Empire Rising: Spain

However, Carlo did not rush to make a statement, but instead looked towards Earl Frank, the Minister of Colonial Affairs, beside him.

Before holding this cabinet meeting, Carlo had a brief meeting with Earl Frank, the Minister of Colonial Affairs, and gave him orders.

What orders, you ask? Naturally, to propose the idea of exchanging colonies at this cabinet meeting.

Although Carlo wanted to exchange the Cuban colony for Spain’s interests, it is undeniable that the Cuban colony was still the most valuable colony Spain had at the time, and other colonies couldn’t compare to a small Cuba.

Proposing the exchange of the Cuban colony at this time, in the eyes of ordinary citizens, wasn’t this tantamount to personally abandoning Spain’s colonial system?

Without the Cuban colony, can Spain still be considered the third-largest colonial empire? Must we rely on colonies like the Philippines, Southern Morocco, and Guinea to maintain appearances?

It’s no exaggeration to say that the combined income of the Philippines, Southern Morocco, and Guinea colonies doesn’t even match that of a small Cuban colony.

The person who first proposes the idea of exchanging colonies is bound to face a storm of public opinion in Spain. If not handled well, that person might even face resistance from the people, thereby completely ending their political career.

For Carlo, he certainly couldn’t be the one to propose this idea. Even if the exchanged colonies prove to be extremely valuable in the future, their value is certainly not as high as the Cuban colony at this time.

Until the truth is revealed, whoever proposes the exchange of colonies may be attacked by public opinion.

Even if the proposal comes from Carlo, the King, he could also face an outburst of public anger.

Therefore, for the stability of the throne, the proposal of exchanging colonies needed to come from other officials.

Among the cabinet departments, Carlo had command over three cabinet ministers: Canovas, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry; Jovellar, the Minister of Agriculture; and Earl Frank, the Minister of Colonial Affairs.

Why did Carlo ultimately choose Earl Frank?

Firstly, Canovas was Carlo’s chosen candidate for the next Prime Minister, so he was certainly not suited to propose the exchange of colonies.

If Canovas faced public discontent for proposing the exchange, Carlo’s arrangement within the cabinet would be completely wasted. Without another qualified candidate for Prime Minister, Spain could easily descend into chaos again if the new Prime Minister couldn’t control the cabinet and other parties.

Why not have Minister Jovellar propose the exchange of colonies? Because Minister Jovellar is the Minister of Agriculture and has no connection to the Cuban colony.

And as the Minister of Colonial Affairs, it’s reasonable for Earl Frank to propose matters related to colonies.

Even if he faced the wrath of the public for proposing the exchange of colonies, at least he could defend himself from the standpoint of prioritizing Spain’s interests.

The position of Minister of Colonial Affairs was a role that Carlo added to the cabinet during the interim cabinet period. Initially, the Minister of Colonial Affairs was a department minister under the Prime Minister, without the privilege of joining the Spanish Cabinet.

For Earl Frank, his ability to join the Spanish Cabinet was entirely due to Carlo’s promotion, which is why Carlo decided to have him propose the colony exchange.

If the proposal for exchanging colonies ultimately failed, Carlo wouldn’t treat Frank poorly. It would just mean sidelining Frank for a while, and after public dissatisfaction fades, transferring him back to another significant position.

Moreover, Earl Frank wasn’t without reward for standing by Carlo. During their brief meeting, Carlo had promised that as long as Frank proposed the colony exchange at this cabinet meeting, irrespective of whether it succeeded, he would receive a Duke title in the future.

A Duke title as a reward was what eventually convinced Earl Frank to agree to Carlo’s proposal.

Seeing Carlo’s gaze, Earl Frank, the Minister of Colonial Affairs, knew it was his time to act.

Earl Frank slowly stood up, glanced around at the cabinet ministers, and then slowly said, "Everyone, I have an idea.

The Cuban colony is very important to us, but is it worth pouring large amounts of military expenditure every time to quell rebellions in Cuba?

It’s been just seven years since the last suppression of a Cuban rebellion, which cost over 50 million pessetas in military expenses.

If we can’t ensure the long-term stability of the Cuban colony, frankly speaking, the Cuban colony may not be that important to us either."

Earl Frank’s words were stunning; upon hearing them, the cabinet ministers all turned their surprised gazes to Earl Frank.

No matter their attitudes towards Earl Frank’s words, the mere fact that Earl Frank could utter such words in this setting was enough to amaze the cabinet ministers.

This was a meeting of the Spanish Cabinet Government, with Carlo, the King of Spain, also participating. It’s no exaggeration to say that misspeaking even once in such a meeting could very well end one’s political career.

What Earl Frank said wasn’t merely about ending his political career; it could even make him the enemy of all Spaniards.

How important the Cuban colony is needs no elaboration. If the Cuban colony isn’t important, wouldn’t that imply that other colonies are mere wastelands?

"Minister Frank, what exactly are you saying?" Duke Serrano was the first to lose his patience, standing up to ask.

As fellow nobles, Duke Serrano did not want to see Minister Frank utter shocking words at such an occasion.

After all, not everyone at the cabinet meeting was nobility; there were also members of the Progressive Party and the Liberal Party. Even if Carlo didn’t blame him, wouldn’t the members of Progressive and Liberal Parties initiate impeachment?

As a cabinet minister, how could Minister Frank not even manage to speak with caution?