Chapter 17: Chapter 16: The Spanish King

Madrid, Spain

“News! News! News!”

A lot of newspaper carriers are roaming across the streets of Madrid. They’re trying to sell the news for today and earn their keep for the day. Today seems like another regular day for the Spanish citizens. They enjoyed talking with their peers and acquaintances, old men drinking in the pubs, and children playing with other kids.

But as the people started to read the newspapers that they bought. They realize that this day is not just a regular day.

A DAY OF MOURNING!

A rebellion had occurred at Holguin, Cuba where thousands of our unarmed soldiers are killed while conducting a friendly visit to the villages. The rebels ambushed the soldiers while they were resting after helping a few villages to rebuilt their homes. They even cut the head of the slain soldiers as a trophy. Such barbarism is conducted by the devil, not human beings…

All of the Spanish people are furious. Such atrocities committed by those uncivilized people cause public outrage and the cry for revenge reverberates not only in the capital but throughout the entire country that received the news.

Many wives and children who had husbands and fathers stationed in Cuba are weeping for the safety of their beloved. Families who had part of the family stationed in Cuba are crowding the entrance of the gate of General Headquarters in Madrid to know any news and information about their family members.

But the ones who are the active and angry the most, are the young men in the streets, they filled that they need to fight for the honor of the country and also to take revenge against the rebels. Reading the news that their fallen countrymen are beheaded and dismembered by the enemy sparks a vengeance fervor among the masses. This is what the Chief of Staff is hoping to happen, large masses of volunteers flock to the recruiting centers of the army. The army can immediately send the volunteer soldiers after a few weeks of training and briefing for the country has trained much of its male population as reserves. So, the volunteers have already had basic training as reserves and only needs for few days to become battle ready.

In one of the recruitment centers in Madrid, they need to cut off the line due to a large number of people who wants to join the military, even though the news had just been released today.

The plan of the General Staff in inciting the public has been too successful. They didn’t even expect a high amount of fervor on the day the news is released. The Chief of Staff is glad that he was able to cover up the disaster and make it a rallying cry to fight. The army is bursting with recruits trying to fight in the Caribbean.

The Chief of Staff, General Silvestre Mancilla, is now going towards the Royal Palace in Madrid for the emergency meeting the King called regarding the Cuban rebellion. He already prepared a strategic plan to crush the rebellion in the fastest possible time. He knows that he needed to soothe the King’s anger and regain his trust in the military.

He is now finalizing the report and presentation inside the vehicle. The car that he is riding now is filled with folders and files. The car is one of the vehicles in convoy going to the Royal Palace. He has already sent bribes and favors to the other ministers so that they would support his plan.

“How long before we reach the Royal Palace?”

“Ten minutes sir.”

“Okay”

He sighed and recompose himself to prepare himself for the upcoming meeting. He knows that no matter how many plans and preparation they prepared, the damage had been already dealt. He knows that he had a large fault and lapses as he was the one who planned the operation. He just recklessly created the operation without consulting with the other general staff members.

He knows that he is not really that good or competent in creating military operations for he only used the money to bribe and make favors with people in authority. He was able to rise to the highest rank of the military by having a lot of connections and giving favors and benefits to his colleagues and acquaintances. His noble background also played a role in his rise to power, as a Marquis, he already has huge authority and connections to other powerful people in the country. Most of the high-ranking officials are also nobles like him, having an affinity with them and making it easier to build rapport and understanding.

He is watching outside the window of the vehicle, gazing at the people walking at the sides of the road. Watching the busy and peaceful interactions of the people makes him feel guilty for failing to keep the peace. Maybe one of the people he sees has a relative or acquaintance that is killed in the Cuban rebellion. Some of the young men he sees in the street may even be sent to the battlefield in the near future.

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He thinks that he is a bad and corrupt person, but he is not heartless and cold. He is even wavering now whether he can order and lead the army in this onslaught. If someone would know what he is feeling and thinking right now, they might be disgusted and see him as a hypocrite.

** ** **

“The King has arrived!”

A soldier had spoken in a loud voice that reverberates inside the meeting hall inside the Royal Palace of Madrid. Then all the people inside the hall become quiet and stand at attention as they look at the person who is entering the meeting. That man is King Alfonso XIII, the current king of the Kingdom of Spain. His sharp and dark expression shows how unhappy he is right now. All military officials especially General Silvestre Mancilla, the Chief of Staff and head of the entire Spanish Army.

“Everyone… sit”

The King was really pissed. He looks at all the people inside the meeting hall and only glances at the military side. He is staying in Cordoba checking the city when he heard the news and it is the German Ambassador who informed him first.

“You are already aware why I called you all here. What I want right now is if you people have already created plans to respond to this disaster. If anyone had any ideas how… Speak now.”

“Your Majesty if I may”

General Silvestre Mancilla raise his hands to ask permission to speak and the King allowed him with a nod. Then he signals one of the military attendants to distribute the thick documents that they brought to the meeting. Every person in the meeting had received the documents and started to check and read the details inside.

“Do you really need this amount of budget? This would bring our finance to the deficit.”

“Yes, in order to regain control and order in Cuba we need to allocate a large amount of budget and resources. The Navy even planned to deploy the Atlantic fleet to help secure the waters in the region. We also planned to deploy thousands of regular troops on the island to fully eradicate the threat.”

The people in the meeting are convinced including the King to the grand military operation that the military is planning to carry out in Cuba. Only the people from the Finance ministry department are against it. All ministers are aware of how important Cuba is to the Spanish Kingdom. It plays a vital role in maintaining its presence in the Americas and it is the most profitable colony because it’s a substantial producer of sugarcane.

That’s why a lot of countries also want the chaos in Cuba to end faster because sugarcane is an important product and Cuba is one of its main producers that can meet the global demand. Any disruptions can affect the world supply of sugarcane.

The meeting doesn’t need to lengthen anymore as the majority agrees with the plan. After agreeing, the meeting tackles other issues like how to prevent such rebellion again and increase their counter-uprising capabilities. The meeting afterward had smoothly continued, and even the fury of the King is soothed, making the military officials sigh with relief. Especially General Silvestre Mancilla was able to relax and fully believe that the plan is foolproof and achievable.

After the meeting when all officials are starting to go out of the meeting room, an imperial guard approached General Silvestre Mancilla.

“General… His Majesty is summoning you inside his office. Please come with me alone.”

General Silvestre Mancilla can only nod and follow the imperial guard going to the King’s office. He can only steel himself and prepare for anything the King demands from him.

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