The grand investiture ceremony is scheduled to be held in July 1870.
The army led by the Duke of Serrano is expected to return to Spain in mid-to-late June.
After resting for over a week, they will be able to attend the investiture ceremony and hold a small-scale military parade in Madrid.
The purpose of the parade is also straightforward. Firstly, it is to celebrate Spain's successful resolution of both domestic and colonial rebellions, allowing the Spanish people to finally usher in an era of peace.
Secondly, it serves as a deterrent to the republican faction and other forces with ulterior motives within Spain. If even the Carlists and Cuban separatists could be defeated, other factions must consider whether they can pose a threat to the Spanish government.
For the Spanish people, the investiture ceremony and military parade are not only a spectacle but also serve to ignite patriotic fervor among some citizens and promote admiration for military merit-based ennoblement.
After all, most of the soldiers who received titles and rewards were ordinary people. If they could achieve this, why couldn't other Spanish commoners?
Starting from early June, the government had already begun to build anticipation for the investiture ceremony.
Newspapers, including El Sol and others, were continuously publishing news about the ceremony and boldly speculating on the nobles who would be ennobled.
Among them, Prime Minister Prim and the Duke of Serrano were frequently mentioned names. Their prestige in politics and the military far surpassed others, and both were the greatest contributors to suppressing the rebellions.
Amidst the public's anticipation, the Duke of Serrano finally led his army back to Spain and returned to Madrid by train.
Carlo placed great importance on meritorious officials. On the day the Duke of Serrano led his troops back to Madrid, Carlo not only personally went to greet him but also had a hastily assembled royal military band play the "Royal March" to welcome the heroes returning home.
The Duke of Serrano was clearly somewhat surprised by Carlo's personal welcome.
However, Serrano reacted quickly. The moment he saw Carlo personally greeting him, he immediately left his army behind, rode forward alone, stopped about a hundred meters away, and walked towards Carlo by himself.
"Your Majesty!" the Duke of Serrano was the first to salute Carlo.
"Welcome back to Spain, Duke of Serrano," Carlo smiled and nodded, saying warmly, "I have prepared a celebratory banquet for you. Go and rest a bit, and we will have a good chat tonight."
The Duke of Serrano nodded, then engaged in conversation with Prime Minister Prim and others behind Carlo.
Following behind the Duke of Serrano, Carlo saw two familiar faces: Andrew Rosso and Carman Esposito, whom he had placed in the anti-rebellion army.
During the suppression of the Cuban rebellion, Carlo had also read several reports from the Duke of Serrano detailing the battle results.
Andrew and Carman indeed proved themselves worthy graduates of the Turin Military Academy, performing exceptionally well in the war against Cuba and receiving personal praise from the Duke of Serrano on multiple occasions.
It is worth noting that although the Duke of Serrano leaned towards the conservative royalist faction, this did not mean he would defer to Carlo in everything.
Even though he knew Carlo had put these two men in the army to gain experience, if they didn't have sufficient ability, the Duke of Serrano would certainly not have praised them voluntarily.
Receiving praise from the Duke of Serrano proved that Andrew and Carman's military command abilities were indeed excellent, making them valuable assets for Carlo.
Conveniently, the merit from suppressing the Cuban rebellion was significant. Taking advantage of the opportunity to elevate the Duke of Serrano to Grandee, Carlo also planned to ennoble Andrew and Carman as barons, further solidifying their loyalty while also giving them hope of entering the higher echelons of the Spanish army, potentially taking command when Prim and Serrano retire in the future.
The reasons for not promoting them directly, besides needing to actually assess their abilities, was also that they were Italians and had not yet earned any merit in Spain.
Although it would be easy for Carlo to promote them as king, forcibly promoting them without any merit would lead to dissent among the soldiers and dissatisfaction among the generals and nobles.
After gaining experience in Cuba, this problem no longer existed.
Cuba's importance to Spain was self-evident, which is why Spain in original history was willing to spend 700 million pesos to keep Cuba within its colonial rule.
Their contributions to suppressing the Cuban rebellion were sufficient for them to receive a title and the opportunity for rapid promotion in the military.
As for whether they could gain the recognition of the soldiers under their command and gradually enter the military high command, that would depend on their actual abilities.
In any case, Carlo had already built the ladder for them to climb. If they couldn't climb to the highest levels of the military even with this, it would only prove that Carlo's judgment was flawed.
Carlo had enough time to wait anyway. As the Royal Military Academy gradually got on track, more new-style officers would be trained in the future.
Carlo also held the title of honorary principal, making these trained young officers essentially Carlo's protégés.
Whether Andrew and Carman became high-ranking Spanish military officials first, or if the excellent young officers trained by the military academy gradually climbed to the top, either outcome was acceptable to Carlo.
After all, Serrano and Prim were at least several years away from retirement, and these few years were precisely the golden period for them to work hard and climb the ranks.
These years were also the most stable period for Spain. Military and political power was divided among Serrano, Prim, and Carlo, and others could only submit to the combined might of the three.
Once Serrano and Prim successively retired, if the confidantes Carlo had cultivated could not take over their power, the political power distribution Carlo would face next would not be as stable.
"Well done," Carlo said to Andrew and Carman with a smile.
The two had completed the tasks he had assigned them, so Carlo naturally had to show his closeness to them.
After all, in some respects, Andrew and Carman, being fellow Italians, would have a higher degree of closeness to Carlo.
They were also outsiders in Spain, and their only way to climb the ranks was to rely on Carlo's support, which was why Carlo chose to trust them and give them opportunities.
Carlo did not lack ordinary talent. For Carlo, what was truly scarce were subordinates he could completely trust and who also possessed a certain level of ability.
"Go back and get some good rest. You can't miss the banquet tonight as meritorious officials," Carlo continued. "You did well in suppressing the rebellion in Cuba this time, and I will certainly not mistreat those who have rendered meritorious service."
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