Chapter 33, Hard Life in Spain

Madrid—Prime Minister Antonio had just ascended to his position and was now scrutinizing the report in his hand with a grave expression.

In recent years, Spain's days had been like "Wang Xiaoer celebrating the New Year," each year worse than the last.

Even though they had emerged victorious from the recently concluded Anti-French War and recovered the Ruseiyong region, it had not reversed Spain's downhill slide.

There was no helping it—the Philippine War had laid bare their frail nature. How could they even presume to count themselves among the great powers when they couldn't defeat a backward native country?

Sorry, but England, Russia, and Austria wouldn't want to be lumped together with such a weakling as a "great power"; they couldn't afford the loss of face.

Even if they had managed to retrieve the Philippine Islands through diplomatic means, it was based on a series of compromises, completely unrelated to "victory."