Chapter 113

In 1871, the most important things for the Spanish government were the development of national industry and Carlo's marriage preparations.

Carlo was surprised to find that the government attached much more importance to this marriage than he did, and Prime Minister Primo personally asked about the process and scale of the political wedding.

But it's normal to think about it. This marriage not only concerns the royal family of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Spanish royal family, but also the Austro-Hungarian government and the Spanish government.

Primo's reform, which he had been thinking about, finally had a strong boost. How could he not be moved?

In order to maintain good relations with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the original scale of this wedding was changed to a super-large wedding by Prime Minister Primo's repeated changes, and the funds used were even as high as 5 million pesetas.

Don't underestimate 5 million pesetas, the total value is close to 200,000 pounds. This amount of money can order a battleship-level ironclad ship in this era. It is too extravagant to invest all this money in the wedding.

Of course, this is still the case when many invisible expenses are not taken into account. If all the expenses are taken into account, the cost of this wedding may be as high as 10 million pesetas.

The reason why the government attaches so much importance to this wedding is of course because of the status of Sophie, the future Queen of Spain, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Among the four children of Franz Joseph I, the relationship between the first three children is relatively good. Archduchess Sophie, her sister Archduchess Gisela, and her brother Archduke Rudolf were all raised by their grandmother, Princess Sophie of Bavaria.

Because they grew up together, the relationship between the three siblings is very good, and can even be said to be close.

Archduchess Sophie and Archduchess Gisela love their younger brother Archduke Rudolf very much, and Archduke Rudolf is the future heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

For the Spanish government, nothing is more important than having a good relationship with Archduchess Sophie. If Archduchess Sophie is pleased, more support from the Austro-Hungarian Empire can be obtained in the future through the relationship between Archduchess Sophie and Archduke Rudolf.

The current and next emperors of the Austro-Hungarian Empire are both very close relatives of the Queen of Spain. Doesn't this mean that the close relationship between Spain and the Austro-Hungarian Empire can last for a long time?

Speaking of the wedding process, Carlo actually planned to go from Spain to France, then to Italy, and then to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and then return to pick up the bride.

But after thinking about it, the French may not be willing for Carlo to lead the army to the Austro-Hungarian Empire to pick up the bride, unless he only leads a small number of troops.

But if he is so ostentatious and only leads a small number of troops, it is inevitable that some people will treat their own safety as a game. If some extremists want to assassinate Carlo at the cost of their own lives, or just want to mess up the wedding, then Carlo will lose a lot.

After all, this marriage between Spain and the Austro-Hungarian Empire will attract the attention of many countries. If there are some troubles during the wedding, it will inevitably cause ridicule from other countries.

Finally, after careful consideration, it was decided to use the navy to pick up the bride. After arriving in Spain, they will take a train from Valencia and then all the way to Madrid.

In order to highlight the style of the royal wedding, the royal train that Carlo usually rides will also be modified to ensure comfort while ensuring safety.

Carlo's marriage is also a good thing for Prime Minister Primo. After all, Prime Minister Primo's reforms cannot be separated from the support of the king, and also from the stable situation in Spain.

Carlo is still alone at present. If something unexpected happens suddenly, it will cause immeasurable shock to Spain now.

If Spain, which has finally stabilized, falls into civil war again, Prime Minister Primo will have nowhere to cry.

For Prime Minister Primo now, the situation in Spain is of course the more stable the better. No matter who Carlo's marriage partner is, as long as it can expand the current royal family, it is a good thing.

What's more, the identity and status of Archduchess Sophie are also helpful to the development of Spain, which is even more a good thing.

Carlo was surprised to find that he seemed to have nothing else to do except preparing for this wedding.

The whole of Spain was trying its best to prepare for the wedding, and the people were also looking forward to the marriage between the royal family and the Austro-Hungarian royal family, as if the wedding had become the focus of the whole of Spain.

Time passed quietly, 1871 became history, and 1872 came in a flash.

On January 1, 1872, Carlo gave his subordinates a letter that he had already written, and told them to send it to Archduchess Sophie in Vienna, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.

Time passed quickly, and there was only one month left before the wedding of Carlo and Archduchess Sophie.

In February 1872, the wedding of Carlo and Archduchess Sophie will be held in Madrid, which also marks that the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Spain have come together after this wedding and become new allies.

For this wedding, the Austro-Hungarian Empire also attaches great importance.

Franz Joseph I, Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, waved his hand and dispatched the army and navy to accompany the protection.

An army of up to 5,000 people will escort Archduchess Sophie and her entourage from Schönbrunn Palace to the southern port, and then leave on a Spanish warship.

This is not over yet. During the fleet's return to Spain, the Austro-Hungarian navy will also accompany it for protection, and at the same time, it is also demonstrating the national prestige of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to other countries.

Franz Joseph I did this not without purpose. The Austrian Empire has indeed lost a lot of national prestige since it was defeated by Prussia last time.

Although the French were also defeated by Prussia later, this still cannot change some people's views that the Austro-Hungarian Empire has weakened.

The reason why Franz Joseph I did this was to show the military power of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to other small countries in Europe in this way.

Let them deeply understand that although the Austro-Hungarian Empire cannot beat the German Empire, it is still an unattainable superpower compared to them.

The five major powers in Europe are not just talk. Compared with the other remaining inferior powers, the strength of the Austro-Hungarian Empire still exists, and it is still the unattainable world power.

Of course, the Austro-Hungarian Empire had to ask Spain's attitude in advance for this. After all, the Austro-Hungarian Empire did not intend to show off its power to Spain, and Spain would still be an important ally of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the future.

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