The Bigger the Waves, the More Expensive the Fish

Why are things in Spain always so terrible?

Carlo faced a very difficult choice, one that would most likely affect the future fate of both himself and the Kingdom of Spain.

Once Primo's deep reforms were fully successful and resolved the potential opposition from the Church and the capitalists, Spain's comprehensive national strength would flourish, and returning to the ranks of the Great Powers would not be out of the question.

But if this reform provoked opposition from the Church and the capitalists, and allowed the Republicans and the Carlists to take the opportunity to launch a major rebellion, the situation Carlo would face would be no better than that of Queen Isabella a year and a half ago.

Although Carlo still had Italy as a final fallback, the Church and capitalists he had offended might not necessarily be willing to let him return to Spain.

Moreover, if he were to return to Italy in such a disheveled state, it would be a heavy blow to Carlo, who had only just managed to secure the Spanish throne.

To gamble or not? How to gamble? This was the problem that gave Carlo the biggest headache at the moment.

"We may have to face the Church, the capitalists, or perhaps the Carlists and the Republicans. But Your Majesty, if our reforms are successfully implemented and gain the support of the people, we will have the backing of 16 million Spanish people, which is the foundation of my confidence in pushing for reform.

I plan to promote military reform starting this year and equip the army with more artillery. Our enemies certainly won't expect us to be so determined to push through reforms, even at the cost of going to war with them.

As long as the people choose to stand on our side, victory will be within our grasp." Primo laid out his entire plan, attempting to win Carlo's support.

Regardless of what status Carlo held before becoming King, the moment he was crowned King of Spain, he possessed a certain prestige and status within the country.

Spain had a large number of farmers, and the majority of these farmers supported the monarchy. If Carlo could support his comprehensive reforms, the success rate would undoubtedly be much higher.

Of course, Primo also knew the difficulty of this reform and how powerful the enemies he would have to face were.

He was prepared to fight alone; even if it were just for a glimmer of hope for Spain's revival, he would never give up.

"How is Minister Serrano doing in Cuba?" Carlo did not immediately agree to Primo's plan, but instead asked a seemingly unrelated question.

"Minister Serrano arrived in Cuba two and a half months ago and immediately launched a campaign to suppress the rebel forces. If nothing goes wrong, perhaps in a few months we will hear news of Cuba's recovery." Primo said with a smile.

Serrano was indeed one of the most influential figures in the Spanish Army, and his military talent was worth acknowledging.

More importantly, Serrano himself had served as the Governor of Cuba a few years ago and was relatively familiar with the situation there.

Historically, Spain had been unable to suppress the rebellion in Cuba for years, and it was not until the time of Alfonso XII that it spent a great price to regain control of Cuba.

But by then, the independence forces in Cuba had already gained momentum, which was the reason why it took Spain a full ten years and a cost of 700 million Peseta to quell the Cuban rebellion.

That was a full 27 million pounds, enough to build ten capital ships in the era of the dreadnought, let alone in an era even earlier than that.

Primo's reforms had not consumed that much capital so far; if all the money spent on suppressing the Cuban rebellion were used for Spain's reforms, Spain's comprehensive national strength could have risen by at least a small tier.

"Very good, Prime Minister Primo." Hearing that Cuba could be pacified within a few months, Carlo was in a good mood.

After thinking carefully for a moment, Carlo said to Primo: "Prime Minister Primo, I support your reforms. But I also hope you will be prepared for any potential rebellions. We must eliminate any enemies who might stand in opposition to Spain's reforms."

"As you command, Your Majesty. Please rest assured, the Spanish Army will always fight for you and for Spain; we will not fear any enemy standing against us.

Before pushing for comprehensive reform, I will approve a portion of funds to help the army purchase weapons, equipment, and artillery. If those Carlists and Republicans want to block Spain's reforms, then I will send them to meet God and let God reason with them." Hearing Carlo support his reforms, Primo stood up instantly, firmly and solemnly assuring Carlo.

"Excellent, Prime Minister Primo. I am fortunate that Spain has ministers like you and Serrano. Once we have wiped out these enemies blocking Spain's progress, I will personally bestow honors upon you and celebrate your achievements!" Having received Primo's assurance, Carlo nodded with satisfaction, dangling a carrot before him.

Carlo chose to stand on Primo's side in this high-stakes gamble for no other reason than the fact that the big capitalist class and the Republicans who opposed Primo could never stand on his side either.

To put it bluntly, Carlo and Primo were in a state where they would prosper or perish together.

If Primo failed in his reforms and lost his power and status, it would not be a good thing for Carlo either.

After all, Carlo could be considered to have been supported by Primo, and his initial status came from Primo's backing.

If these enemies blocking Spain's path forward were not resolved, how could Spain achieve a revival?

If he only wanted to be a high-ranking noble enjoying life, Carlo could have done that in Italy. But if he wanted to realize the ambition in his heart, to elevate Spain from a second-rate European country to a first-rate one or even a Great Power, he must not be afraid just because of some domestic opposition.

So what if they were Carlists? Queen Isabella was able to defeat the Carlists twice in a row; Carlo did not believe that with the full support of Serrano and Primo, he could lose to the Carlists, a group of rebels who had already experienced multiple failures.

As the saying goes, the higher the waves, the more valuable the fish. Although pushing for comprehensive reform in today's Spain seemed very risky, the rewards upon success would definitely be significant.

The support of the people and the improvement of Spain's comprehensive national strength were only part of it; Carlo could also take the opportunity to resolve the issues of the Church and the Carlists that had plagued Spain for years, and make the Spanish people loathe the republican system.

In this way, the problems within Spain would be largely resolved, and the local separatists who had not yet formed a climate would disappear as Spain's national strength flourished.

Thinking of this, Carlo's mood became exceptionally relaxed. Whether it was the Carlists or the Church, they were just clowns who had lost the momentum of the times.

If he didn't even have the courage to defeat these forces, then Carlo's ambitions might as well be abandoned early.