Chapter 318: Chapter 187: Southern Tour to Southern Morocco
"Your Majesty, have you really decided to do this?" Inside the Madrid Royal Palace, Prime Minister Prim’s usually calm face showed a look of astonishment as he looked incredulously at Carlo.
"If we don’t do this, those rats hiding in the dark corners will never come out." Carlo had a faint smile, seemingly not worried at all about his recent proposal:
"I don’t want to let any rat escape; this will be a great opportunity for a complete roundup."
"But isn’t doing this a bit too dangerous?" Prime Minister Prim was still somewhat worried, given that Carlo’s proposal was quite bold:
"What if the enemy attempts an assassination on you in Southern Morocco? If anything happens to you, it could still disrupt the current situation in Spain.
Your Majesty, perhaps you should stay in Madrid, the army will handle any threats, ensuring no enemy gets close to the surroundings of Madrid."
The suggestion that Carlo proposed, which surprised Prime Minister Prim, was to head south to inspect Southern Morocco during this cloudy time.
It has been over five years since the establishment of the South Morocco Colony, and the colony’s development has made considerable achievements.
Back then, Carlo and Prime Minister Prim conducted a political interest exchange, with Prime Minister Prim proposing the candidate for the first Governor of the South Morocco Colony, thereby elevating Canovas to the high position of Minister of Agriculture.
Now, after five years have passed, the South Morocco Colony has welcomed its second governor, Count Anthony, a seemingly ordinary Spanish noble.
After five years of development, the number of Moroccans within the South Morocco Colony has sharply declined. When Spain initially seized this land, there were still over a million Moroccans living here.
But now, according to estimates from the Moroccan Colony Government, the Moroccan population in the Southern Morocco region is less than 800,000.
Agadir is the largest city in the South Morocco Colony and also the location of the colonial capital. Carlo chose to inspect the South Morocco Colony at this time not only to draw out the hidden enemies but also because the colony’s development indeed needs reviewing.
Development at Agadir Port has been quite rapid since the formation of Southern Morocco. Most of the goods produced in the colony are gathered at Agadir Port and shipped via sea to mainland Spain.
In these five years, thousands of Moroccans have chosen to join the embrace of Spain, becoming honorable Spaniards.
However, these people are ultimately just a very small portion; most Moroccans can only work as cheap labor in Spanish plantations or earn a meager wage by serving Spanish colonists.
Even though these Moroccans are also white, their treatment is only slightly better than that of the natives of other Spanish colonies.
Unless they willingly join the Spanish nationality and voluntarily convert to Catholicism, they and their descendants will remain as cheap labor in Spain.
There are only two ways to obtain Spanish nationality: one is to marry the stationed Spanish soldiers and become their wives, thus gaining Spanish nationality.
The second is to make significant contributions to the colonial government and be nominated as Moroccan immigrants, thus joining the Spanish nationality as immigrants.
Regardless of the method, the average number of Moroccans able to join Spain each year does not exceed 200, and each person must undergo stringent political scrutiny.
Those more extreme Muslims basically have no chance to join Spain. Spain, after all, is a Catholic country; if there are too many heretics, it could disrupt national stability.
Speaking of Carlo’s proposal, although Prime Minister Prim did not wish for Carlo to take the risk of heading to the South Morocco Colony, Carlo clearly did not want to wait any longer.
Only by drawing out the snakes and successfully eliminating these rebellious nobles and other forces can Spain’s future political environment achieve long-term stability.
Though traveling to Southern Morocco carries some risk, Carlo will not go alone. In addition to a thousand-strong Royal Guard accompanying and protecting him, the Royal Security Intelligence Bureau will disperse numerous intelligence agents throughout the journey to ensure Carlo encounters no danger.
For the safety of Carlo’s journey, no details of the inspection itinerary will be revealed, and the Spanish naval fleet will also escort throughout the journey, ensuring absolute security.
When confirmed that he could not persuade Carlo to abandon the idea, Prime Minister Prim eventually nodded and advised, "Your Majesty, I have nothing else to say. May God bless you, and may your journey be smooth.
I will hold fort in Madrid for you, whether it’s Queen Isabella or the Carlos Faction, they will ultimately be swept into the garbage bin of history, becoming the fertilizer for Spain’s development.
Spain will continue to move forward under your leadership, Your Majesty, remember to return safely."
Carlo nodded solemnly, his eyes full of seriousness: "Don’t worry, Prime Minister Prim, I am still waiting to witness the day Spain achieves great rejuvenation with you.
Before Spain reaches the pinnacle of the world, I will not be absent. Besides, with the protection of the Royal Guard, no matter how strong the enemy is, what can they do to me?"
