This meeting between two people eventually evolved into a small meeting of three. The extra person, naturally, was the one with the highest status and prestige in the military apart from Prime Minister Prim, namely the current Minister of Defense, Duke Serrano.
When he was temporarily called to the Royal Palace, Duke Serrano clearly did not know what Carlo was thinking. But after Carlo explicitly stated that Spain now needed a military reform, Duke Serrano was first taken aback, then quickly understood and expressed his stance:
"Your Majesty, I support your proposed reform. Since the Austro-Prussian War and the Franco-Prussian War, there has been a significant gap between the Spanish Army and the top European land forces.
If we cannot catch up with the currently more powerful German Army, our Royal Army may become stagnant and its combat capability could deteriorate."
