Rebirth of the Spanish Empire.

Chapter 9 The Impact of Colonial Exchange
  "What, you said that the little king of Spain has sent a letter to Her Majesty Queen Victoria?"

Emperor Wilhelm I of the German Empire looked at Prime Minister Bismarck, whom he now trusted very much, with some confusion and said.

"Yes, our people in the UK sent back such a message."

"Do you know the reason?"

"It's not clear yet. Not only our Majesty, I think even many people in the UK don't know about this!" Bismarck said seriously.

This is a fact, and the telegram sent back from Britain has clearly stated it. So Bismarck answered firmly.

William I frowned and walked back and forth.

Because during the period of German reunification, the entire German Empire began to flourish, and sophisticated industrial products from Germany defeated British products in large numbers.

He felt the pressure brought by the United Kingdom, especially the British government who always sent people to condemn him, which made him feel very upset.

At this special time, Spain suddenly contacted Britain, which was a surprise to him.

In particular, this accident was based on the matter of sending a personal letter to the Queen of England during this sensitive period.

He opened the map of Europe and looked at the southern European country on the map. William I felt like he was paying serious attention to that place for the first time.

It was the third day after William I was wondering with his confidant Iron Prime Minister Bismarck what the letter was about.

While European countries were paying attention to this matter, they finally received the most accurate news on this day.

The Times is the most authoritative newspaper in the UK. Its sources and accuracy of information represent the majority of the views of the British government, and sometimes it even directly publishes official news.

“On July 1875, 7, the British Empire and the Kingdom of Spain had reached an agreement on the exchange of colonies.

The British Empire would exchange New Zealand, the autonomous territory of the South Pacific Islands, for the Spanish Caribbean colonies of the Kingdom of Spain, headed by Cuba.

The Kingdom of Spain will also exchange the colonies of the Philippines except Palawan Island for the Australian autonomous territory. With the approval of the upper and lower houses of the two countries, it will be officially implemented after the formal signatures of the kings of the two countries. "

Such a piece of news suddenly caused a huge controversy not only in Britain and Spain, but also in Britain and Spain.

Even other countries in Europe and even the American countries on the other side of the ocean were swept away violently.

Every country has a different point of view. This is of course because their positions are different, which determines the benefits they obtain.

The New York Times reported this: “The private exchange of colonies between the Kingdom of Spain and the British Empire has aroused dissatisfaction among the majority of American countries, including Cuba.

In particular, the Cuban people are preparing for a larger scale of protests, and the Filipinos are also preparing for a larger armed uprising.

I wonder whether this move between the two countries will trigger a greater wave of civilian protests and armed riots? We'll see. "

“Through the actions of the Kingdom of Spain and the British Empire, people have seen that each country has different interests, and each country can get what they need by exchanging colonies.

The famous "Legendary" in Paris, France reported this: Perhaps France is doing it for its own national interests and to make the world less contradictory and conflict-ridden. It would also be a good idea to conduct similar transactions. "

"The interests of the country determine everything. Although the actions of Britain and Spain this time are a bit sudden, they are also reasonable.

Maybe this really is a window to good governance in the colony! "The Tsarist Empire's "Voice of Tsarist Russia" emphasized the reasons for the benefits of this transaction.

For this colonial transaction between the Kingdom of Spain and the British Empire. The German media certainly did not forget to report it.

Although the relationship between the German Empire and the British Empire has not been very harmonious in recent years, as a European power, the German media still stands in its own interests. In terms of tone principle, I still agree with this colonial deal.

“As we all know, the current Kingdom of Spain is no longer the European empire on which the sun never sets.

Today's Spanish can even be described as sunset over the mountains.

The two colonies, Cuba and the Philippines, are now in a fierce fight for independence. However, this is only for the Kingdom of Spain, which no longer has much strength.

But for the current global hegemon, the British Empire, it was a good opportunity to consolidate its colonial hegemony in the United States and Asia.

As for the land that has been replaced, New Zealand now only has more than 20 people, while the Australian autonomous territory only has more than 100 million people.

Under such circumstances, compared with the tens of millions of people in the Philippines and the over one million people in Cuba, the UK has earned a huge labor force and a huge overseas consumer market for industrial products.

What's more, Cuba's silver cane sugar and tobacco are world-famous. In New Zealand and Australia, only animal husbandry can be used to make money!

It can be said that in order to maintain its status as a colonial power, the Kingdom of Spain did not hesitate to minimize risks. Although this colonial transaction made the Spanish somewhat dissatisfied, it was understandable.

The British Empire gained huge benefits through this colonial transaction!
  Although protests and armed uprisings continue in the new territories exchanged, as long as the British Royal Navy exists, there won't be much of a problem! Once their naval guns arrive there, the riots there will still be suppressed. "

Major newspapers in various European countries are reporting on it one after another.

…………

Naturally, Alfonso had no way of knowing the conversation between the German emperor and the iron-blooded prime minister Bismarck.

The top priority for Alfonso at this time was naturally the newspaper known as "Government Mouth".

Although newspapers are considered a product that lags behind the times in the 21st century, they were a novelty in the 19th century.

Historically, the first newspaper in Spain was La Pioneer in Catalonia, founded in 1881 by the Gordo family.

Although Pioneer has a long history, it has only been published in Catalonia. Its influence is limited to Catalonia, and its influence in the entire Kingdom of Spain is not very great.

In the Kingdom of Spain in the 19th century, the public opinion environment was still dominated by various miscellaneous small newspapers.

I believe anyone who has experienced the storm of public opinion in the 21st century has seen how powerful public opinion is.

Public opinion can confuse right and wrong, distort the truth of things, kill people and make them die in peace, and it can also help an ordinary person become a hero and achieve fame in an instant.

However, no one cared about the way public opinion was spread in the 19th century, because people at this time did not realize the importance of public opinion, so they allowed these newspapers to develop freely.

The Spanish Royal Newspaper Co., Ltd., which Alfonso ordered Howard to establish a few days ago, is the best tool for Alfonso to try to master the sharp weapon of public opinion.

Misty May Trino, an ordinary Spaniard.

As a young man who was personally appointed editor-in-chief of the newspaper by His Majesty the King a week ago, he came to the palace with excitement today to report his results to the King with the first newspaper he designed. Misti used to be the owner of a newspaper in Seville. He relied on his good mind and good relations with local officials in Seville.

In just a few years, he has achieved the status of the leading brother in the industry in Seville.

Alfonso took a fancy to his operational talent, so he entrusted him with the management of this future mouthpiece of the Kingdom of Spain.

Misty was a little nervous. Although she was the owner of the largest newspaper in Seville, the people with the highest status she had come into contact with were only the mayor and the like.

Today he is going to meet King Alfonso XII of Spain, the supreme ruler of the Kingdom of Spain, and he is already well aware of the responsibilities he now bears.

The entourage from the palace found him and said this: "The king's exact words are that if the Kingdom of Spain is a giant, and I will invite you to be the mouthpiece of the giant, you will speak for us."

Misty almost went crazy with excitement when she heard it, because it made him tremble with excitement, both literally and literally.

This is an invitation from the supreme ruler of the Kingdom of Spain, which means that he will become one of the few upper-class people in Spain.

Today he has brought his latest designed newspaper to the Royal Palace of Madrid.

"Lord Howard, this is the newspaper your Majesty requested."

Misty respectfully reached out and handed over his hard work over the past few days.

Howard took it gently, which was his usual style.

"Then please wait a moment, His Majesty is handling official business in the conference room."

Howard nodded and ordered the attendant to take Misty to the living room, then went to the conference room and knocked on the door.

"Please come in." Alfonso's voice came from inside.

"Your Majesty, you ordered the newspaper company Misty to produce the newspaper. Now he has completed it and brought it over to you for review."

Howard remained expressionless and spoke softly.

"Where is he now? Inform him to come to the conference room to see me. I want to talk to him and listen to his thoughts."

Alfonso glanced at the bold font on the newspaper and fell into thought.

A few minutes later, Misty came to him and said, "Hello, Your Majesty the King."

Misty was quite excited when she saw the king for the first time. Although there are countless people out there who support republicanism and anarchism, this does not include Misty.

As a vested interest in the existence of the Spanish Kingdom's government, he had no reason to object.

"Mr. Misty has been working hard these days. I didn't expect you to have designed the sample of the newspaper so quickly." Alfonso said with a smile.

The person in front of me is a rare talent!

"Thank you, His Majesty the King, for the compliment. Your Majesty, please take a look at the newspaper to see if it is satisfactory and whether it needs to be revised." Misty replied solemnly.

He now wanted to show himself in front of the king to ensure the smooth progress of his new job.

"Very good, can you tell me what your expectations are for this newspaper?"

Alfonso thought he would name the newspaper El España, but he did not expect that it would be called Globo.

"Dear Your Majesty, I believe that Spain, a very important country in the world, should not be limited to Spain itself, but should have its own influence in all regions of the world.

I hope and will work hard to make it the biggest voice in the world. "

Misty spoke passionately about his vision, and his goals were very long-term, which was in line with Alfonso's ideas.

But just conforming to the idea is useless. Alfonso naturally knows that no newspaper in later generations can really achieve this step.

"The significance of Globo should be to make Spain's voice known to the world, to explain our policies positively to the country, and to discredit our enemies in Spain." Alfonso said to Misty in a deep voice.

He invested in newspapers not to fulfill his personal ideals, but to master the weapon of public opinion.

"This is natural, Your Majesty, I deeply know how much influence public opinion can have on the people.

Maintaining the image of His Majesty the King and safeguarding the interests of the Kingdom of Spain are our greatest goals. "

Misty said directly, he was not an idealist who knew nothing.

"Very good, then make Globo the official newspaper of Spain. You need to speed up the recruitment of editors from the country and make El Mundo come out as soon as possible."

Naturally, the sooner we can control the hegemony of public opinion, the better; otherwise, changes will be delayed.

"Your Majesty, your former subordinates in Seville can be directly summoned to work in Madrid. Your Majesty still needs to make arrangements for the printing house."

Alfonso rubbed his eyebrows, turned to Howard and asked: "Is there anyone capable enough to do this and help popularize the newspaper as soon as possible."

Howard was silent for a few seconds, thinking carefully before giving an answer.

"The former mayor of Madrid, Count Heredia Spinola, may be able to do this. He is a person who has no desires and desires, but he has a lot of food in various places. He is the most suitable person to do it."

"That's him." Alfonso waved his hand, motioning for them to go out.

The long hours of busy work have taken a toll on Alfonso's body, causing him to feel a little uncomfortable now.

Alfonso had to pay attention to this. There was precedent for this.

After all, Alfonso XII did die at the age of less than 30 in history.

As the only wise king in Spain in the 19th century, it is indeed a pity that he died due to physical illness.

Therefore, Alfonso pays special attention to his body and ensures his health in this life!

…………

(End of this chapter)