In the living room, several Liberal heavyweights sat together, conversing among themselves.
The Liberals were the political group that had occupied the office of Prime Minister of Italy more often than any other.
They were loosely organized and diverse in their views, yet generally avoided extreme ideologies.
The issue they were discussing was the young Crown Prince and his new Cabinet.
In fact, ever since Umberto had taken control of the Cabinet and swiftly replaced the Liberal ministers, the entire Liberal faction had been waiting for him to make a fool of himself.
They were waiting for the Crown Prince to come crawling back and invite them to return.
They looked down on the Crown Prince’s regency.
An eighteen-year-old boy—what did he know about politics?
What did he know about governing a country?
However, several days had passed, and the Crown Prince showed no sign of inviting them back.
Instead, he appeared determined to push forward with his reforms.
“I heard that Minister Schanzel is contacting Britain, France, and the United States and is preparing to travel abroad,” said former Prime Minister Giovanni Giolitti, who had served as prime minister several times and remained one of the most influential figures in Italian politics.
“He’s probably going to seek loans.” Facta was an honest and straightforward man, but like Giolitti, he opposed dictatorship and excessive government intervention.
As a traditional liberal who advocated free trade and limited government intervention, he tended to view any overly powerful Cabinet as having authoritarian tendencies.
“Loans?” Giolitti sneered.
“The national debt is already a disaster.
Who would dare lend money to Italy?
Would anyone trust an inexperienced Crown Prince?” Facta shook his head.
“Perhaps he simply wants to try.” “Any attempt is doomed to fail.” Antonio Salandra favored a strong Cabinet, was skeptical of universal suffrage and mass politics, and preferred cooperation with traditional elites such as the military and industrialists.
Although he somewhat appreciated Umberto’s forceful approach, he was deeply skeptical of his personnel decisions.
“Replacing experienced ministers with a group of men around forty years old who have little experience governing a country—how could they possibly manage the nation well?” “When he’s finished making a mess of things, he’ll naturally come and ask us for guidance.” “Besides, his policies still have to pass through Parliament before they can be implemented.
I don’t think anyone will support him.” In Salandra’s mind, a comical scene emerged: the young Crown Prince being bombarded with criticism in Parliament, rendered speechless and furious.
“Indeed.
Governing a country still requires political elites like us.” Before 1921, Giolitti had practically dominated the Italian political arena.
He had promoted reforms of his own, but he was often too willing to sacrifice principles in exchange for political stability.
“The Liberal Alliance has 272 seats in Parliament.
As long as we remain united and resist dictatorship, the Crown Princewill certainly have a difficult time.” When it came to obstructing those in power, they were professionals.
As the opposition, whatever policies the government proposed, they could simply oppose them.
“Don’t go too far.
The King is still watching,” Facta reminded them.
“Hahaha.” Several of them laughed.
Compared with the confidence of the Liberals, the other political parties paid less attention to Umberto’s regency.
Whoever governed made little difference to them.
They had no chance of taking power themselves, so they were content to watch from the sidelines.
There was, however, one point on which everyone agreed: Do not imitate the Blackshirts.
Otherwise, there was a very real possibility of being banned outright.
Just look at the Socialists.
They were keeping their heads down and behaving themselves, and the other parties no longer dared to act recklessly.
Foreign governments also maintained a skeptical attitude toward Umberto’s assumption of supreme military and political authority.
None issued any clear statement, instead adopting a wait-and-see approach.
In their eyes, Italy was already rotten enough.
How much worse could it possibly become?
…
In the evening, Umberto returned to the royal palace for dinner and took the opportunity to test his father’s attitude.
Seeing his father reading a book, Umberto approached with a flattering smile.
“Father, you seem to be in a good mood.” “As long as no one causes trouble, naturally I’m in a good mood.” Victor Emmanuel III did not even look up, continuing to read his book.
Seeing that his father had no intention of continuing the conversation, Umberto sat down beside him.
“Well then, I’ll tell you something upsetting and ruin your mood.” The corner of Victor Emmanuel III’s mouth twitched.
This brat really knew how to speak.
“If you have something to say, say it quickly.” “I’m planning a land reform, but I’ve encountered a difficult problem.
I’d like Father to help me think it through.” Umberto did not immediately reveal his true purpose and instead beat around the bush.
Hearing that his son was actually asking him for advice, Victor Emmanuel III immediately became interested.
He put down his book.
“What difficult problem?” “How do I make the large landowners sell their land?” “Impossible!
Absolutely impossible!” Victor Emmanuel III did not even need to think before giving his answer.
Those estates represented centuries of accumulated wealth.
How could the great landowners willingly sell them to the government?
Land was one of the nobles’ safest and most valuable assets.
No matter how much prices fluctuated, land would always retain value, and in peaceful times, it generally appreciated steadily.
“You see?
I told you it was difficult.” Umberto spread his hands helplessly.
“How exactly do you intend to reform the land system?” Victor Emmanuel III was becoming curious.
“Redistribute land throughout the country.” “Preposterous.” “That’s exactly why it has to be preposterous.
Otherwise, I won’t be able to carry it out properly.” Victor Emmanuel III narrowed his eyes.
“There’s more to what you’re saying.” “Father is wise.” “If you don’t get to the point, I’m leaving.” “I want to take the royal family’s farmland and distribute it to the peasants for free.” “What?!” Victor Emmanuel III shot to his feet, his eyes practically radiating murderous intent.
“Umberto, you can do whatever else you want, but do not touch the royal lands!” That was property their ancestors had fought to acquire.
Umberto shrugged.
“Father, if the royal family refuses to set an example, how can we force the other landowners to surrender their land?” Victor Emmanuel III frowned and raised his voice.
“Umberto, land is one of the core assets of the royal family, accumulated through the painstaking efforts of countless generations.
“If we surrender our land, what will the House of Savoy have left to rely upon?
“If your reforms fail and the nobles turn against us, we will have no way out.” “Father, times have changed.” Umberto understood his father’s concerns.
“If the royal family falls, everything we possess will be confiscated by the new regime anyway, while many others will simply preserve their property and continue enjoying their wealth under the next government.
“The fate of countless fallen royal families should serve as a warning to us.
“Just look at the chaos created by the previous Cabinets.
Those corrupt and incompetent politicians enjoyed all the benefits that came with power, but how many of them truly cared about the interests of the King or the people?” “Popular support is the most important foundation for the long-term survival of the royal family, not land.
“In the future, the royal family must stand alongside the people, win their support, deter the political factions, and strengthen the authority of the Crown rather than hide behind the scenes and gradually become a dispensable symbol.” “When millions of people stand behind us, we can crush any enemy with ease.
“Perhaps you think that sounds absurd, but that power truly exists.” “Umberto, where did you learn all these theories?” Victor Emmanuel III found it increasingly difficult to understand his son’s thinking.
Could this simply be the nature of a genius?
“Father, travel more, observe more, and think more.
Then you won’t restrict your thinking so much.” Umberto did not answer directly.
Instead, he gave his father something to ponder for himself.
“Still, do you truly believe that doing this will make the people support the royal family?” Victor Emmanuel III remained worried.
“Father, you have to trust me.
“Look at it from another perspective.
The land, forests, and resources of the entire country all lie within the King’s realm.” Under the wide heavens, all was the King’s land.
“As long as the Kingdom continues to exist, the wealth of the royal family will never truly disappear.” Just as Umberto finished speaking, he heard footsteps coming downstairs.
There was no need to guess.
It was his mother and sisters.
Perfect timing.
They could listen as well.
The five of them sat nearby, quietly watching the confrontation between father and son.
They had already heard much of the conversation from upstairs.
Just as Umberto was about to continue explaining, his mother interrupted him.
“Umberto, Mother supports you.” Elena had always been a loving mother, silently supporting Umberto throughout the years.
She possessed land of her own, but she did not particularly care about it.
“Queen, don’t interfere blindly.” Victor Emmanuel III was displeased.
Why did his wife always spoil the boy?
“Your Majesty, the income from the land is certainly substantial, but compared with the long-term survival of the royal family, I believe our son is making the right choice.” The Queen herself had been born into royalty and understood perfectly well what happened to fallen dynasties.
“Father, I will say the same thing again.
“From the moment I chose this path, the royal family lost the option of retreating.
“If my government fails and the royal family completely loses its credibility, the people will eventually rise up again.
“When people are driven to the point where they have nothing left to lose, the destructive power and unity they can display are beyond imagination.” Hearing this, Victor Emmanuel III fell silent.
He struggled internally for a long while.
Finally, he glared at Umberto and said angrily, “Umberto, you’ve dug an enormous pit for this family.” Umberto did not care.
Instead, he smiled.
“Father, you will become the first king in European history to willingly hand over royal land to the people.
“Your name will be remembered for generations, and your wisdom will be praised for centuries.” “This…” Victor Emmanuel III was momentarily rendered speechless.
That was more than 200,000 hectares of high-quality farmland!
“Father, we’re only giving up the farmland and most of the forests and pastures.
The other royal assets don’t need to be touched.
“Besides, I will increase the royal family’s annual allowance through the Cabinet.” “I’ll consider it further.” Victor Emmanuel III still could not bring himself to make the decision.
Cutting into someone else’s interests was exhilarating!
Cutting into your own was painful.