Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 316 Inspection
Including the Balearic and Canary Islands, Spain has a total of 14 state-level administrative regions, which lays more foundation for the establishment of the special city of Barcelona.

As we all know, the number 13 is a taboo in the Western world.

The earliest saying comes from the Christian tradition. According to the Bible, Jesus had dinner with 12 disciples before his crucifixion. The 13th participant in the dinner was Judas, who betrayed Jesus. The date of this dinner is also considered by Christianity to be on the 13th, making the number 13 closely associated with betrayal and suffering.

The painting "The Last Supper" by the famous painter Leonardo da Vinci further spread this biblical story and reinforced the negative meaning of the number 13.

Although the influence of religion on European countries has gradually weakened, both the grassroots people and the top government officials of various countries will avoid the number 13 as much as possible.

A common practice is that high-rise buildings or public places such as theaters will avoid numbers such as 13 floors and 13 rows.

When holding banquets in Europe, people are also prevented from dining at the same table with 13 people. Each table either has only 12 seats or 14 seats or more.

Even famous figures like Napoleon and Bismarck would refuse to start a war or sign government documents on the 13th. This shows that the taboo on the number 13 has been deeply rooted in Europe and even the Western world.

If Barcelona is not established as a special city, there will only be 13 state-level administrative divisions left in Spain, which is obviously a taboo.

If you can avoid the number 13, you should of course try to avoid it.

After establishing Barcelona as a special city, Spain's administrative divisions on the Iberian Peninsula became 12 (excluding two archipelagos), which is also a very lucky number.

In order to dispel the Spaniards' concerns about the establishment of a special city in Barcelona, ​​Carlo asked the newspapers controlled by the royal family to widely report news related to the number 13, so that the people would support the decision of the parliament.

In any era, the public is blind. Under the propaganda of a large number of newspapers, the Spaniards soon believed that only by establishing a special city in Barcelona could the number 13 be avoided and thus bring good luck to the whole of Spain.

As for those who still support keeping Barcelona in Catalonia, their ideas will bring disaster and misfortune to Spain. They are the 13th person, the traitors of Spain.

What's more, because it is closely related to the biblical story, this statement is recognized by many Spaniards.

Except for the Catalans who have some slight objections, other Spaniards have no objection to the establishment of a special city in Barcelona, ​​and some even applaud it.

Once the civilians have no objection, the next things will be easy to handle.

Those who remained who still insisted on opposing the council's decision were no different from traitors like Judas.

Anyway, with the support of the people, Carlo has nothing to fear.

Spain's security forces acted very quickly, arresting large numbers of opponents every day, interrogating them and implicating more traitors.

Although Spain lacks population, it does not want everyone. Carlo has only one opinion for those who have no sense of belonging to the concept of Spain, which is to exile them.

There are many options in Spain now, and the destinations these people go to are also varied.

Some of the more radical opponents will be exiled to the Philippines. If they want to cause trouble, let them do it with the local indigenous people of the Philippines.

The rest of the less radical people would be exiled to several colonies in Africa, but if they behaved well in the future, they would have the opportunity to return to Spain.

Of course, those who were exiled to the Philippines could not be trusted. Carlo would never trust such extreme nationalists.

Spain only accepts people who identify with the country. As for any attempt to gain independence or split on Spanish soil, Carlo has only one opinion, which is to strike hard and not let any of them go.

In just one month after the administrative division reform plan was announced, Spain had nearly 10,000 immigrants emigrating in various ways.

There is no doubt that these people are confirmed radical reactionaries who have no sense of belonging to Spain and are trying to seek national autonomy or even independence.

Most of these people were transported to the West African colonies, the Congo Territory and Guinea. They would fill the population of the African colonies and engage in the more arduous work of developing the African colonies.

The remaining one-third or so were more extreme opponents and were sent directly to the Philippines.

It is worth mentioning that the place they were heading to was not the large islands in the Philippines, but several small islands over which Spain had weak control.

The Philippine government would provide them with rifles and daily necessities. Their mission was to survive in the local area, establish a larger Spanish colonial outpost, and strengthen Spain's rule in the local area.

Although these islands are smaller in area, because the Spaniards rarely set foot there, the local indigenous people are more wild and have strong attack capabilities.

If they could survive and successfully manage the island they were on, Carlo might consider allowing them to establish a country under Spanish control in the future.

But if they can't even survive and need to rely on the Philippine colony to survive, then naturally no one will pay attention to them, and whether they can survive will only depend on their own efforts.

After those who opposed the political reform plan were dealt with with thunder and lightning, Spain's reforms were carried out rapidly.

Barcelona and Madrid have new names, both of which are special cities. Other regions have also changed their names to states. After the parliament and the cabinet government issued relevant decrees, the regions issued announcements and changed the names of the regional governments and regional councils within a few days.

At this time, inside the Royal Palace of Madrid, Carlo looked at the Spanish administrative map hanging in his office, and for a moment he couldn't help but feel proud.

Although Spain's land area is not large, it is a big country with an area of ​​more than 50 square kilometers and a population of 2200 million.

At present, the burden of the development of 12 states and 2 special municipalities in mainland Spain lies entirely on Carlo's shoulders. This is a supreme power, but also a responsibility as heavy as a mountain.

Carlo first glanced at the administrative divisions of Spain, then at the Principality of Andorra in northern Spain, then shifted his gaze to Portugal in the west of Spain, and finally to Morocco in the south.

As his gaze shifted, Carlo's eyes revealed a hint of ambition, an ambition to completely unify the Iberian Peninsula and make Spain a superpower spanning the two continents of Europe and Africa.

As for Gibraltar, located between the European and African continents, Carlo had been eyeing it for the longest time. If unifying the Iberian Peninsula could make Carlo one of the greatest monarchs of Spain, then retaking Gibraltar would make Carlo the greatest monarch of Spain.

Carlo even hoped to become a god by regaining Gibraltar, making himself the greatest ruler in the eyes of all Spaniards and having the title of Emperor.

In April 1885, Carlo officially launched a national tour to visit various states.

In addition to urging the states to carry out reforms, the purpose of this inspection is also to stabilize the people's hearts in the states, so that Spain's reforms can continue stably and ultimately be a complete success.

Carlo's first stop on his inspection tour was the newly added administrative division in Spain, the Special City of Barcelona.

For Spain, Barcelona is no less important than Madrid.

Madrid is the political center, cultural center and railway transportation center of Spain, and it is also the most populous city in Spain. Barcelona is the industrial center, economic center and shipping center of Spain. Barcelona and Catalonia are known as the most developed regions in Spain.

After the establishment of the special municipality of Barcelona, ​​the capital of Catalonia was moved from Barcelona to Tarragona further south.

But it is clear that Tarragona is no substitute for Barcelona.

It can also be seen from the railway construction in Spain that Madrid is the center of all railways. Madrid connects the three most populous states of Galicia, Andalucia and Catalonia.

Barcelona is the center of the Catalan Railway. It connects Zaragoza in Aragon to the west and Valencia in Valencia to the south. It is an extremely important transportation hub.

Although Tarragona is also a port city with a good geographical location, compared with Barcelona, ​​which is located in the heart of Catalonia, Tarragona cannot become a transportation hub and can only be an ordinary port city on the railway line.

The loss of Barcelona would be a huge loss for Catalonia and would certainly affect the Catalan economy.

However, considering the support that Barcelona can get from the Spanish government after becoming a special city, Catalonia's sacrifice is worth it.

For this inspection, Carlo decided to use his own special train and take a train to one of Spain's dazzling twin cities.

However, unlike the previous trip to Barcelona via Zaragoza, Carlo chose to go east to Valencia first, and then go north from Valencia to Barcelona for inspection.

The scenery in Spain in spring is still quite beautiful, at least around Madrid.

Once you leave Madrid and enter the mountains, the scenery is not so beautiful. While Carlo admired the unique scenery of Spain, he arranged what he needed to do after arriving in Barcelona.

This trip brought sufficient security forces to prevent a counterattack from the Catalans.

Although on the surface the Catalan and Basque radicals have been cleaned up, who can guarantee that there will not be someone lurking and secretly planning the assassination of the king and other senior government officials?
Carlo attaches great importance to his own life safety.

In addition to some servants and government officials, there were also hundreds of guards and guardsmen traveling to Barcelona on this special train.

This scale of defense is enough to ensure Carlo's safety in any part of Spain. Even if there are radical elements in Catalonia who create chaos, Carlo's safety can be guaranteed.

Time passed quickly, and Carlo and his party arrived in Valencia by train, and then headed north from Valencia, passing through Saragona and arriving in Barcelona.

At the Barcelona train station, the mayor of Barcelona, ​​along with a group of officials and members of the city government and parliament, were already waiting respectfully.

Although the establishment of a special city in Barcelona is a heavy loss for Catalonia, for Barcelona itself, the benefits actually outweigh the disadvantages.

For example, the mayor of Barcelona is only a mayor. Although Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain and has the largest industrial area in Spain, it cannot change the administrative level and status of the mayor of Barcelona.

But after the establishment of the Special City of Barcelona, ​​the mayor of Barcelona jumped from an ordinary mayor to a rising star in Spanish politics.

That's right, Barcelona has a smaller land area and population than other states.

However, Barcelona is more superior in terms of economy and industry, which also means that the mayor of Barcelona has more opportunities to establish political achievements.

Standing next to the mayor of Barcelona are either important officials of the city government or the speaker and some members of the city council.

There was a person with a special identity. He stood behind the mayor of Barcelona and looked like the second person in charge of the Barcelona City Government.

The man looked very familiar. Carlo recognized him the first time he saw him. He was the impoverished nobleman whom Carlo once had high hopes for, Baron Angelo Orcaho.

Baron Angelo Orcajo has been the mayor of the Barcelona Industrial Zone for several years. The rapid development of Spain's industry is inseparable from the rapid development of the Barcelona Industrial Zone.

The rapid development of Barcelona's industrial zone also benefited from the excellent leadership of Baron Angelo Orcajo. It turned out that Carlo's vision was quite good.

Although he was just a down-and-out nobleman, Baron Angelo Orcajo was quite capable. During the period when he served as the director of the industrial zone, a relatively important position, he successfully exerted his abilities and created the industrial heart of Spain.

With the establishment of a special city in Barcelona, ​​Baron Angelo Arcajo is also expected to improve his administrative level.

There are also rumors inside Barcelona that when the next mayoral election takes place, Baron Angelo Arcajo is likely to be elected as the new mayor of Barcelona.

You know, Baron Angelo Orcajo is only under 40 years old. Being elected as the mayor of Barcelona, ​​which is equivalent to the governor, means that he still has great hope to move up.

In other words, Baron Angelo Orcaho is definitely a new political upstart, and a very promising one at that.

(End of this chapter)