Cabinet Appointments

The next morning, under the watchful eyes of various Spanish officials, Carlo held the Spanish Constitution and declared his coronation as King of Spain, styling himself as King Carlo I of Spain.

Following this, Primo led the government officials in swearing allegiance to Carlo, and the framework of the Kingdom of Spain was officially established.

According to the current Spanish Constitution, the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the Kingdom Government operated under a system of three branches, representing legislative, judicial, and executive powers respectively.

As for Carlo, the King of Spain, he nominally held the right to appoint and dismiss the Prime Minister and high-ranking officials, convene or dissolve parliament, mobilize the army, promulgate or repeal laws, listen to state affairs, and convene cabinet meetings.

However, in reality, the only power Carlo could currently exercise was listening to state affairs and convening cabinet meetings.

These two matters could be combined into one: Carlo could understand the current situation in Spain and the development of various policies through cabinet meetings, and that was all.

Although Carlo could also offer his own opinions, whether the cabinet government led by Primo would listen was another matter.

Still, this situation was not absolute; the nominal King of Spain still possessed considerable power. Once Carlo cultivated enough prestige and won the trust of the public and some officials, he could still influence the government through the power in his hands, thereby achieving the policies or laws he wished to enact.

Before he had sufficient prestige and status, Carlo could also rest assuredly be a king without much power, and at least the responsibility would not fall upon him.

Carlo's coronation ceremony was scheduled for November, about two and a half months later.

This arrangement had its benefits, allowing the Spanish government ample time to prepare for the coronation and foreign guests sufficient time to travel to Spain.

Of course, Spain was, after all, only a second-rate European country, and its king's coronation ceremony might not necessarily attract the attention of the major powers, except for neighboring countries like Italy and France.

However, considering that Prussia and France were still at war, it was highly likely that neither country would send representatives.

Later that day, in the conference room of the Royal Palace in Madrid.

"Prime Minister Primo, is the list of cabinet government members ready?" Carlo asked with a smile, seated at the head of the table, addressing Primo, who had just arrived, looking travel-worn.

"It is ready, Your Majesty." Primo nodded and respectfully handed over a list.

"Since Your Majesty has already sworn allegiance and been crowned under the Constitution, it is no longer appropriate for Mr. Serrano to continue as regent. Your Majesty, what are your plans for Mr. Serrano?" Primo inquired.

Serrano became regent solely because the Spanish throne was vacant at the time, which led to the establishment of the regent position.

Now that Carlo had arrived in Spain and been crowned, continuing with a regent would be disrespectful to Carlo.

Historically, Serrano became Prime Minister of Spain after Amadeo's coronation, but that was due to Primo being assassinated.

Now that Primo was alive and well, the position of Prime Minister was naturally not suitable for Serrano.

Considering that, apart from the Minister of Defense, there were no other suitable positions for Serrano within the cabinet government, the answer to this question had been apparent from the beginning.

"Let Duke Serrano serve as the Minister of Defense," Carlo stated. "He will also concurrently serve as the Commander-in-Chief of the Army. I have great trust in General Serrano to lead the military."

Serrano's resume was quite impressive. He joined the army at the age of 12, participated in over a dozen wars, large and small, was awarded the rank of Marshal at the age of 46, and was ennobled as Duke of Dela Torre for his meritorious service in the occupation of Dominica.

Such numerous achievements, big and small, were not something an ordinary person could attain, and in some aspects, it proved that Serrano himself possessed excellent military command capabilities.

Hearing Carlo's words, Primo nodded, expressing his agreement.

Although there was only one suitable position for Serrano in the current government, Primo had not directly written Serrano's name in the Minister of Defense column but had symbolically sought Carlo's opinion.

After all, Carlo was now the King of Spain, and at least on the surface, he had to be shown due respect.

Carlo understood this and was quite pleased with Primo's outward show of respect. This also indicated that Primo himself did not oppose monarchism; like Serrano, he opposed monarchs who held great power without having the ability.

After signing the list of the Spanish government's cabinet members, Carlo turned his gaze back to Primo and asked the question that concerned him most: "Prime Minister Primo, when will the next cabinet meeting be convened?"

"Following the schedule of one cabinet meeting per week, the next meeting should be in three days, Your Majesty," Primo replied.

Primo did not mind Carlo's desire to attend cabinet meetings, as it was his right. However, if Carlo, upon his arrival in Spain, immediately wanted to express his opinions in the cabinet meeting, Primo would pretend not to hear.

After all, no matter how talented someone was, they had to first understand the situation in Spain, didn't they? What use would opinions be to Spain if they were expressed without any understanding of the situation?

"I will attend the cabinet meeting in three days, Prime Minister Primo," Carlo stated directly upon hearing that the meeting was in three days. "I hope to receive detailed information about Spain during this period to understand the level of our country.

Rest assured, I will not interfere with Spain's policies until I have sufficient understanding. Prime Minister Primo, you can proceed with your reform preparations; I will unconditionally support you, and I will state my position at the meeting."

Primo nodded. With Carlo's unconditional declaration of support for reforms, he no longer cared about any potential suggestions Carlo might make in the cabinet meeting.

After all, suggestions were just suggestions; whether to heed them was up to Primo.

Carlo's firm stance in supporting reforms would be of practical help to Primo and beneficial in improving the current situation in Spain.

Ironically, Primo and Serrano, who had overthrown Queen Isabella II of Spain, could both be classified as monarchists.

Although Primo's loyalty to Spain was greater than his loyalty to the king, as long as the king did not harm Spain's interests, Primo remained loyal to the king.

Even if only for the sake of Spain's unification, Primo would not usurp the king's power. Because only as Carlo's prestige and status grew, would the various regions of Spain obey the king's rule and heed the government's management.

If the regions refused to obey the king's rule, Spain would become increasingly chaotic, and various regions would seek autonomy or even independence, which would be fatal to Spain.

Primo supported monarchism for these reasons as well. The current loose republicanism could not save Spain; instead, it would push Spain towards division and regional autonomy.

Only a unified and highly centralized kingdom government could help Spain escape the abyss of separatist autonomy and reshape a unified and powerful Kingdom of Spain.

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