"Your Majesty, I don't understand that Spain is a country whose economy is based on agriculture and animal husbandry and light industry, and if they get rid of their current state of poverty through reforms, will they not become a competitor to us in the international market? On the other hand, if they had been as corrupt and chaotic as they are now, there would have been a market for our goods in Spain, and we would have been able to export all sorts of fine and expensive goods to the Spanish aristocracy and wealthy classes. Pen ~ Fun ~ Pavilion www.biquge.info"

On this Catalan train, the carriage for the King of Ireland is beautifully decorated and elegantly laid out, making it a mobile luxury suite. Natsuki sat at his desk with the lamp on, and the Irish Secretary of State, O'Grady, stood beside him, and when Natsuki finished reading the last telegram, he wasted no time in expressing his doubts.

Natsuki listened intently to every word of the secretary of state, and now Ireland's military and political affairs mostly rely on German officials, but from the perspective of stability, balance and long-term development, native Irish officials must hold up at least half of the sky, and this high-level intellectual from the Gaelic aristocracy is a material that Natsuki values.

When he finished speaking, Natsuki nodded and said, "Your analysis is completely correct. ”

The king's affirmation made O-Grady even more puzzled: "Then why ......"

"Do you think we have what it takes to change Spain's predicament?" Natsuki asked rhetorically.

O'Grady thought for a moment, shook his head, and said, "If we had the economic power of Germany, it might be possible that, with the present conditions in Ireland, very little could be done. ”

Natsuki was not in a hurry to answer, but got up and moved his limbs, walked from the desk to the corner where the large grandfather clock was placed, turned to his state secretary with a ticking sound, and said, "That's right, we can hardly change anything." The solution to Spain's predicament is to rely on reforms with only a one-tenth chance of success, unless there is a revolution that cleans the country of its roots and gives it a new lease of life from the ashes. ”

Hearing the word "revolutionary", O'Grady's pupils suddenly dilated. The bourgeois revolution in England in the seventeenth century and the bourgeois revolution in France in the eighteenth century had the heads of two monarchs removed, and the revolution that swept Europe in the middle of the nineteenth century was even more far-reaching.

Natsuki wasn't surprised by O'Grady's reaction, but the situation sparked deep thought. Revolution, whose life is the revolution, is an extremely sensitive topic. The Gaelic aristocracy in Ireland had lost their dominance for more than 300 years, and in the context of the British aristocracy occupying politics and the local economy being monopolized by "Made in England", they gradually withdrew from the fields of politics, commerce, and industry, and most of them became large landowners or farmers who depended on the land for their livelihood. During the Irish War of Independence, these old aristocrats wanted to be freed from the oppression of the British ruling authorities, but on the other hand, they feared that their vested interests would be harmed, so they mostly watched from the sidelines. After the establishment of the Kingdom of Ireland, the new government did not take the measures of cracking down on local tyrants and equalizing land, but relied on the support of foreign capital to comprehensively implement infrastructure construction, which made Ireland quickly embark on the road of industrialization, and the vigorous development of foreign trade not only filled the treasury, but also made many landlords and farmers who engaged in agricultural and animal husbandry products make a lot of money, and the old nobles were naturally willing to pay allegiance to the new king and government.

If Ireland is trying to weaken its rivals or rivals, the spark of revolution in other countries, if it does not affect the pattern of domestic interests, is no less than that of a police officer encouraging others to commit crimes, firefighters luring others to set fires, and those who have this weapon of mass destruction may at any time turn around and eliminate dissidents......

"In fact, whether you choose to reform forcefully, or take the risk of conniving at the revolution, you must first have the determination to take a desperate gamble, and have the courage to bear the consequences of defeat, and now His Majesty the King of Spain is a wise man, but he is a hesitant and indecisive man, unless the time comes, he prefers to wait and see, and wait and see." When Natsuki said this, he was completely commenting on the facts, and there was neither regret nor indignation.

At this time, O-Grady's attention was focused on the conversation with Natsuki, not why Natsuki was standing away from his desk next to the ticking table clock. In order to make it easier to speak, he had no choice but to follow Natsuki: "I understand these truths, but what I can't understand is why His Majesty said that to the King of Spain at the palace banquet?" As you can see, your words have resonated all over Spain in the past few days, and must have had a great impact across Europe. ”

Natsuki lifted the curtains seemingly casually, and the view from the car window was surprisingly beautiful, with the rolling Pyrenees in the distance, the vibrant fields in the distance, and a meandering river silently stretching into the distance......

"What those people really care about is not what I say, it's what I'm doing and what I'm going to do."

Although Natsuki's words were either very profound or deliberately subtle, O-Grady understood a little bit after explaining so much, and he speculated, "Actually, Your Majesty doesn't plan to do anything. ”

Natsuki glanced at him and affirmed with silence.

The train of thought followed, and O-Grady was very thin and encouraged, and he continued to analyze: "After your majesty's visit, if the King of Spain does nothing, when bad things happen in this country, people can say that His Majesty the wise and wise King of Ireland has kindly reminded him that he is cowardly and incompetent, and has missed the opportunity to change the situation. If Spain gets through this, people will gradually forget about it, and it will not have any bad effect on us. ”

Natsuki asked lightly: "Judging from what you have seen and heard in the past few days, do you think the disease in this country can be cured without treatment?" ”

O'Grady replied "no" in the affirmative.

Natsuki withdrew his hand from the curtain and put it in his pants pocket: "The ancients had a saying called 'loyalty against the ear', which means that honest words are often harsh and make people feel unhappy. His Majesty the King of Spain has no affection for me, and it is not surprising that I am reluctant to speak to him. With his clever mind, he will soon understand the meaning of these words, and then feel that we are friends that he can trust, and then consider moving closer to us in the fields of economy and trade, diplomacy and politics, and military strategy. ”

Following this line of thought, O-Grady finally came to his senses, and then felt ashamed of his dull thinking. After a while, his eyes flashed and he said: "Your Majesty's thinking is indeed different from ordinary people, those guys who claim to be famous generals will lose to Your Majesty, in fact, they are not wronged at all." ”

After holding up a big one in front of Alfonso XIII, Natsuki decisively regained his modest and cautious self. In the face of O'Grady's compliment, he was not proud: "The sight is farther away than the average person." ”

A few hours later, the train arrived in Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia. It is incomprehensible that the Spanish royal family and government actually held another welcoming ceremony in Barcelona, for which Alfonso XIII arrived a day early, the magnificent guard of honor lined up on the station platform, the military band played the march hard, the long red carpet spread from the platform to the square, and thousands of people gathered outside the train station, dressed in costumes, waving flowers and the Irish flag in their hands, far more enthusiastic than the capital Madrid......

Leaving the train station, Alfonso XIII and Natsuki travel in a horse-drawn carriage around the city of Barcelona. Before football became the city's main charm, it was known for its many famous buildings and artsy streets, and it has a mild, mild, sunny and flowery climate typical of the Mediterranean, unlike the four seasons in Madrid.

Looking at the jubilant people along the way, Alfonso XIII said to Natsuki with a cold face: "This is Catalonia, the most restless region in Spain, the Catalans consider themselves to be descendants of the Umayyad dynasty, and they are completely different from the Castilians, so they don't like Spain at all, let alone the king of Spain, even if I have an extremely tolerant and merciful heart for them." ”

"Nationalism is sometimes very blind." Natsuki comforted.

When talking to Natsuki, Alfonso XIII's attitude was noticeably more relaxed than in previous days, but he was still very indignant when it came to the ethnic separatism here. For centuries, the rich Catalonia region has been one of Spain's most economically developed regions, with the textile industry being the backbone of the economy, as well as traditional agriculture based on potatoes, corn, wine, almonds and olive oil. For a variety of historical reasons, Catalonia has always been a region with a strong sense of independence, with two rebellions in the 17th and 18th centuries, and a small concession to Catalan separatism after Alfonso XIII came to power in order to stabilize the situation, which did have some effect in 1913 when limited autonomy was granted to the region. At least during the war, it was possible to seek French support and become independent, and the Catalans were very peaceful.

Just as Natsuki wondered why he had invited him to such a politically sensitive region, Alfonso XIII said in a rare sincerity: "Can you ask Your Majesty a favor to make the Catalans temporarily break off the idea of independence from Spain?" ”

Natsuki asked in surprise, "Can I help with this?" ”

Alfonso XIII turned his head to look out the window and reluctantly said: "I have never been so warmly welcomed when I came to Barcelona to inspect before. ”

"That's because ......"

"That's because Ireland's independence has become an example for many Catalans, who think that Ireland can gain independence from the powerful British rule, and that they can get rid of the Spanish kingdom, just as Portugal can get rid of the Kingdom of Castile. His Majesty was the guide to Irish independence, so he was highly regarded here. ”

Natsuki had heard of everything here before, but he hadn't thought about it to such an extent.

"How does Your Majesty want me to help?"

Alfonso XIII seemed to expect Natsuki to agree, and he said quickly: "I have invited all the important people of Catalonia to the dinner today, and His Majesty only needs to follow our speech at the banquet." ”

(End of chapter)