On the way to the barracks, Alfonso kept thinking about food.

Spain's traditional grain-growing region, Castilla y León, is currently in the hands of a liberal government, and Alfonso really doesn't know what level of governance and production capacity they have.

And even if there is surplus food, it will probably be all used to exchange for foreign exchange to buy artillery.

But agricultural production is a very complex issue, and he can't think of anything on his own.

He is not an agricultural expert himself, he was a history major in his last life, and the only knowledge he has about agriculture comes from his previous studies in Paris.

"Why didn't the Minister of Agriculture come just now?" Alfonso turned to Garcia and asked, he felt that he still had to communicate with a professional.

But the Secretary of Agriculture and the Army General are not a system, and Garcia is also a little scratchy about the issue.

It was Adolf who helped answer the question: "My dad meant to see his own people first, and Minister Fidel was just an ordinary colleague."

Your Highness, if you want to see him, just go back and talk to my father. ”

Just then the carriage stopped, and the Barcelona barracks arrived.

The barracks are only 7 kilometers away from the city, and such a close distance is convenient for transporting supplies, and second, if an accident occurs in the city, the army can immediately save the scene.

Catalonia has a Mediterranean climate, and the disadvantage is that the summers are dry and hot, and the good thing is that the winters are not so cold.

Therefore, when Alfonso got out of the car, he saw a group of Spanish soldiers patrolling, standing guard, wearing yellow ordinary military uniforms.

In recent years, camouflage military uniforms have not been used in large quantities, and the colors of military uniforms of various countries are according to their own preferences.

Spanish yellows fall into this category, and unlike khaki, which has a certain camouflage effect, this brighter yellow has little practical effect.

Although the uniforms are neither good-looking nor practical, the spirit of the soldiers is very good, and they all look quite tall.

"This must be more than 1.65 meters tall." Alfonso and his party walked towards the center of the barracks, and he said with some admiration.

"More than 1.65 meters, the basic requirement for us to recruit soldiers is above 1.68 meters." Garcia was proud.

Of course, it is worth being proud that in the 70s of the 19th century, the average height of men in southern Europe was 162cm, and it was not easy to find so many young men who were above 1.68 meters and willing to serve in the military.

They walked all the way to the headquarters, and along the way they saw many soldiers, all of whom were secretly looking at them curiously.

"The news of my visit to the Catalan military camp should soon spread throughout Europe." Alfonso laughed.

"That's exactly what we're looking for." Garcia said with some anticipation:

"I've been a general for 11 years and I've never been in a war.

Before Her Majesty Isabella had left the country, I led a division stationed in the province of Girona, east of the Pyrenees, to defend against France.

Later, seeing that the situation in the country was becoming more and more erosive, I could not do anything about it.

After the Prim government came to power, I led my army to the governor of Campos, because he had a heart to support Bourbon.

Originally, a division commander with the rank of lieutenant general was too high, but it was ridiculous that Prim promoted my rank from lieutenant general to general in order to win over.

But he didn't think that my loyalty could be shaken by some fame and fortune. ”

Alfonso laughed in his heart, why didn't you see you in the decisive battle between the conservatives and the Prim army in the first time when you really helped Bourbon? Can Isabella not use it just because you're a border trooper?

It's good to listen to this kind of talk, generals like to fight, and those who manage money hate wars, and this has been the case since ancient times.

He praised: "I can see at a glance that you are a great loyal minister, and your loyalty is unspeakable, well... So how did the division before you be organized now? ”

As they spoke, they had walked to the general's office at the headquarters.

The headquarters was a two-storey, square, stone building, with the first floor housing the offices of some of the junior officers and the second floor the offices and conference halls of the senior officers.

"We are currently mainly following the French military system." Garcia pointed to a detailed map of Spain hanging on the wall.

"Since I defected to the Governor last year, I have broken up the old army.

The original 20,000-strong Spanish infantry division was organized into two 12,000-strong Catalan infantry divisions and four 1,500-strong cavalry regiments.

In the end, an artillery brigade of 6,000 people was put together. They are all professional armies trained day and night, and they can fight field battles. ”

"Okay, but your layout..."Alfonso carefully looked at the deployment on the map, "two infantry divisions, one in the provinces of Tarragona and Lleida (provinces near Valencia and Aragon), and one in the province of Girona (the province of the Spanish border with France......"

"Any questions?" Garcia was a little weird.

"Placed more than half of the troops on the West French border? It used to be fine.

But when the news of my arrival got here, Catalonia had to be more vigilant in the neighboring autonomous communities, even if they joined the Spanish tables. Alfonso said lightly.

"Your Highness, do you mean to send troops from the West French border to guard against the Carlos faction?" Garcia asked cautiously.

Turning his head with some concern, he said: "But this will put our necks on the knives of the French." ”

Adolf also interjected: "Yes, give up the defense of the Pyrenees, the French can hit Madrid in a week and destroy Spain." ”

Alfonso shook his head: "Haven't you heard?" The French are about to start a film with Prussia, and they don't have time to hit us. ”

"Prussia could not be an opponent of France...... What if, after they crushed Prussia, His Majesty Napoleon III wanted to restore his uncle's imperial glory?

With the fact that I studied in Paris for a few years to learn about the emperor, this is very likely. Adolf still didn't think it was right.

"Don't worry, it's not 60 years ago, no matter how strong France is, it won't be an opponent of the European siege, they won't do that.

And it is a psychological comfort to release troops on the border, do you really think this one division can stop the French army? Alfonso felt that this group of people was too rigid and too superstitious about the power of France.

"Anyway, it's a psychological comfort, it's the same if there are many people and few people, just put a battalion there to make the Spaniards feel that they are protected, too much is wasted."

Seeing that the two of them were about to stop talking, Alfonso knew that their heads had not yet turned.

At present, there is no concept of undefended borders, and even a few neutral countries such as Switzerland, Belgium, and Luxembourg are desperately piling up troops on the border, regardless of whether it is useful or not.

He said helplessly: "Okay, let's not talk about this issue, I don't mean to force you, I'll discuss my thoughts with Governor Campos again."

General Garcia, go ahead and tell me about the military system in Catalonia. ”