While reform and construction in Spain were in full swing, Carlo had already begun laying out his own media empire.
Back when he was in Italy, Carlo had once had Loren acquire Spanish newspapers, though they had remained on a very small scale.
Now that he had become King of Spain, it was time to expand his newspapers in Spain and establish a highly influential press institution like the Italy Sun.
The name Italy Sun had been well conceived, and because the Sun Newspaper had previously promoted monarchism so vigorously, it had gained a certain amount of popularity in Spain. Carlo therefore naturally copied the Sun Newspaper name directly.
In October 1869, the Spanish Sun was officially established in Madrid, becoming Carlo's first major industry in Spain.
The development potential around Madrid was not much worse than that of Northern Italy. Carlo hoped that within two years, the new Spanish Sun would become a major newspaper with daily sales of twenty thousand copies.
Besides the Spanish Sun, which was meant to make a name for itself, Carlo also had Loren quietly acquire more than a dozen small newspapers to expand the number of papers in his media empire.
These newspapers were scattered across Spain and could influence more Spanish households.
Besides laying out his media presence, Carlo also officially began a major expansion of Royal Industries.
If he wanted to realize the plans in his heart amid Spain's internal troubles and external threats, sufficient funds were indispensable.
Although newspapers could earn a little money, it was merely a drop in the bucket for the Royal Palace, whose expenses were enormous.
The Bourbon Dynasty's former lands and most of its property had been confiscated by the government. Apart from taking over the Royal Palace of Madrid and several other castles and estates, Carlo had obtained little of those valuable industries and lands.
At present, the income from Carlo's industries could only barely maintain the Royal Palace's expenses, and that was without forming the Guard Army.
Whether for the formation of the Guard Army or for more ambitious reforms and expansion in the future, investing in more industries was necessary.
For the first step of expanding Royal Industries, Carlo set his sights on the food and wine sectors.
There was naturally no need to say much about food. It was a necessary supply for human beings to maintain normal lives, a consumable that essentially never lacked buyers.
There was likewise no need to explain wine's position in the West. As an alcoholic drink sought after by the upper classes and indispensable even to the lower classes, wine never lacked a market in Europe. Noble banquets alone could consume vast quantities of it.
In later generations, Spain would become the world's third-largest wine-producing region, and it was itself highly suited to the development of the wine industry. Carlo's wineries would have no trouble selling their wine. After all, a king's private winery naturally carried more prestige than ordinary wineries.
In mid-October 1869, United Foods was officially founded in Madrid. Carlo acquired a flour mill in Madrid and planned to expand it into a food-processing factory with the mill as its foundation.
What would it produce?
Carlo already had a plan in mind: something similar to fast food from later generations.
It would not be too complicated—roughly two large slices of bread with a little minced meat and jam in between, emphasizing affordability and good value.
Food industry workers of later generations had already blazed too many trails in this regard. Carlo had many ways to reduce food costs while still making the food look substantial and taste good.
As for the food safety issues that everyone in later generations talked about, there was no need for any concern in this era.
Of course, as king, Carlo could not possibly treat Spaniards' lives and safety as worthless. At the very least, every product under United Foods could be guaranteed free of fatal toxins. At worst, poor food quality might cause diarrhea.
A cheap food containing both meat and vegetables would surely be welcomed in Spain, where incomes were not high.
Carlo could also use the opportunity of founding a food factory to set a benchmark for Spanish businesses. Once all the workers in Spain were envying the welfare system enjoyed by Royal Enterprises employees, it would be time for the Spanish Labor Law to be enacted.
Although the Labor Law would win the workers' goodwill, it would have to contend with those great capitalists and factory owners.
Without complete confidence or the support of a large number of workers, Carlo had no intention of pushing for the Labor Law's enactment in the early stages.
After all, those great capitalists were also among the supporters of monarchism. Before Carlo had grasped power of his own, confronting those great capitalists would be no different from digging his own grave.
United Foods was thus quietly established. It would still be some time before formal production began, and Carlo did not intend to heavily promote his food factory before it generated a favorable response.
Compared to the food factory, Carlo promoted his wineries much more heavily.
Fortunately, several of Queen Isabella's wineries had been well preserved and had not been distributed to peasants along with the land.
After all, what truly made wineries valuable were the grapevines planted there. The land itself was not worth as much as people imagined.
Because Carlo had voluntarily given up those lands, Primo ultimately decided to hand several wineries left behind by Queen Isabella to Carlo, at least ensuring that the Royal Palace had some income.
This greatly facilitated Carlo's plans. If he wanted to establish a wine-processing factory from scratch, it would require not only a great deal of time, but also substantial capital investment.
Merely cultivating his own grapevines would take a long time, while buying mature grapevine seedlings would also require considerable investment.
Now that he had several established wineries and vineyards, Carlo only needed to give them a complete makeover and establish his own private wine brands.
As for his wine enterprises, Carlo planned to divide them into two parts.
The first wine enterprise would be called Royal Winery. The wines it sold in the future would bear labels such as Royal Palace exclusive and reserve collection, focusing on mid- to high-end wines for wealthy capitalists and nobles.
The second wine enterprise would not include the word Royal in its name. It would be called Iberian Estate, and its red wines would emphasize value for money, targeting ordinary Spaniards with little money.
By attacking both the high-end and low-end markets at once, Carlo could ensure that his wine industry captured a share of the Spanish market at an extremely rapid pace.
Relying on the Spanish market, Carlo could advance or retreat as the situation demanded, while also taking the opportunity to seize more of Europe's wine market and swiftly realize his wine industry's profit plan.
The wine industry's earning power was stronger than that of newspapers. If he could seize a considerable share of the Spanish market, then when Carlo formed the Guard Army, he would not be so poor that he could not even afford equipment.
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