As soon as the two decrees, free literacy education, and agricultural tax reduction, were promulgated, the Spanish people were surprised to find that the king above them didn't seem so bothersome anymore.
At least during Queen Isabel II's reign, the government would not proactively propose agricultural tax reductions, much less establish free literacy education.
But for Carlo at this time, only one troublesome matter had just been resolved.
As early as the time of the Spanish Revolution, the Cuban colony seized the opportunity to launch a war of independence, occupying multiple cities, holding a so-called constituent assembly, and electing a president.
This was unacceptable to Spain, as Cuba was the most valuable of all Spanish colonies and one of the few that brought in positive revenue.
Losing the Cuban colony would not only significantly reduce the Spanish government's annual fiscal revenue but also be a blow to the prestige of Carlo, the new king, and the new cabinet.
The current Spanish Kingdom government was gradually getting back on track, and it was time to deal with the restless Cuban colony and create more income for the Spanish government.
At this time, the Cuban rebels were not numerous and lacked advanced weapons and equipment. For the Spanish government, apart from the need to fight across the Atlantic over a long distance, there were no major problems to overcome.
Thus, the first relatively large-scale war since Carlo became king was officially launched.
Minister of War Serrano led 5,500 soldiers on a grand expedition to suppress the rebellion in Cuba, striving to eliminate the Cuban rebels to the greatest extent possible.
This counter-insurgency war, which was not very large in scale, was also an opportunity for Carlo. Carman Esposito and Andrew Rosso would also join this campaign as low-ranking officers.
Carlo expected them to earn merit in this campaign, which would help facilitate his later promotion and their appointment.
The more capable Ricciotti was kept by Carlo in Madrid to command the 500-strong palace guard. There was no other way; Carlo's safety needed greater assurance, and a trustworthy subordinate had to be responsible for the safety of the royal palace.
Carlo still trusted Serrano's military capabilities. More importantly, Serrano had served as the Governor of Cuba for three years from 1859 to 1862, and was relatively familiar with the situation in Cuba.
Sending him to suppress the rebellion in Cuba was the most suitable choice and the most promising option to resolve the Cuban issue in a short time and ensure that Cuba would not experience rebellion in the near future.
As for matters in the long term, they were not within Carlo's consideration.
Because for Carlo, these Spanish colonies scattered around the world were a burden to Spain.
Cuba was separated from Spain by the entire Atlantic Ocean, but only by the Florida Strait from the United States.
The United States, having won the Civil War, already possessed the potential to become a world hegemon, and its comprehensive national strength was continuously increasing.
For Spain, having its most valuable colony located right at the doorstep of the Americans meant that Spain was destined not to be able to hold onto Cuba.
Rather than this, it would be better to proactively give up Cuba at an appropriate time in exchange for other colonies that were not as valuable but could be firmly held.
The Philippines was also the same. In Carlo's future plans for Spain, both Cuba and the Philippines were to be abandoned, and the base of Spanish colonies was in Africa.
However, precisely because Cuba was one of the few Spanish colonies that brought in positive revenue, it would be very difficult to get the public to agree to lose Cuba.
At least until Carlo had enough prestige to withstand such a loss, or until a good opportunity arose, Spain would not engage in colonial exchanges.
On September 22, 1869, Carlo saw off Serrano, who was embarking on the expedition to Cuba, in Madrid, and personally promised all Spanish soldiers that he would hold a victory banquet for them when they returned triumphantly to Madrid and would grant land and titles to those who achieved significant merit.
Granting titles based on military merit was still very attractive to soldiers, and it was one of the most effective opportunities for people from the lower classes to climb the social ladder.
Serrano himself and Prim were both representative figures who had been granted titles for military merit. Although Spanish soldiers did not have the ambition to become dukes or marquises, it was certainly possible to strive for rewards of land and money as much as possible.
Having just returned to the royal palace after seeing off Serrano, Carlo soon received a report from a guard that Prime Minister Prim requested an audience.
Since Carlo had fulfilled his promises and firmly supported reforms, Prim's attitude towards Carlo had become very respectful, and he was willing to cultivate a praiseworthy relationship between monarch and minister with Carlo.
This was also good news for Carlo, as now, Prim would often consult Carlo's opinion and was willing to let Carlo make decisions on some matters.
Although Prim was not like Garibaldi, completely without ambition for power and status, he was not a dictatorial person either.
Carlo was also happy with this cooperative relationship. Gaining some reform prestige by following Prim, and then slowly cultivating his own confidantes in the government and army, preparing to take over the country after Prim – this was also Carlo's plan.
"Your Majesty, this is the plan for industrial construction, please approve it," Prim said directly as soon as he met Carlo, handing over a ready-made industrial plan.
"Are we starting industrial construction now? Prime Minister Prim, if I remember correctly, it seems our government doesn't have that much money to build industries, does it?" Carlo was somewhat surprised by the speed of Prim's reforms.
Reforms in education and agriculture had only been underway for less than a month, so why start industrial construction immediately?
For Spain, where the government was currently short of funds, starting so many projects at once was not a good thing. Carlo could understand Prim's eagerness for success, but if simply pursuing speed led the Spanish government to face a bankruptcy crisis, it would be counterproductive.
"The first phase of industrial construction is estimated to require 55 million pesetas. I plan to issue approximately 25 million pesetas of industrial government bonds in batches, and the remaining 30 million pesetas can be obtained by borrowing from foreign capital."
As long as we can promote industrial construction, our economic situation will improve in the coming years, and Spain's dire situation can be fully improved," Prim explained.
Queen Isabel's government only cared about its enjoyment and neglected national development, which caused all aspects of Spain's construction to stagnate for a long time and even experience regression.
The only good news was that the previous government, which neglected development, did not borrow heavily from abroad, so the current Spanish government could still obtain some initial project funding through borrowing.
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