Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 95 Antonio Canovas del Castillo (Subscribe!)
Now that the South Morocco Colony is ready to be established, it is natural to consider the issue of selecting the Governor of the South Morocco Colony.

Carlo still had the same idea as before. The current Governor of the South Morocco Colony would not be of much use to Carlo, and Carlo did not have a suitable candidate for this position.

It would be better to exchange interests with Prime Minister Primo and consider future interests.

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

A post of Governor-General of the South Morocco colony in exchange for a cabinet minister seat, this deal would be a win-win for both Carlo and Prime Minister Primo.

Because Carlo has long expressed his support for Prime Minister Primo's reforms, this cabinet minister's seat will not only not affect Prime Minister Primo's reforms, but will instead become a boost to Prime Minister Primo's reforms.

The position of Governor of the Southern Morocco colony can also increase Prime Minister Primo's influence to suppress those forces that oppose reform.

Carlo would not lose out either. After all, the colonial governors needed to be appointed by Carlo, and the governor of the southern Moroccan colony would not resist Carlo's rule.

The cabinet minister seat he obtained in exchange will also allow Carlo to cultivate his own confidants in the government and prepare for the power transition after Prime Minister Primo retires in the future.

The majority of the current government supports the monarchy, but this does not mean that the future government will still be like this.

Carlo will not let others decide his fate. Only by having enough say in the government can he ensure that his power will not be shaken by any accidents.

Upon hearing that Carlo wanted to exchange the position of Governor of the South Morocco Colony for a cabinet minister seat, Prime Minister Primo frowned and thought for a moment, then decided to agree.

"Your Majesty, your proposal is certainly acceptable. But the Minister of Finance and Industry cannot be moved easily. I can think of ways to handle other positions," said Prime Minister Primo.

Although he agreed to exchange the position of colonial governor for a cabinet minister seat, this did not mean that all cabinet departments could be selected by Carlo.

The most important are the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Industry. The Ministry of Finance is in charge of the country's funds, which Prime Minister Primo must keep in his hands.

The Ministry of Finance is a very important department of a country's government. The Spanish Minister of Finance is currently Prime Minister Primo's confidant.

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

After all, the finance department is in charge of a country's money, and the scale of this money is huge enough to exceed the imagination of normal people.

Prime Minister Primo's reforms require a lot of money everywhere, and he is certainly unwilling to give up supervision of the financial sector.

The industrial sector is also quite important as one of Prime Minister Primo's plans for reforming Spain.

The position of Minister of Industry is basically a hotly contested position, because Spain's industry is destined to have significant growth in the future, and the Minister of Industry can basically earn credit without doing anything.

In addition to the Ministry of Finance and the Industrial Department, although other departments are also important, it is not a bad idea to replace the position of colonial governor.

Prime Minister Primo and Marshal Serrano have both served as governors of colonies, which is not only a brilliant resume but also a way to hone one's abilities.

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

It would be a problem if Prime Minister Primo allowed Carlo to choose any cabinet position. After all, a national government always has some more important departments and some relatively less important departments.

Although neither Carlo nor Prime Minister Primo mentioned the Ministry of Defense where Marshal Serrano worked, neither of them had any objection to the selection of Defense Minister.

Marshal Serrano's position as Minister of Defense is quite stable. Even Prime Minister Primo, who has enough reputation in the military, will not easily abolish Marshal Serrano's position.

There is no need to say more about Carlo. Marshal Serrano is very close to the royal power represented by Carlo, so how could Carlo destroy the relationship between him and Marshal Serrano?
If Marshal Serrano was not older than Prime Minister Primo, Carlo even planned to let Marshal Serrano take charge of the transitional government after Prime Minister Primo retired, and then train his own confidants to lead the government after Marshal Serrano.

Carlo's choice was Secretary of State for Agriculture.

Spain is an agricultural country, so the position of Minister of Agriculture is quite important. Moreover, Spain has 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 make considerable contributions in the future. Combined with the propaganda capabilities of Carlo's public opinion empire, it should not be a problem to cultivate a representative figure who has influence and support in both the political arena and among the people.

Upon hearing that Carlo chose the position of Minister of Agriculture, Primosin nodded without any objection.

The two quickly reached an agreement. After Prime Minister Primo selected a suitable candidate for colonial governor, he would submit it to Carlo for confirmation.

After Carlo's confirmation, the colonial governor will be appointed, and the vacant position of Minister of Agriculture will also be filled by Carlo's nominee.

This was a relatively normal exchange of political interests. Both parties got what they needed, and the result made Primo and Carlo very satisfied.

After forecasting the specific work, Prime Minister Primo returned to the government to preside over his own affairs, while Carlo carefully selected the new Minister of Agriculture.

Speaking of the candidate for Minister of Agriculture, Carlo actually has a candidate in mind, but he is not sure whether he can trust him. After all, the position of Minister of Agriculture is not only one of the cabinet ministers, but also the beginning of Carlo's influence on the government.

The candidate that made Carlo somewhat hesitant was named Antonio Canovas del Castillo, one of the main representatives of the Spanish royalists.

As a conservative, Antonio Canovas del Castillo expressed strong support for the monarchy, which should have been Carlo's absolute support.

But here lies the problem. Antonio Canovas del Castillo is a Spaniard who supports the monarchy, but he is a veteran minister who served during the reign of Queen Isabel and was once loyal to her.

Carlo even began to doubt whether Antonio Canovas del Castillo was loyal to the monarchy or to the Bourbon family and Queen Isabel.

Faced with this staunch royalist of the conservative party, Carlo instead doubted his loyalty to him, which was why Carlo was a little hesitant.

But in terms of reputation and influence in the political arena, Antonio Canovas del Castillo is indeed a more suitable candidate. He served 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 would even have had the hope of becoming Prime Minister.

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

Carlo chose him as a candidate with this in mind. His age qualified him to wait for Prime Minister Primo's retirement and seek major advancement in his political career after Prime Minister Primo's retirement.

Should he choose such a royalist minister who seemed to only protect the king and not himself? Carlo was a little hesitant.

After thinking for a long time, Carlo finally decided to meet this old minister from Queen Isabella's time to see if he could be of use to him.

If someone is unable to be loyal to you and work for you, it is better to find someone else.

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

If you don't trust someone, the best way is to find someone you trust. Trust people you employ, and don't employ people you don't trust. If you have doubts from the beginning, the final result is bound to be bad.

In the magnificent banqueting room of the Royal Palace of Madrid, Carlo met with Antonio Canovas del Castillo and had a brief conversation.

Carlo deliberately arranged to meet Antonio Canovas del Castillo in Queen Isabel's favorite reception room.

Not only are there antique paintings and calligraphy from Europe and even the world, but there are also a variety of luxury goods, murals and ornaments.

This reception room alone is worth hundreds of thousands of pesetas. Those who can be received in this reception room are generally only the king's confidants.

Antonio Canovas del Castillo had mixed feelings as he returned to this huge and luxurious reception room after several years.

The monarch before him has changed from Queen Isabella to the younger Carlo, and the Spanish government has long since changed from an autocratic royal government to a reformed constitutional government.

"Your Majesty!" Antonio Canovas del Castillo respectfully performed a Spanish aristocratic salute to Carlo, keeping his posture very humble.

"Mr. Cavanos, nice to meet you," Carlo smiled and nodded, motioning Antonio Canovas del Castillo to sit in the chair next to him.

"I am honored to meet you as well, Your Majesty." Kavanos looked humble and respectful, and sat carefully on the stool next to him without any rude behavior.

"You served as Home Secretary six years ago and Minister for Overseas Territories four years ago, right?" Carlo asked with a smile.

"Yes, your majesty." Antonio Canovas del Castillo nodded, not yet understanding Carlo's intention.

"The position of Minister of Agriculture will soon be vacant. I plan to recommend you to Prime Minister Primo as the Minister of Agriculture. What do you think?" Carlo continued.

"It's my honor, Your Majesty." Antonio Canovas del Castillo stood up immediately, his eyes full of gratitude to Carlo.

"Sit down first." Carlo gestured for Canovas to sit down again, and then said meaningfully: "However, Mr. Canovas, before I recommend you to be the Minister of Agriculture, I would like to ask you a few questions first."

"Your Majesty, please ask." Although Antonio Canovas del Castillo didn't know what Carlo was going to ask, he knew that what he had to do now was to listen to the question quietly and then answer honestly.

"You served as a cabinet minister during the reign of Queen Isabella, and you expressed support for the Bourbon dynasty during the provisional government. Mr. Canovas, 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 his words made Canovas break out in a cold sweat.

"Of course I am loyal to the king, Your Majesty!" Antonio Canovas del Castillo stood up quickly and explained: "You are the King of Spain, and there is only one person I am loyal to, and that is you, Your Majesty.

The Bourbon dynasty is a thing of the past. The Spaniards have chosen a more suitable king. As a Spaniard, I will certainly support the Spaniards' decision.

Your Majesty, Canovas is your subject and will always be loyal to you."

Canovas was not stupid, he certainly knew why Carlo asked this.

If there was anything wrong with the answer, not to mention the Minister of Agriculture mentioned by Carlo, I'm afraid Canovas' political career would not be smooth in the future.

After all, Primo would not offend Carlo for Canovas. Although Carlo's power was not great, he could still completely ban an official if he wanted.

The political arena today is not so clean. Even if Carlo was the kind of king who would take revenge for every grievance, Canovas might not see the next day's sunshine after answering incorrectly.

Although he did support the Bourbon dynasty, he would not be blindly loyal to it after Queen Isabella and the Carlos faction were driven away one after another.

"Of course I believe you, Mr. Canovas." Carlo smiled and nodded, as if he had believed what Canovas said: "I'm just asking, of course I believe in your loyalty.

Mr. Canovas, 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 Canovas del Castillo nodded repeatedly and said very respectfully: “It is my honor to serve you, Your Majesty.

No matter who ruled Spain in the past, the Spaniards today will always be your loyal subjects. "

Carlo's goal was not only to win over Canovas, the representative of the royalists, but also to use him to win over more royalists to their loyalty.

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

What Carlo had to do was to make them understand that the House of Savoy was still the master of Spain. If these royalists could not be used for his own purposes, the best way was to ban them and cultivate a royalist faction loyal to the House of Savoy.

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(End of this chapter)