Empire Rising: Spain

Of course, if the French offer more, signing an alliance with France is also an option. After all, the Germans can’t come at us, and even if France and Spain sign an alliance, it will still be France that directly confronts Germany.

Carlo’s demands for this visit to France aren’t much, but it would be ideal to secure a loan of five or ten billion francs from France.

Furthermore, if some industrial support can be secured, coupled with cooperation reached with Austria-Hungary and Italy, Spain is sure to experience rapid development over the next decade.

Thinking about these things, Carlo became even more eager for the upcoming journey.

Although this visit to Italy was somewhat rushed, Carlo brought several foreign secretaries and numerous important government officials. Their purpose was to help Carlo forge agreements with other European countries.

On January 15, 1878, after staying in Rome for a few days, Carlo, along with his delegation of diplomats, departed from Italy by train to Austria.

Before departing, the Spanish Government had already sent telegrams to the countries to be visited, and these countries formally issued invitations to Carlo.

As a result, the journey from Italy to Austria was quite smooth. Except for changing trains midway, there were no other issues.

The train journeyed onward and finally arrived at the capital of the Austria-Hungary, Vienna.

At the Vienna train station, Austria-Hungary had already organized a grand welcoming ceremony.

In addition to the Spanish Government officials, the presence of King Carlo of Spain was enough to be taken seriously by Austria-Hungary.

Moreover, Carlo was the son-in-law of Austria-Hungary, making him practically one of their own.

Welcoming Carlo at the train station, in addition to key officials from Austria-Hungary, was Crown Prince Rudolf, who attended the funeral of Vittorio Emanuele II earlier.

Crown Prince Rudolf had come of age and in recent years had frequently represented Franz Joseph I in various diplomatic activities.

After all, Franz Joseph, as the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, couldn’t attend every diplomatic event personally.

Although Crown Prince Rudolf was quite young, barely 20 years old at most, considering Carlo was only seven years older, having young people welcome each other was quite fitting.

As the brother-in-law to Crown Prince Rudolf, Carlo had a rather good relationship with Rudolf. When Carlo first met Rudolf, Rudolf was just a teenager.

Importantly, Queen Sophie and Grand Duchess Gisela grew up together with Crown Prince Rudolf, forming deep bonds, making Rudolf more affectionate towards Carlo as his brother-in-law.

Seeing Carlo step out of the train carriage, Crown Prince Rudolf approached with a smile and said to Carlo, "Welcome to Vienna, Your Majesty Carlo."

"Alright, Rudolf. There’s no need for formality between us; you can just call me brother-in-law," Carlo said with a smile, shaking hands with Rudolf. He was keen on maintaining a good relationship with his young brother-in-law.

Old Emperor Franz Joseph I was very capable, but regrettably, his only son Rudolf died young, leaving the Austria-Hungary without a successor early on.

In the end, Franz Joseph I had to appoint his nephew as Crown Prince, who became the famous Archduke Ferdinand.

Even more regrettable was that Rudolf’s death was not due to illness but a suicide pact with his mistress.

It is worth mentioning that before Mary Alexandrina von Vechela became Crown Prince Rudolf’s mistress, her mother Helena once suggested to Rudolf that they should have an affair, which Rudolf politely declined.

Unexpectedly, Helena’s daughter Mary still caught Rudolf’s eye, but Rudolf lost the chance to have both mother and daughter.

One must admit that the younger girl was more appealing to Crown Prince Rudolf. Before they became lovers, Rudolf was already 30, while his lover, Baroness Mary, was just 17.

Obviously, there was still a long time before Crown Prince Rudolf’s tragic end, and the story might not necessarily turn out that way.

Upon hearing Carlo’s words, Rudolf no longer stood on ceremony and nodded with a smile, saying, "Welcome to Vienna, brother-in-law. Father is already waiting for you at Schönbrunn Palace and has personally prepared an evening welcome banquet for you."

Carlo nodded with a smile and said, "Let’s go, let’s visit Emperor Franz Joseph first. We’ll discuss state affairs another day."

Though diplomatic visits involve negotiations for cooperation between two countries, these clearly were not tasks for Carlo to handle. Carlo would at most confirm some overarching cooperation with Franz Joseph I, while the detailed negotiations would deepen based on the interests of both nations by their officials.

While there was a large crowd at the train station to welcome Carlo, the real welcoming ceremony would take place at Schönbrunn Palace.

After all, as the ruler of a powerful nation, Austria-Hungary held this in high regard. Moreover, Austria-Hungary also needed Spain’s diplomatic support, which was one reason they placed such importance on Carlo’s visit.

Carlo had, of course, visited Schönbrunn Palace before, but each visit left him in awe of the immense and luxurious palace.

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