The establishment of the German Empire was a good thing for Carlo.
The Franco-Prussian War happening a year earlier had already caused Carlo concern; if the situation in Europe changed due to his arrival, it could very likely affect his judgment of the future.
Although the timing was different now, the situation was still slowly moving along the wheels of history, which meant that Carlo's natural advantage as a transmigrator still existed.
Although the unified German Empire had become one of the most powerful countries on the European continent, Carlo did not intend to cozy up to the Germans at this time.
Although Germany received a large amount of reparations from France, the Germans also needed a lot of capital to develop their own country and might not be able to provide Spain with satisfactory financial support.
Furthermore, Spain's extremely important geographical location dictated that it could not easily take sides, otherwise it would inevitably arouse the apprehension and hostility of other great powers.
If Spain were to clearly become an ally of the German Empire, it would truly become a common enemy of Britain and France.
France did not want to see itself attacked from both north and south by German forces, and Britain did not want to see the western gateway to the Mediterranean influenced or even controlled by other countries.
Before Spain truly became strong enough to decide its own destiny, the best approach was to keep its stance ambiguous and waver between the great powers.
As long as Spain did not clarify its position, there was no need to worry about any great power invading Spain.
Because no matter which country had designs on Spanish territory, the other great powers would not allow that power to occupy Spain's land.
If France wanted to invade Spain, the Germans would cause trouble. If Britain wanted to invade Spain, both France and Germany would cause trouble. As for the Germans, there was no need to mention them; they were so far away that they wouldn't have any ideas about Spanish territory.
Only by temporarily wavering between sides could Spain ensure its safety in the early stages and achieve relatively stable economic and industrial development.
If it were to truly take a clear stance, it might soon face sanctions from other great powers, such as raising tariffs, restricting imports and exports, and so on.
This was also the sorrow of small countries; sometimes they truly could not control their own destiny. Seemingly wavering between two strong nations, in reality, it was just to avoid offending either and to survive in the cracks.
However, the strategy of wavering between sides was not always applicable. If the strong nations had reached a life-and-death struggle, this strategy would instead make oneself more conspicuous.
No country would like a subordinate with an unstable stance. If wavering before a decisive battle wasn't backed by strength that commanded respect, there was a high probability of being targeted by both sides, becoming the one who died the quickest.
Carlo's expectation for Spain was to achieve initial reform success within the next ten years, possessing the strength of a great power, roughly equivalent to Italy at present.
Within the next 20 years, it should be able to join the ranks of the medium-sized powers, gaining the right to determine its own destiny, and then it would no longer need to survive in the cracks between strong nations.
As for the First World War that historically broke out more than 40 years later, by then Spain's reforms might have been completely successful, and Spain could leap from being a piece on the chessboard to becoming a player, or simply be an observer, watching the development of the European situation.
In any case, regardless of the choice, there must be a prerequisite: Spain itself must possess a certain level of strength that the great powers would take seriously.
In Carlo's plan for Spain, military reform and economic-industrial reform were equally important; neither could be lacking.
Economic and industrial reforms could significantly enhance Spain's comprehensive national strength, allowing it to return to the ranks of the great powers.
And the reform of military strength was the only means to ensure one's wealth was not lost. Without sufficient military strength, a vast economy and industry would instead become a juicy piece of meat in the mouths of the great powers.
That is to say, the United States is separated from Europe by the Atlantic Ocean. If the United States were on the European continent, its development would probably not be so smooth.
The only good news now was that there was still plenty of time. It was 1870, and there were still more than 40 years until World War I, which was enough time for Spain to undergo long and stable reforms.
Reforms should not seek speed, but stability. Reforms that were too fast would arouse the indignation of a large number of opposing forces domestically, which was not a good thing for Spain, which had just quelled a rebellion.
May 1870, Madrid, Spain, inside a certain luxurious estate.
This was one of the estates of the famous Spanish nobleman, the Duke of Osuna. As a top Spanish aristocrat on par with the Duke of Alba, the Duke of Osuna's family-owned dozens of castles and estates throughout Spain, as well as vast amounts of property, including countless lands.
Of course, one of the reasons for the Duke of Osuna's fame was also the famous painting 'The Family of the Duke of Osuna', painted by the renowned Spanish artist Goya in 1788.
As one of Spain's top nobles, the Duke of Osuna should have been freely enjoying his luxurious life.
But on the Duke's face at this moment, not only was there no relaxed smile, but it was overcast with a gloomy expression, and he seemed to be in a very bad mood.
Thump, thump, thump!
The sound of leather boots stepping on the floor, and then a middle-aged man in a butler's uniform walked in, respectfully saying to the Duke of Osuna, "It's ready, Your Grace. We can begin the operation at any time."
The wine glass in the Duke of Osuna's hand gently swayed, the deep red wine surging in the glass before gradually settling down.
"Can you ensure the plan proceeds smoothly? You know, I don't want any accidents. This plan must succeed; it cannot fail." The Duke of Osuna looked at his butler, setting down the wine glass in his hand.
"It will proceed smoothly, Your Grace. This plan has been meticulously prepared. The two assassins participating in the plan will be silenced after success, ensuring that no more people know about our plan." The butler nodded confidently, very assured of his arrangements.
"I hope so." A smile appeared on the Duke of Osuna's face, but it didn't seem so simple. His gaze subtly swept over his butler before quickly looking away again.
"Go and act. I hope you can bring me good news. May God bless you." The Duke of Osuna waved his hand, and the butler bowed and withdrew.
About half an hour later, a strong man in a black robe walked in and respectfully bowed to the Duke of Osuna: "Your Grace."
"Shadow, the aftermath is up to you." Only then did a genuine smile appear on the Duke of Osuna's face as he said, without preamble.
"As you command, Your Majesty." The man called Shadow never revealed his true face, merely nodded respectfully, and then left without making any sound.
After Shadow left his room, the Duke of Osuna picked up his wine glass again, glanced at the expensive paintings hanging in his room, chuckled, and muttered to himself, "King? Prime Minister? Heh, why should an Italian be the King of Spain? He doesn't even understand basic rules, so why should he gain the support of the nobility?"
That night, the Royal Palace in Madrid.
Prim walked out of the palace with a tired expression.
Just moments ago, he had met with Carlo to report on the government's recent work and had submitted a plan for Spain's military reform to Carlo.
Carlo, in turn, said he would confer the title of Duke upon Prim in the near future and hold a celebratory banquet to mark the end of the Spanish civil unrest.
Since it was under the guise of celebrating the end of the unrest, Prim couldn't very well refuse, and could only repeatedly request that the banquet's scale be reduced as much as possible, so that more money could be used for government reforms.
This back-and-forth took several hours of discussion, and by the time the meeting concluded, it was already past 11 p.m.
As Prime Minister, Prim was also accustomed to working until the early hours of the morning every day. He got into his carriage and instructed his subordinate to head to his residence.
He was drowsy on the way back, the rocking of the carriage making Prim sleepy.
Bang!
A sudden gunshot was exceptionally clear, startling Prim awake, and the carriage simultaneously slowed down.
"Damn it, what's going on? Why are there gunshots in Madrid?" Prim asked.
"It's likely aimed at us, protect the Prime Minister!" The subordinate driving the carriage was actually a guard whom Prim had only agreed to after Carlo repeatedly requested it. They were soldiers carefully selected from the Spanish army and carried weapons with them.
Although it seemed there was only one person driving the carriage outside, Prim's movements were always accompanied by hidden guards for protection, and there were at least around ten guards.
Although Prim's carriage wasn't as unique as the royal carriage, its exterior was protected by sheet metal, and the windows had steel plates that could be lowered.
Hearing that the gunshots might be aimed at him, Prim pulled down the steel plates on the windows and picked up the weapon that had been prepared in the carriage, his eyes showing no trace of panic.
As a general who had personally led troops in battle, would Prim be afraid of a small assassination attempt? He would not.
Moreover, he had guards around him. Unless the enemy was a well-trained army of a hundred men, or their marksmanship was very accurate and could take out Prim with a few shots, the assassination was highly likely to fail.
Such obvious gunshots and fighting would quickly attract the police and army of Madrid. This place was not far from the palace, and the Royal Guard could also arrive within a short time.
Bang! Bang bang!
Several sounds of bullets hitting steel plates shocked the assassins and completely alerted the guards secretly protecting Prim.
The assassins had no other choice but to try aiming at other parts of the carriage, praying that the bullets could penetrate the carriage and hit Prim inside.
As for whether they could kill Prim, that was now impossible to guarantee. Who would have thought that a seemingly ordinary carriage would have something like steel plates?
Originally, bullets could easily penetrate a wooden carriage and hit the person inside, but if the entire carriage was protected by steel plates or iron sheets, the lethality would definitely be greatly reduced.
"Damn it, a bunch of useless fools!"
The butler hiding in the dark cursed at the two assassins, but the most urgent matter now was to eliminate all traces.
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