I Am the Crown Prince in France

Chapter 738: Get a handful of pig teammates

Madrid, capital of Spain.

The ceremony when Carlos IV welcomed Joseph was still of the highest standard.

Guards from the Palace Guard stood on both sides of the road from the northern suburbs of Madrid to the Royal Palace. Behind them, there was a crowd of Spanish people who came to see the French Dauphin. The whole city was as lively as a festival.

In front of the Palace Square, the sound of salutes and the performance of the band were intertwined. Joseph stepped out of the car and saw Carlos IV approaching with a warm smile.

He straightened his clothes, touched his chest and saluted the King of Spain, but the latter came up directly and gave him a hug:

"Ah, dear Joseph, I didn't expect you to come to see me at this time."

Carlos IV dragged Joseph into the palace: "The banquet has been prepared, including your favorite baked seafood. After the banquet is the opera, the latest play of the Royal Theater Company, which has been well received by everyone. Oh, let's go hunting together tomorrow. , did you know that the wild boar and lynx in this season are as fat as wine barrels with long legs..."

"Thank you for your hospitality."

Joseph also responded enthusiastically, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart, it was really hard for this socially fearful brother to arrange so many social activities to entertain him.

After the banquet was over and on the way to the palace theater, Joseph spoke directly to Carlos IV about the business:

"Perhaps you have heard that Britain gathered a group of villains and issued a threat to France."

"Yes, the whole of Europe is talking about this now." The latter looked at Joseph and said worriedly, "The war may not be far away."

Joseph nodded: "At this time, our two countries need to unite closely."

Before Carlos IV could say anything, Count Florida Blanca, the former Spanish Minister of State and current royal adviser, who was following behind, walked a few steps quickly, stepped forward and bowed:

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, our two countries have indeed signed a secret treaty, but I remember that the treaty will only be triggered when attacking Gibraltar and Portugal."

Joseph was not surprised by this attitude. After all, he had always advocated keeping a distance from the law.

Joseph was smiling, but his words were not polite at all:

"You are right, Count Florida Blanca. But please tell me, is it possible to defeat Britain or Portugal with your own military power alone?"

Count Florida Blanca could only shake his head: "This... I'm afraid it will be difficult."

Spain's national power has gradually dropped to the same level as Portugal. Let alone seizing Gibraltar and unifying the Iberian Peninsula, it is problematic to maintain the existing colonies.

Joseph put away his smile and said solemnly: "For Spain, now is the only opportunity to challenge Britain and Portugal. That is to stand on the same front as France and work together to defeat them!"

Seeing that the king couldn't help but nod, Count Florida Blanca gritted his teeth and said:

"Your Highness, getting involved in the war will seriously consume our country's national power..."

Joseph raised his hand to interrupt him and said:

"You should know that Spain's future will never be in the Americas. The vast distance makes it extremely difficult to govern there. The cost of suppressing the uprising will soon exceed the tax revenue brought there."

He glanced at Carlos IV and raised his voice:

“The world has now entered the industrial age. If we want to become a first-class power, we must develop strong industry and commerce.

"Spain is covered with high mountains and hills, and the cost of developing industry and commerce is very high, making it impossible to compete with other big countries. The only large plain on the Iberian Peninsula is Portugal in the west.

"If Spain wants to develop industry and commerce, there is only one feasible model, and that is to rely on the size of Spain and the plains of Portugal. Build factories in the western plains and sell products to the entire Iberian Peninsula and American colonies."

Joseph knew very well that historically Spain had never successfully united Portugal, so starting in the 19th century, as the colonies continued to gain independence, they soon became a second-rate country in Europe.

He continued: "With all due respect, with the continuous trend of riots in the American colonies, if Spain does not do something, its national power will be exhausted!"

Count Florida Blanca wanted to say something more, but Count Aranda, the Minister of State, had already taken the lead and said:

"Your Highness, you are right, but I think it is still difficult for our two countries to challenge the British Navy alone. They will even get the Dutch fleet."

"I understand your concerns." Joseph smiled slightly, "But if our navy has equipped a frigate with a speed of 12 knots and a turning speed more than twice as fast as existing warships, would you still be so pessimistic?

"Oh, I'm talking about the speed in the Mediterranean Sea."

The group of people walking towards the theater stopped in unison and looked at Joseph with wide eyes - in a windless place like the Mediterranean, the speed of 12 knots was like flying!

Secretary of the Interior Gompers said: "Your Highness, are you talking about a new type of galley?"

"No, it's a steam-powered 28-gun frigate." Joseph said, "It can maintain a speed of 12 knots and sail continuously for 3 to 4 days."

Gompers swallowed: "Are you telling the truth?"

"The French Mediterranean Fleet will arrive at the port of Valencia in the next few days. You can see it with your own eyes."

Count Aranda said: "Your Highness, how many warships of this kind are there currently?"

"21 ships. The Brest shipyard can complete the construction of two such warships every month."

Joseph enjoyed watching the reactions of the Spanish ministers and threw out more explosive news:

"By the way, the 32-gun steam-powered fifth-level ship will be launched in Brest at the end of this month. The speed can still reach 12 knots."

Gombos was still not at ease, and asked about the details of the steam battleship's firepower performance, combat methods, etc. Joseph also patiently explained it to the Spaniards.

Suddenly, Carlos IV interrupted Gombos and said to Count Aranda: "Please draft a Spanish-French alliance treaty as soon as possible."

He actually didn't listen to the so-called "future of Spanish industry" or something like that, but the steam battleship, such an extremely exquisite mechanical creation, deeply moved him.

At this time, he had only one thought in his heart, that is-a country that can create such a magical machine will never fail!

The next day.

Joseph and Carlos IV went to the royal hunting ground together, and they saw wild boars that were so fat that their bellies were dragging on the ground.

However, his mind was not on this at all at this time, but he was constantly thinking about how to make Spain, the "pig teammate", play a greater role.

Yes, Spain is now the last of the first-class powers in Europe.

Its domestic reforms are difficult. The fiscal deficits for years - a country that can continuously transport a large amount of silver from the silver mines in the American colonies can actually have a deficit, which is enough to show how serious its internal problems are.

In addition, although Carlos III has weakened the church many times, the power of the Spanish church is still very strong, seriously restricting the development of the country.

If Spain did not still have an ancestral fleet, it could be regarded as a second-rate country.