor William II was sidelined in the latter part of World War I was, on one hand, due to the immense influence of the Junker nobility which William II could no longer restrain.

On the other hand, it was because his grandfather and father passed away successively in a short period, forcing William II to hastily ascend the throne without having cultivated sufficient influence and prestige, naturally having less control over the government and military.

Sure enough, when the news about the establishment of Saint Prim High School spread, Spain’s nobility hurriedly sought excuses to meet Carlo, hoping to enroll their children in the high school.

On one hand, they had the opportunity to become classmates with the future His Majesty the King, and on the other hand, it was a good chance for the noble children to broaden their social networks.

In such a high school, only the children of nobles or high-ranking officials can enter. At most, a few capitalists can donate to enroll, though those able to donate are few.

Most students come from deeply rooted families, and having their children as classmates with them certainly has more advantages than disadvantages.

The school was set up in a manor on the outskirts of Madrid, beneficial in that it required minimal renovation to open the school.

The location is not far from Madrid City, and because it’s in the suburbs, the area is quite large. Students can cultivate interests and hobbies like equestrianism and archery between classes.

With four months until the opening from May to September, it’s more than sufficient for the education department to establish the school.

The initial lack of teachers isn’t a major issue, as teachers can be drawn from universities and other high schools in Spain, and gradually, foreign teachers can be hired to fill vacancies.

After all, with 20 years of development, the Spanish education sector doesn’t lack talented educators.

To cultivate students’ interests and abilities in politics and military affairs, Carlo plans to have military leaders come periodically to give lectures, sharing intriguing stories from military life to foster patriotism among these noble youths.

Students of this age are quite passionate, and a slight encouragement of their patriotic sentiments can nurture them into fervent young patriots.

Sparking a fervent patriotism is better than fostering other interests, as noble heirs ought to serve the country, building achievements that allow their family titles to continue across generations.

Once the news of Saint Prim High School’s establishment spread, it immediately led to a flurry of enthusiastic enrolments from the nobility.

According to the high school principal appointed by Carlo, over a hundred nobility have already submitted enrollment information for hundreds of children, indicating that this year’s enrollment targeting the noble community is already full.

Saint Prim High School certainly won’t admit as many high school students each year as ordinary high schools; the number won’t exceed 200 students annually.

Among them, approximately 160 spots are reserved for nobility, over 10 for non-nobility high-ranking officials’ children, and the remaining 20 to 30 spots are for capitalists’ children.

The reason some spots are reserved for capitalists is mainly to secure some operational funds for the school from their hands.

Though just a high school, Saint Prim High School’s annual operational costs count as millions of Pesseta at the baseline.

Because this is an elite education, it not only teaches standard cultural courses but also nurtures students’ interests and hobbies in politics, military, and other areas.

Moreover, Carlo has prepared monthly shooting training for the students. For the European nobility in this era, equestrianism and shooting practice are mandatory learning.

In fact, dueling still persists among the nobility of many countries, and in later networks, duel videos of nobles from this era can still be found.

When a conflict arises between two nobles unresolvable through other means, they invite each other to a duel.

The duel usually consists of two nobles standing within ten meters, each holding a revolver, seeing who can shoot the other dead.

Typically, such close-range duels yield no good outcomes; only a handful of lucky ones can kill the opponent without getting hit themselves.

After all, with only a ten-meter distance, it’s hard to miss a target for a slightly trained noble marksman.

The noble who wins the duel also wins the final argument—it could be over land or property disputes, but ultimately, the victor of the duel takes all.

Despite the deadly nature of duels, the noble community of this era does not reject them. Nobles even take pride in dueling, looking down upon those who display cowardice in duels.

After Carlo greatly promoted bullfighting, the Spanish nobility shifted their dueling method from firearms to bullfighting.

When irreconcilable conflicts erupt among nobles, they invite each other to the bullring to resolve disputes through bullfighting.

While bullfighting is equally dangerous, it offers a higher survival rate compared to close-range firearms dueling.

Additionally, bullfighting also cultivates the noble’s warrior spirit and courage; thus, aside from offering a greater probability of survival, bullfighting duels bear little difference from previous firearms dueling.

As this is the first student recruitment for Saint Prim High School, Carlo instructed the high school principal to carefully select noble children from the applicants, choosing those truly gifted and capable.

This is the first selection criterion; the second is to select as many children of Grand Dukes, Dukes, and Marquises as possible.

Unfortunately, the number of noble families in Spain is vast, and lower-ranked Earls and Barons generally garner little respect.

Just the high-ranking titles of Grand Duke, Duke, and Marquis number in the hundreds among the Spanish nobility.

In such circumstances, if Saint Prim High School also has to cater to Earls and Barons among the nobles, the 200 admission slots clearly seem insufficient.