Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 189: Southern Morocco
"Your Majesty, have you really decided to do this?" Inside the Royal Palace of Madrid, Prime Minister Primo's usually calm face showed an expression of surprise, and he looked at Carlo in disbelief.

"If we don't do this, these rats hiding in the dark corners won't show up at all." Carlo had a faint smile on his face, as if he had no worries about his previous proposal:

I don’t want to let any rats escape, this will be a great opportunity to catch them all.”

"But, it's a bit too dangerous for you to do this." Prime Minister Primo was still a little worried. After all, Carlo's proposal was quite bold:

What if the enemy launches an assassination attempt on you in southern Morocco? If anything happens to you, you can still disrupt the current situation in Spain.

Your Majesty, you should stay in Madrid. The army will deal with any threats for you and will never let the enemy get close to Madrid."

Carlo's proposal, which surprised Prime Minister Primo a little, was to go south to southern Morocco for an inspection at this dark time.

More than five years have passed since the establishment of the South Morocco Colony, and the construction of the colony has achieved considerable results.

At that time, Carlo and Prime Minister Primo exchanged political interests, and Prime Minister Primo proposed the candidate for the first governor of the southern Morocco colony, and Canovas thus ascended to the high position of Minister of Agriculture.

Now five years have passed, and the South Morocco colony has welcomed its second governor, Count Anthony, a seemingly ordinary Spanish nobleman.

After five years of development, the number of Moroccans in the southern Moroccan colony has dropped sharply. When Spain first occupied this land, there were still millions of Moroccans living on this land.

But now, according to estimates by the colonial government of southern Morocco, the number of Moroccans in southern Morocco does not exceed 80.

Agadir is the largest city in the South Moroccan Colony and the capital of the colony. The reason why Carlo chose to inspect the South Moroccan Colony at this time was not only to lure out the snake, but also because the development of the South Moroccan Colony really needed to be inspected.

The development of the port of Agadir has been quite rapid since the establishment of South Morocco. Most of the materials produced in the colony are gathered in the port of Agadir and transported to the Spanish mainland by sea.

In these five years, thousands of Moroccans have chosen to join the embrace of Spain and become glorious Spaniards.

However, these people were only a small minority after all. Most Moroccans could only work as cheap labor in Spanish plantations, or earn a tiny amount of insignificant wages by serving Spanish colonists.

Although these Moroccans were also white, they were treated only slightly better than the natives in other Spanish colonies.

Unless they willingly join the Spanish nationality and voluntarily convert to Catholicism, they and their children and descendants will always be cheap labor for Spain.

There are only two ways to obtain Spanish citizenship. One is to marry a Spanish soldier stationed there. After becoming their wife, you can obtain Spanish citizenship.

The second type is those who have made great contributions to the colonial government. They can be nominated as Moroccan immigrants and obtain Spanish citizenship through immigration.

But no matter which method is used, on average no more than 200 Moroccans can join Spain each year, and each of them must undergo fairly strict political review.

There is basically no possibility for extreme Muslims to join Spain. After all, Spain is a Catholic country, and if there are too many pagans, it will undermine the stability of the country.

Back to Carlo's proposal, although Prime Minister Primo did not want Carlo to risk going to the southern Moroccan colony, Carlo obviously did not want to wait like this.

Only by luring out the snakes and successfully wiping out these rebellious nobles and other forces can Spain's future political environment achieve long-term stability.

Although there are certain risks in going to southern Morocco, Carlo will not go alone. Not only will there be a thousand-strong Royal Guards accompanying him for protection, but the Royal Security Intelligence Agency will also arrange a large number of intelligence personnel to disperse along the way to ensure that Carlo will not encounter any danger.

For the safety of Carlo's trip, no information about the inspection itinerary will be disclosed along the way, and the Spanish naval fleet will also accompany him for protection to ensure that the entire trip is foolproof.

After making sure that he could not persuade Carlo to give up his idea, Prime Minister Primo finally nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I have nothing more to say. May God bless you and may your journey go smoothly.

I will stay in Madrid for you. No matter Queen Isabel or the Carlos Party, they will eventually be swept into the dustbin of history and become fertilizer for Spain's development.

Spain will only move forward under your leadership, Your Majesty, and remember to return safely."

Carlo nodded, his eyes full of solemnity: "Don't worry, Prime Minister Primo, I am still waiting for the day when I can witness Spain's great rejuvenation with you.

I can't break my promise until Spain reaches the top of the world. Moreover, I have the protection of the Royal Guards. Even if the enemy has thousands of troops, what can they do to me? "

After the meeting, Carlo's plan to lure the snake out of its hole was successfully implemented.

For the safety of Queen Sophie and Prince Juan Fernando, the Guards will continue to be stationed outside Madrid to protect the political center of Spain.

The Royal Palace of Madrid will also strengthen its garrison, and with the cooperation of the Guards, even a regular army will not be able to threaten the safety of the Royal Palace of Madrid.

After arranging all the garrison forces for the royal palace, Carlo, under the watchful eyes of Prime Minister Primo, the complicated gazes of many government officials and the farewell of the Spanish people, boarded the fleet with a huge team of thousands of people and began his journey to the southern Moroccan colony.

In order to make its southern tour seem less abrupt, the South Morocco Colony had released news half a month ago that a large gold mine had been discovered in the colony.

As for whether the news about the gold mine was true or not, it no longer mattered. Carlo had already left the Royal Palace of Madrid and went to the colony of southern Morocco. This was the most important thing for Queen Isabel and the Carlos rebels.

The stability of the situation in Spain is inseparable from the efforts of three people, who are also the current political triangle in Spain, Prime Minister Primo, Archduke Serrano and Carlo.

After Carlo left Madrid, only two old men, Primo and Archduke Serrano, were left to guard the city.

Although it is extremely difficult to overthrow the current Spanish government, this may be the best opportunity for Queen Isabella and the Carlos Party.

Even though Prime Minister Primo and Archduke Serrano could control Spanish politics together, they could not control every corner of Spanish politics.

Although the overall direction of the Spanish government is under the leadership of Prime Minister Primo, there are still some officials who are not satisfied with the existing government system.

The official performance evaluation system introduced earlier was a fatal blow to some slack officials. If they received a poor evaluation in the performance evaluation, not only would it be very difficult for them to be re-elected to their current position, but they would also have no chance of making further progress.

The Spanish people also attach great importance to the official assessment results announced by the government. Basically, any official who receives poor results will no longer gain the trust and support of the people.

Since the performance appraisal system was introduced, most Spanish officials have been performing their tasks with trepidation.

For these officials, the feeling that their fate is in the hands of others is like a sword of Damocles hanging over their heads, which can cost them their lives if they are not careful.

After everyone boarded the fleet, it began to sail south along the Mediterranean Sea, passing through the Strait of Gibraltar and entering the vast Atlantic Ocean.

Although it is possible to reach the colony of South Morocco by going south along the east coast of the Atlantic Ocean, Carlo is not in a hurry to go to South Morocco so early.

Carlo first ordered the fleet to head west into the vast Atlantic Ocean, and then ordered the fleet to aim at a certain hypothetical target and concentrate its fire to test the warships' reaction ability and combat effectiveness.

After everything was completed, Carlo ordered the fleet to head south to southern Morocco. Although Carlo arrived at the port of Agadir in southern Morocco several hours later than expected, the colonial governor, Count Anthony, did not dare to show any dissatisfaction. He led the colonial officials and garrison officers to greet Carlo at the port of Agadir with great respect.

After the fleet approached the port, first thousands of soldiers in Royal Guards uniforms came down from the transport ships. After standing in neat rows at the port, Carlo and his party landed from the warships in the fleet.

The officer leading this small Guards was Alessandro Refné Varennes, one of the first outstanding graduates of the Royal Military Academy. He was awarded the rank of captain on the day of graduation and was selected in the subsequent officer selection of the Guards.

Because of his outstanding performance in the Guards and the expansion of the Guards, Alessandro Lev-Varran, who was originally a company commander, was first promoted to deputy commander of the 2th Infantry Battalion of the 7nd Guards Infantry Regiment of the Guards Division, and then was promoted to commander of the 4th Infantry Battalion of the 14th Infantry Regiment of the Guards Division.

Among the thousands of Guards soldiers responsible for protecting Carlo's safety this time, the majority were composed of Alessandro Refvarens' 14th Infantry Battalion.

The main reason why Alessandro Refn Varennes was able to achieve a rapid rise in the Guards was because of his outstanding abilities and his Spanish identity.

When Carlo first succeeded to the throne of Spain, he was unsure who could be used, so he mainly used his subordinates he brought from Italy.

But now, Carlo has cultivated a number of Spanish confidants through various means, and naturally he wants to make use of these Spanish subordinates.

This is Spain after all. A small number of Italians can rise to prominence with Carlo's favor, but most of the people Carlo relies on must be Spanish.

As Carlo set foot on the land of South Morocco, the Governor of the South Morocco Colony, Count Anthony, led a group of officials and officers of the colonial garrison and quickly stepped forward. He said to Carlo in a very respectful manner: "Your Majesty, Anthony greets you on behalf of the officials and officers of the colonial garrison of the South Morocco Colony!"

Carlo nodded and looked at the colonial governor in front of him.

Under the investigation of the Royal Security Intelligence Agency, Count Anthony's family background and recent movements were revealed at a glance.

Although Count Anthony was not very capable, his loyalty was guaranteed. His family was not valued during the reign of Queen Isabel. After all, they were just an ordinary member of the huge Spanish aristocracy.

Before being appointed Governor of the South Morocco colony, Count Anthony had been staying honestly in his castle, and apart from having a few mistresses, he had no major stains.

This was nothing in this era. After all, some nobles even had dozens or hundreds of lovers, so many that they could not be counted.

As long as they didn't force women of good character into prostitution, Carlo didn't care how many lovers his nobles and officials had.

Following Count Anthony, a group of colonial officials and garrison officers saluted Carlo respectfully.

There were not many people who saluted, only less than ten at most. Although there were many officials and garrison officers in the colony, only a few of them were qualified to meet Carlo and salute him in person.

Under the leadership of Count Anthony, Carlo and his party went to the colonial governor's palace in a mighty manner to first learn about the current development status of the southern Morocco colony.

As a means of transportation to the Governor's Palace, Carlo chose the luxurious carriage he brought from Spain.

Yes, Carlo also brought his own customized luxury carriage.

There are several reasons. First, Carlo is used to riding in this luxurious carriage. This carriage is much larger than a normal carriage. Not only is there more space, but the decoration is also quite luxurious.

The cost of just this carriage was several thousand pesetas, which is more than a kilogram of gold.

Such a larger carriage would require at least six strong horses to pull it. Carlo brought eight white horses from the royal palace in Spain, which were enough to ensure that the huge carriage could travel smoothly on the land of southern Morocco.

Although the carriage's exterior appears to be made of wood, the interior is inlaid with thick steel plates that can withstand rifle fire.

The base of the carriage is protected by steel plates several centimeters thick, ensuring that people inside the carriage can survive safely even if hit by a bomb.

Sitting in such a carriage, Carlo did not have to worry about his safety at all. Carlo would not be foolish enough to stick his head out and create space for possible assassins to assassinate him.

Many of the high-ranking officials and nobles who were assassinated in history were riding in convertibles. They did not have any strict security forces and just walked around in full view of the public.

Being assassinated in this situation is a given, and Carlo will not put himself in too much danger. This time when he comes to southern Morocco, Carlo will of course appear in public.

But such public places must be searched in advance, and no one will approach Carlo.

After five years of construction, the port of Agadir has been transformed from a Moroccan-style city to a city of mixed styles.

Especially the street near the Governor's Palace, the buildings are all Spanish style, and next to it is the barracks of the Spanish colonial army.

There is a colonial garrison stationed here to ensure the safety of the colonial governor's mansion to the greatest extent. Not far from the colonial governor's mansion is the colonial government, which also makes this street almost the political center of the entire southern Moroccan colony, and basically no Moroccans can be seen.

Before coming to southern Morocco, Carlo had heard that colonial officials were proud to have a Moroccan maid.

But after arriving in Morocco, perhaps because colonial officials learned of Carlo's arrival, Carlo did not find the existence of the so-called Moroccan maid.

The group arrived at the colonial governor's palace in a mighty procession, and the Guards quickly took over the defense of the governor's palace.

For Carlo's safety, the Guards will take over the defense of Carlo's location. Whether it is the Colonial Governor's Office or the Colonial Government, of course, it is also within this scope.

Led by Count Anthony, Carlo and several colonial officials and officers entered the meeting room of the Governor's Palace for a brief meeting.

Count Anthony first took out the information he had prepared long ago and reported to Carlo on the development status of the southern Morocco colony so far.

Although the population of the South Morocco colony dropped by 20 within five years of its establishment, many of these 20 people were extreme Muslims who were either sent to mines and plantations as slaves to death or driven south to the Sahara Desert by force because they were difficult to rule.

With the sacrifice of these 20 people, the development of the southern Moroccan colony was also very rapid.

At present, the colony has built a factory-shaped railway from Agadir to Tata and from Agadir to Tantan. The total length of the railway is more than 500 kilometers, which is currently the most important transportation route in the colony.

It is precisely because of the existence of this railway that the Spanish army can easily reach any location in the southern Moroccan colony.

No matter where the Moroccan rebellion broke out, the Spanish army could arrive in the shortest time and complete the task of suppressing the rebellion.

Since the establishment of the southern Moroccan colony, Moroccans have had many rebellions. However, most of these rebellions were small in scale, with less than 10,000 people participating in the largest, and were quickly suppressed by the Spanish colonial army.

The number of Spaniards in the southern Morocco colony has grown from a few scattered people at the beginning to thousands, and the number is still increasing.

(End of this chapter)