The news of Carlo's assassination instantly became the hottest news in Madrid, was frantically reported by major newspapers, and spread by word of mouth among the Spaniards present at the scene.
Although the cameras at the scene did not capture the exact moment of Carlo's assassination, the scene of Carlo raising his arms and shouting at the end was recorded.
This not-so-clear black and white photo was also published in The Spanish Sun newspaper on that day's paper, and a striking headline was given to the entire article: "Make Spain Great Again!"
In its report, The Spanish Sun praised Carlo's courage in the face of danger and lauded his inspiring vision of making Spain great again. It concluded with a pointed question: "'If a monarch like His Majesty Carlo cannot shoulder the heavy responsibility of restoring Spain's greatness, then who else could possibly be worthy of leading the nation forward?'
The Carlists accuse the government's reforms of harming capitalists and threatening factory jobs, endangering the livelihoods of countless workers. But what are they doing? They are dragging Spain into the abyss of civil war, inciting fratricide among Spaniards, and causing tens of thousands of families to lose their means of survival.
Queen Isabella II of the Bourbon dynasty already brought immense suffering to the Spanish people. Will Carlos VII—yet another Bourbon—now lead Spain down the same disastrous path once again?"
Due to extensive news coverage, coupled with word-of-mouth spread by tens of thousands of Spaniards at the scene, hundreds of thousands of Madrid citizens quickly learned about their monarch's glorious deeds, and Carlo earned the good reputation of being fearless in the face of danger.
Although Carlo's actions did have the suspicion of deliberately winning public support, for the Spanish people, it was much better than a cowardly and timid king.
Carlo's dramatic gesture of raising his arms and shouting before 'collapsing' stirred deep emotions among the Spaniards at the scene. Their impassioned retelling soon spread the moment across the nation, inspiring even more people.
After the assassination attempt, the call to fight for a great Spain became another hot topic, second only to the assassination itself.
Even Carlo, who is not Spanish, has the courage to fight for a great Spain. Do real Spaniards not have the courage to fight for a great Spain?
As the protagonist of the assassination attempt, after being sent to a nearby hospital, Carlo was then transferred back to the royal palace.
The message released by the royal palace to the outside world was that Carlo was injured in the assassination attempt, but his life was not in danger, and he was currently recovering at the palace.
Prim was originally worried about Carlo's safety, but after he hurried to the palace and saw Carlo unharmed, he was stunned for a moment and then breathed a sigh of relief.
"Your Majesty, what is this?" Prim looked at the unharmed Carlo, relieved but also slightly puzzled.
"Fortunately, the handgun used by the assassin was not very powerful, and I had a steel plate underneath beforehand, so there's no serious injury." Carlo did not explain in detail, only saying that he had a steel plate underneath beforehand.
Hearing Carlo's explanation, Prim nodded, but still felt some lingering fear: "Your Majesty, you were still too impulsive. If you need to give a speech next time, please communicate with the government in advance, I will arrange for the army to maintain order at the scene to ensure safety."
Prim's concern for Carlo was genuine because Carlo's safety also concerned the success or failure of Prim's reforms.
If anything were to happen to Carlo, Spain would enter another period of chaos.
In this period, it would be virtually impossible for Prim to hold another election for a king, after all, the Carlists would not give Prim enough time to choose the next king.
Only if Carlo remained safely on the throne could Prim's reforms proceed smoothly, without worrying about major internal turmoil in Spain.
"I understand, Prime Minister Prim." Carlo nodded, indicating that he understood.
Speaking of which, Carlo also attached great importance to his own safety.
While he had transmigrated, this world was also quite real. As a transmigrator, Carlo still only had one life, so naturally he would not disregard his personal safety.
For this speech, besides the pre-arranged 'assassin', anyone else who might approach Carlo was within the scope of surveillance, and it was also confirmed that they were not carrying firearms.
The seemingly vast crowd on the periphery could not possibly get close to Carlo, and the range of small firearms was not that far either.
Furthermore, Carlo had placed a steel plate on his chest beforehand, which gave him the confidence to give a public speech in such a situation, facing tens of thousands of Spaniards.
"Thank God, aren't I perfectly fine, Prime Minister Prim? Moreover, after this assassination attempt, I believe the majority of the public will oppose the war initiated by the Carlists and be hostile to those who obstruct reforms." Carlo said with a smile.
"Your Majesty, I plan to abolish the tithe and completely bring all Spanish farmers to our side." Prim was silent for a moment and then stated his plan.
"The tithe? Those guys in the church probably won't agree, right?" Hearing that Prim wanted to abolish the tithe, Carlo immediately thought of the church that collected this tax.
"Of course, they won't agree, but what can they do?" Prim had a gentle smile on his face, but the smile also carried a hint of coldness: "If they align with the Carlists, then God help them.
I'm only afraid that those guys in the church will choose to swallow their anger. I've been coveting the church's land for a long time."
Religion still had a great influence on European countries at this time, and the power of the churches in various countries was countless.
Spanish farmers had to pay about a tenth of their income as tithe to the church every year, which was one of the reasons for the relatively low per capita income in Spain.
A large amount of tax revenue was taken by the church, and impoverished Spaniards could only helplessly sell their land in exchange for life-saving grain.
The church also accumulated a large amount of land in this process, becoming a major landlord in Spain, second only to the aristocratic class.
Spanish farmers became poorer and poorer, while the church became richer and richer. Such development was quite distorted, and the tithe, a tax specifically used to exploit farmers, had to be abolished early.
Carlo nodded and understood Prim's plan in his heart.
After the abolition of the tithe, Spanish farmers could be considered completely liberated.
At least they could ensure that most of their farming income went into their own pockets, and they would be more passionate when doing agricultural work.
The government that abolished the tithe would receive strong support from Spanish farmers. Compared to the support of farmers, who made up the majority of the Spanish population, the church's opposition was not so important anymore.
After all, it was already 1870, and the influence of religion was no longer what it used to be. Even the Pope was confined within the Vatican Palace, so what kind of waves could the Spanish church stir up?
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