Rebirth of the Spanish Empire.

Chapter 26 Building a Railway Transport Network

Inside the Royal Palace of Madrid late at night,
  Alfonso is discussing with Canovas, Palacides and others about the construction of the transportation system of the Kingdom of Spain.

In later generations, because the Kingdom of Spain had long declined and became a third-rate country, its national influence was not outstanding in the world.

In later generations, the only things the Kingdom of Spain was famous for might be football and bullfighting.

After all, in later generations, many people began to understand the Kingdom of Spain because they liked Real Madrid Football Club.

For a country, it can only rely on entertainment activities to increase its influence in the world. It has to be said that this is the tragedy of a country!

But few people know that in later generations, the Kingdom of Spain ranked second in the world in terms of high-speed rail mileage, second only to a later large Eastern country, and it was the country with the most complete transportation system in Europe.

This is already impressive for a Spanish kingdom that has become a third-rate country.

It is not an easy task for the current Kingdom of Spain to establish its own transportation network.

Because a large part of the Kingdom of Spain is desert, and part of it is mountainous. Only coastal areas are suitable for life.

Therefore, in later generations, most people in the Kingdom of Spain lived in coastal areas, and only a few people lived in inland areas.

Today in the 19th century, the transportation system of the Kingdom of Spain lags far behind other countries on the European continent.

In the 19th century, due to its harsh natural environment, many parts of the Kingdom of Spain did not have a complete transportation system except for the coastal areas and Madrid in the center.

People can only travel to another city by horse-drawn carriage or donkey cart. Poor transportation greatly hindered the economic development of the Kingdom of Spain.

In the current Kingdom of Spain, only the coastal areas and the capital Madrid have built railway transportation systems. Looking at the railway transportation networks of other European countries, they are not even the slightest bit worse.

Germany's railway transportation network is 3 kilometers, Britain's railway transportation network is 2.3 kilometers, France's railway transportation network is 2 kilometers, while at this time the railway transportation network of the Kingdom of Spain is only 0.54 kilometers.

Compared with other European countries, this gap is really scary and helpless.

In Europe, the Kingdom of Spain, with an area of ​​50 square kilometers, is the fifth largest country in Europe.

The territory of the Kingdom of Spain is only smaller than the four countries of the German Empire, the French Republic, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Russian Empire.

However, the other country's railway transportation network is more than ten times that of the Kingdom of Spain. Thinking about it makes people feel helpless.

There is an old saying that goes well: if you want to get rich, you must first build roads.

The construction of the railway transportation network not only has huge benefits for economic development, but also has a huge impact on politics, people's livelihood and the military.

So until late at night, Alfonso was still discussing with Canovas and Palacides how to build a railway transportation network.

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“You two, as the Kingdom of Spain is a large territorial country in Europe, I think our railway transportation network should catch up with the rest of Europe.

It should not be laughed at: a huge territorial country does not have a complete transportation system.

This is certainly not an irony for the current Kingdom of Spain. "

Alfonso said directly to the two of them, without any intention of discussing.

With the implementation of compulsory education and the promulgation of the "Veterans Protection Law", in the current Kingdom of Spain, Alfonso's personal reputation has reached the highest peak in the country, and no one can match it.

“Your Majesty Alfonso, our railway transportation network in the Kingdom of Spain has connected several major metropolises.

This is enough for the current Kingdom of Spain, and because of this year's large-scale investment, the current royal government has no extra money to invest in building more railway transportation networks. "

No matter in which era, railway construction is a huge financial resource for a country.

Building railways is a costly engineering project for the current Kingdom of Spain.

Not to mention the money spent on the operation and maintenance of the railway in the later period, the initial consumption of steel and the money spent on railway construction alone are enough to make the current government of the Kingdom of Spain declare bankruptcy.

To be honest, piling up so many things in one year is a bit of a waste for the country.

It's a bottomless pit, and it will take years to pay off.

But Alfonso knew that in a few years Europe would hold a conference to carve up Africa: each country would divide its own territory based on its own strength.

In its original history, the Kingdom of Spain, whose comprehensive strength had lagged far behind European countries, only received a small part of northern Morocco.

The European powers such as Britain, France, and Germany made huge gains from this feast of carving up Africa.

For a country, the most basic element of strength is economic development.

Because only when you have money can you develop other domestic industries, and building railways can greatly stimulate the economic development of the Kingdom of Spain.

The construction of a complete railway transportation network can lay a solid foundation for subsequent project construction.

That's why Alfonso needs to step up efforts to enhance the country's comprehensive strength in the past few years so that the Kingdom of Spain can have enough say in this feast of great powers carving up Africa.

"For the construction of various railway networks in the Kingdom of Spain, we can directly invite public bidding and implement joint-stock operations."

In society, those who had the ability to invest in building railways were only some of the great nobles and capitalists in the Kingdom of Spain.

So instead of letting them send money out of the country on a large scale, it is better to keep it in the country through tendering.

“The Royal Government will provide land, policies, workers, and some funds, and it will be sold based on the actual valuation of the railway.

A maximum of 49 percent of the railway transport network can be sold to private capital.

However, the royal government must account for the majority and capital cannot be allowed to control the government, otherwise it will lead to unpredictable consequences. "

It is also a last resort for the current Kingdom of Spain to hand over the profits from railway operations to capitalists.

Because Spain's current fiscal revenue alone is simply not enough to support the construction of railways.

Let private capital build railways, which will lead to a rush for railways in prosperous areas, while railways in remote and backward areas will become uninterested.

Therefore, the railway transportation network from Barcelona, ​​the capital city of Catalonia, to Madrid, the capital of the Kingdom of Spain, will definitely be robbed by a large number of capitalists.

However, the price of this railway transportation network to society is higher than that of other railway transportation networks, and there is no need to worry about whether anyone will invest.

Because this railway transportation network is at the political and economic center of the Kingdom of Spain, there is no need to worry about making money.

"But Your Majesty, if the Royal Government recruits a large number of workers, it will cause serious financial pressure. The wages of the workers alone will directly cause the Royal Government's finances to reach a deficit, not to mention the pensions for workers' injuries in the later period."

In this regard, Canovas said with concern.

After this year of development, the current average income of the people of the Kingdom of Spain is no lower than the average income of the people of various Western European countries.

In mid-1875, the per capita income in the Kingdom of Spain was 2000 square feet.

Although the total economic output is not as good as other powerful countries in Western Europe, the population is much lower than other powerful countries in Europe, so the per capita income is naturally higher.

"The workers are definitely the problem, but I've thought of a solution."

If this were the 21st century, this problem would definitely be difficult to solve, but this is the 19th century, especially in Europe.

"Immediately notify the mayors of Ceuta and Melia to publish job advertisements and recruit a large number of railway workers in Morocco."

That's right, Alfonso set his sights on Morocco, which is just across the strait from the Kingdom of Spain.

Morocco, separated from the Kingdom of Spain by a sea, has a territory of 45 square kilometers.

In this 45 square kilometers of land, there are less than 400 million indigenous people living, most of whom are Arabs and Berbers.

"It would be a good idea to recruit Moroccans to work, Your Majesty."

Canovas nodded, feeling that Alfonso's proposal was very good.

"Canovas, I learned this from the Americans on the other side of the ocean. They purchased Qing people at low prices and quickly completed the construction of the railway."

Alfonso smiled and replied.

Hiring Moroccans for work? How can it be. Although on the surface it is employment, in fact it is just buying slaves.

Although by the 19th century, European countries had explicitly banned the use of slaves for work, this was nothing more than a blank piece of paper.

In fact, there are still many countries that purchase a large amount of cheap labor to help their countries build railway projects, such as a rogue country on the other side of the ocean.

This rogue country purchased Chinese at a low price to do the work. It relied on the hard work of the Chinese to complete the construction of its railway.

“After attracting the Moroccans, transport them back to the Kingdom of Spain.

Let them work for free and let the soldiers manage them the same way they manage slaves. In the process, we only need to be responsible for their food expenses.

And I hope that once they come they never come back. "

Canovas and Palahid heard Afang's answer, but they didn't react much.

Because when they heard that Alfonso was learning from the United States, they already knew what their respected Majesty the King planned.

“Be careful, Your Majesty.

Use Moroccans to build our Kingdom of Spain. We only need to pay a little money to let them work for the Kingdom of Spain forever.

For this, we even only had to pay for shipping and a small fee for food, which really paid off. "

As the leader of the liberal faction, Palacides is naturally more open-minded.

Canovas, the conservative leader, also agreed with this inhumane approach.

Because during this period, Europeans viewed any person of color with great discrimination. As a conservative leader, although he was slightly uncomfortable with this, he did not feel anything wrong.

It is his dream to use people from other countries to build his own motherland without spending his own country's money!

So how could Canovas disagree with this.

“In the early stage, we just need to build the railway this way and wait until the Moroccans discover it.

We can create conflicts on the border and then send the Royal Spanish Army to occupy Moroccan land. "

Even if Alfonso didn't say it, the two of them knew what to do after occupying Morocco.

However, using military resources to achieve the goal is always the lowest method.

But Alfonso also expressed his helplessness because this was the fastest way to occupy Morocco.

Because the French have not yet reached out to Morocco.

The first intervention by European powers in Morocco was at the Madrid Conference in 1880.

But this is still 1875, and there are still five years left. These five years are a huge opportunity for the Kingdom of Spain.

During this period, it was enough for the Kingdom of Spain to complete its occupation of Morocco and achieve rapid growth in comprehensive national power.

And during this period, there will be no interference from other European countries.

“Then quickly start preparing the implementation plan, and make sure that the plan is implemented quickly without any delays.

Any delay could seriously impact the plan. "

After Alfonso finished speaking, Canovas and Palacides quickly left the Royal Palace of Madrid to start preparations.

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In the eyes of Alfonso from later generations, this kind of thing may be cruel, but in this dark age, this method is already very gentle.

Because no matter which country it is, the road to becoming a powerful nation is built on the flesh and blood of countless people.

Therefore, in order for the Kingdom of Spain to develop rapidly, Alfonso would rather bear the infamy of history to complete this plan.

With the implementation of this policy, Alfonso believes that the people below can do a good job. After all, the people in the Kingdom of Spain still have experience in this area.

The large number of black people in South and North America is enough to prove that the people of the Spanish Kingdom are very experienced in this field and have excellent talents. It can be said that they are self-taught.

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(End of this chapter)