Prim, with the full support of Carlo, was brimming with confidence and stayed up late that night to revise his reform plan.
Since capitalists and the church were destined to be enemies of the Spanish government, their opinions didn't need to be considered at all during the reforms.
On January 3, 1870, the Spanish government requested additional military funding from the parliament, which was subsequently approved by both the parliament and Carlo.
At this time, Prim still held the majority of seats in the parliament, so this process was truly just a formality.
After receiving this extra military funding, Prim immediately dispatched a diplomatic team abroad to purchase weapons, equipment, and artillery.
In Prim's plan, Krupp cannons, which had been tested in both the Austro-Prussian War and the Franco-Prussian War, were the first choice for the Spanish army.
However, considering that Prussia was currently at war with France, Prim also had backup plans: the Austro-Hungarian Empire or Italy.
Although the fighting capability of the Italian army wasn't great, Italy did have some research and development capabilities in terms of weapons and equipment.
If the most advanced cannons couldn't be purchased from Krupp, buying a batch of substitutes from Italy would be just enough.
On January 11, 1870, the Spanish newspaper "Spanish Sun" reported on a factory that had been exploiting workers for a long time and withholding their wages.
Such reports were very common in Spanish society at the time and initially did not attract much attention from the Spanish people.
However, immediately after, many newspapers in Madrid also published similar news, and most of these reports came from the same factory mentioned in the initial article.
Soon, the continuous reports attracted the attention of Madrid's citizens.
The workers who had suffered greatly also began to speak out, demanding that the government ensure all workers in Spain received their wages on time.
After successfully attracting the attention of the Spanish people, on January 15, a member of the Chamber of Deputies from the Liberal Party submitted a document titled "Draft of the Spanish Labor Law" to the parliament, demanding that the parliament enact relevant laws and bills to guarantee that workers receive their due wages and treatment.
This document was like a stone dropped into a pond, causing ripples and immediately sparking intense discussion in the parliament.
Of course, because Prim controlled the majority of seats in the parliament, the "Draft of the Spanish Labor Law" ultimately received a majority of votes in favor.
On January 16, 1870, the Spanish government issued the "Regulations on Spanish Enterprise Management," announcing preliminary control over all Spanish enterprises and factories in accordance with the labor law.
This decree was met with cheers from all workers and laborers around Madrid, signifying that the government had taken their opinions seriously.
But for factory owners and capitalists in Madrid and throughout Spain, it was not such good news. According to the decree issued by the government, they were required to pay workers and laborers weekly, and those who defaulted on wages would be punished by the Spanish government.
This had never happened in Spain before. Although paying full wages wouldn't necessarily cause these enterprises and factories to lose money, for capitalists, earning a little more was always better than earning a little less.
Wasn't this government decree just taking money out of their pockets? And giving it to those supposedly useless workers at that.
The capitalists, whose financial interests were threatened, were having none of it and attempted to incite workers to stage demonstrations, demanding the government repeal the newly enacted decree.
But the workers weren't foolish either. The government's decree was clearly for their benefit, so how could they possibly stand up against the government that supported them?
Seeing that they couldn't incite the workers to demonstrate, the capitalists finally panicked. They began gathering one after another, trying to find other ways to salvage the situation.
January 18, inside a factory in Madrid.
"Daniel, what are we going to do? If we really have to pay wages weekly as the government says, won't my factory go bankrupt?" The factory owner, Guillén, sat in his office looking pained, next to his friend Daniel, who was also a factory owner.
"Don't worry, my friend. It's not just you and me who have to pay wages." Daniel smiled, appearing completely unperturbed.
"Damn it, do you have any good ideas, Daniel? I don't want to pay those damned workers every week, that's my money, my money!" Guillén looked at his friend, who usually had quite a few tricks up his sleeve.
"I said, don't worry, my friend." The smile on Daniel's face didn't fade at all; he looked confident. "Think about it, is it just us who have to pay wages? No, it's all factory owners in Spain. How many people is that?
You don't want to pay wages, and I don't want to pay wages. Do you think they'll be willing to pay wages for those workers?
Just watch. If our King Carlo forgets who put him on the throne, we won't mind letting Spain have a new master."
"Oh, damn it, is your solution a rebellion?" Guillén was stunned and looked at Daniel with disbelief.
"Why not, my friend? We managed to get Isabella off the throne, and we can do the same to Carlo. Spain should be ruled by capital; we are the masters of this country, aren't we?" Daniel smiled and nodded, completely unconcerned by his friend's astonished look.
"Damn it, you're right." The thought of having to pay those workers every week completely drove Guillén's remaining rational thoughts into madness. He nodded in agreement with Daniel and then said angrily, "Whoever wants to take my money from my wallet will be my enemy, and that includes God."
"Well said, my friend." Daniel's laughter grew louder. "Just watch, Prim and Carlo, will regret this because they have offended the true rulers of this country."
It wasn't just Madrid where things were stirring; Catalonia and the Basque Country were also restless.
The Carlists, who had troubled Spain for decades, were hidden in Catalonia and were ready to march into Madrid and claim the Spanish throne at any moment.
The current leader of the Carlists, who called himself "Carlos VII," King of Spain, smiled with a hint of impatience. "Thank God, I've finally waited for this opportunity. That damned Prim has abandoned the Bourbons, and both he and that fake king Carlo should be sent to the guillotine!"
"Your Majesty, the Catalan army is ready to march on Madrid for you at any time. There is only one King of Spain, and that is King Carlos VII of the great Bourbon family!" A subordinate nearby seized the opportunity to flatter him, speaking obsequiously to 'Carlos VII'.
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