Rise of the Argentine Empire

In addition to the three major banks, the Blanca City Hall also actively intervened in agricultural and industrial bank credit, borrowing heavily to develop construction, and established the Blanca City Agricultural Credit Bank and the Blanca City Industrial Credit Bank, all of which had a common backer - the Blanca City State-owned Assets Committee.

As Blanca City underwent urban planning and renovation, and expanded into new areas, a large number of people poured in, creating a mixed bag of individuals and giving rise to many urban legends.

Besides the major construction companies, a batch of companies focusing on housing development and commercial real estate development began to rise.

Several well-funded companies, led by Santa Rosala Tower Real Estate Company, acquired development rights through heavy investment and land acquisition, and began to develop the real estate industry.

The less formal companies under Saint Hesse also slowly withdrew from the original welfare real estate industry and merged into Blanca City Real Estate Company. After all, some of the original models were no longer applicable, and now it was necessary to carry out true market-oriented reforms and development.

Originally, in order to develop industrial zones and urban areas, Saint Hesse built low-priced housing and factories on a large scale for cheap rent and sale, reducing the cost of living in Blanca City. As long as it didn't lose too much money, he would do it. Many real estate developments were rented and sold at cost plus a little extra, which was also an important measure to attract people.

In addition to retaining the necessary housing security policies, some true real estate was also a source of wealth for the development of Blanca City. In principle, the Blanca City Hall was the biggest profit earner in the real estate industry.

The Blanca City Hall had already bought a large amount of land at low prices. In principle, much of Blanca City's land was not private. Even if it was privately developed, it had to be registered and development fees paid. Saint Hesse had to add another engine to Blanca City's development, and that was land finance.

If Blanca City was just a small city, then the land would not have much value, mostly agricultural land. But if it was a large city with a population of several million, the land would bring amazing wealth.

Saint Hesse formulated and promulgated the "Blanca City Banking Act" and the "Real Estate Development Act", and specifically established a department in the Blanca City Hall for record-keeping and development management.

At the same time, Saint Hesse also allowed non-real estate companies, that is, some locals in Blanca City who owned land, to build their own buildings for rent and sale, and provided positive guidance.

American Broadcasting Radio was founded in 1948 and is a private radio station that can broadcast programs 24 hours a day. It currently covers 70% of Argentina's regions. The main content comes from its own reporters and the American, Baolian, and Efe news agencies, as well as the New Argentina Media Group.

Now, American Radio, Mitre Broadcasting Radio, and New Argentina Voice of Broadcasting are known as the three largest private radio stations in Argentina.

Saint Hesse used a lot of public opinion resources to prevent the current military government from becoming authoritarian and dictatorial.

At the same time, he carried out a large number of administrative reforms in the City Hall, setting up three directly subordinate offices to directly manage several important administrative departments.

The efficiency of administrative departments such as the Police Department, the State-owned Assets Committee, the Transportation Department, and the Finance Department has been greatly improved.

Saint Hesse did not stop for a moment. The Outer Three Districts and the Ajerichi District were now the focus of development, and the remaining four towns outside the city, which had been converted, were also assigned the most capable district chiefs, all of whom were experienced civil servant elites.

While the Ministry of National Defense stepped up its pressure on La Pampa Province, Mr. Lata, a senior official, withstood the pressure. In order for the army to quickly form combat effectiveness, Saint Hesse had to personally participate in the reorganization and training plan.

On August 12, Saint Hesse, Commander-in-Chief of the La Pampa Provincial Defense Army and Mayor of Blanca City, announced the continued expansion of the La Pampa Provincial Defense Corps to meet the severe challenges of the situation.

The actual managed population of La Pampa Province had exceeded 1 million, and the short-term floating population in winter reached as many as 100,000, making it a large province. In Argentina, it could steadily rank sixth, second only to Buenos Aires Province, Buenos Aires City, Cordoba Province, Mendoza Province, and Santa Fe Province.

In order to ensure the security environment, Saint Hesse announced the reorganization of the Defense Army into 4 regiments and the expansion of non-military groups, bringing the overall number of the Defense Army to 13,000 people.

On August 18, Saint Hesse, on behalf of senior official Lata, held a series of meetings with Rosa Carlos, a senior official of Rio Negro Province who also served as the commander of defense, and Belier Connaire, a senior official of Neuquen, in General Roca Town, and signed a secret defense treaty to deal with the smuggling of foreign immigrants, mainly targeting the smuggling of Chilean immigrants.

This was just a necessary excuse. Saint Hesse couldn't wait for more people to cross the Andes Mountains, but winter made foreign immigrants and smugglers less numerous.

Saint Hesse, wearing a military uniform, and the two military and political bosses were in the General Roca Town's manor. This time, he also brought a batch of "gifts", complete army equipment and logistical ammunition weapons that could equip two regiments, all of which were the latest high-end goods.

Including submachine guns, pistols, machine guns, grenades, custom military uniforms...

General Roca Town is located at the junction of the three provinces and is connected to Neuquen City. In fact, it is equivalent to the suburbs of Neuquen City. The scenery is good. This time, the number of attendees was not large, but most of them were high-ranking officials. It was also to take care of Neuquen Province that the meeting place was set here.

Neuquen City is actually a very strange provincial capital. Its location is very special. It is one of the few provincial capitals in Argentina located on the provincial border. It is also a very young provincial capital, just like the original Santa Rosa City.

Neuquen City is located at the confluence of the Limay River and the Neuquen River, at an altitude of 265 meters, with a population of more than 50,000. The nearby irrigated agricultural area is rich in fruits, grapes, grains, and feed, and cattle are raised. The products are processed and transported from here. Ships can reach Carmen along the Negro River, and there are railway and highway connections with Blanca City and Viedma City. There are oil fields west of the city.

Neuquen Province has not yet developed its oil, and it is a border agricultural province. The situation in Rio Negro Province is slightly better, but there are also many problems.

"Our province has brought a gift this time to sponsor and equip your province's defense regiment. In the future, we can conduct joint military exercises to deal with the severe immigration situation."

Recently, the Defense Army of Neuquen Province was also officially established, with a scale of 2,000 people, no more, no less. In terms of oil and minerals, the cooperation with La Pampa Province is very in-depth. Rio Negro Province has a slightly better situation. The economic development in the past six months has been good, and a regiment has also been established.

But for the two provinces with financial difficulties, weapons and equipment are still a problem. They are too expensive and cannot be bought. There is a price but no market. The Ministry of National Defense cannot approve the transfer of weapons.

Although Argentina underwent reorganization during the Peron era, it did not have too many territorial military disputes with foreign countries. Moreover, it was good enough that Argentina did not bully others. To the west are the tall Andes Mountains, and Chile's national strength is much weaker than Argentina's. To the east is the sea, to the north are the weak mountain countries of Bolivia, and to the northeast are the two buffer countries of Paraguay and Uruguay with Brazil.

"Thank you for the strong support from La Pampa Province. We will definitely work hard to get the 'immigrant smuggling' issue resolved."

Saint Hesse raised his wine glass high, tasted it, and then said.

"I have to say that Neuquen's wine is really top-notch. I think our La Pampa Province needs it very much. The quality exceeds that of Mendoza Province's wine. I propose to establish a winery to supply our Blanca City and Viedma City. What do you say, Senior Official Carlos."

"I think it's good, Cohen, you're right, hahaha, you deserve to be the God of Wealth of La Pampa Province."

Senior Official Rosa also agreed.

For a time, the guests were all happy. Everyone knew what was going on. Saint Hesse also planned to bring them military instructors to help them train.

General Roca Town will become a member of the Neuquen City metropolitan area in the future. In addition to military defense cooperation, Saint Hesse also brought economic cooperation treaties for mineral exploitation, economic development, wine, and the like in the Rio Negro border and Neuquen Province.

Saint Hesse plans to build large-scale hydropower stations, geothermal power stations, and natural gas-fueled thermal power plants in Neuquen Province to meet the power supply needs of the three provinces and create employment for Neuquen Province.

The reserves of oil, natural gas, copper, metal mines, potassium, and bentonite are abundant here, which can meet many of Blanca City's development needs, and can also be used to manufacture fertilizers, develop ceramics, metal smelting industries, etc.

Now La Pampa Province has become the leader of the three small groups, so naturally it has to provide more sponsorship and help to develop its strength. The two younger brothers also supported La Pampa Province a lot in the past, so now it's time to return the favor.

The local warlords in Argentina are mainly in the central and northern regions of Argentina. The southern provinces, which have no money and no people, don't even have a decent warlord. At most, they are just rural local tyrants. The Paraguayan and Bolivian territories that were later incorporated are the focus of prevention by the Presidential Palace. They have only become provinces in recent years, and their strength and economy are also quite poor.

Saint Hérissé understood that the main instigators were basically the Mendoza Province - San Juan Province, Córdoba Province - San Luis Province, Santa Fe Province - Santiago del Estero Province, Salta Province - Jujuy Province these several major warlord groups. These provinces generally have populations exceeding one million, are experienced in rebellion, and are relatively strong. Their economies are also relatively developed, and they generally have good relationships with neighboring provinces. The only exception is the poor and stubborn Salta Province, with its "simple" folk customs, which is now also in decline. Economic backwardness has also led to military backwardness.

There is also a relatively special case: Entre Ríos Province, located near the capital, flirts with Uruguay and is courted by many forces. Buenos Aires Province is basically influenced by the Presidential Palace and, strictly speaking, represents the Presidential Palace.

Neuquén Province does not actually have a good relationship with the relatively wealthy Mendoza Province, which has a population of over 1.1 million. Instead, it is in the same boat as La Pampa Province and Río Negro Province. Now that La Pampa Province is developed, it will definitely help its brothers. Moreover, the Southern Petroleum Company is extracting oil in Neuquén Province, and many minerals are also needed by Bahía Blanca, making cooperation inevitable, and they are now developing together.

Don't underestimate Mendoza Province just because it is not very famous now and seems to have nothing to do with coups. However, it is hard to say that the relocation of the provincial capital from Chos Malal in the north to Neuquén City more than 30 years ago was not due to the oppression of Mendoza Province. Moreover, many generals in the Ministry of Defense come from Mendoza Province. Recently, the economy has not been very good, so it has calmed down a lot. In the past, Mendoza Province and Córdoba Province did not have a very friendly relationship, but now it has eased, and it is still a typical example of quietly making a fortune.

The economy of Mendoza Province has also developed well. In the 19th century, a large number of Italian immigrants came here, greatly promoting economic prosperity. Its geographical location is important, serving as a transportation hub in western Argentina and a gateway to Chile. There are land routes and highways here leading to important domestic cities and ports.

During the South American independence movement, the provincial capital of Mendoza Province, Mendoza City, played an important role.

In 1817, José de San Martín established the Army of the Andes here as a base to cross the Andes Mountains and liberate Chile and Peru. Later, people respectfully called him José de San Martín.

Saint Hérissé also brought these officers to a military camp on the outskirts of the Alta district. An ordinary regiment is stationed here, mainly responsible for keeping an eye on the Belgrano military port, so that it can be mobilized at any time in the event of an accident.

This place is much more desolate than Saint Hérissé imagined, but it is also more hidden, less than 5 kilometers away from the Belgrano military port.

Weeds grow here, and the originally dilapidated farms lie half-dead on the wasteland. There is still a lot of undeveloped land on the outskirts of the Alta district.

Saint Hérissé had a friendly exchange with the officers from Neuquén Province and Río Negro Province, shocking these militia-level officers. The equipment was neat, and the military appearance was beginning to show. This regiment was the smallest of the four regiments.

The scale of Bahía Blanca has increased dozens of times. The area of this jurisdiction is roughly equivalent to that of a city slightly larger than New Shanghai. Even with rapid development to the present, the population is at most equivalent to a third-tier city in later generations of New China.

At least another 5 million people can be crammed in here without feeling too crowded. It is still not prosperous enough, but according to Saint Hérissé, the current urban planning is quite good.

For example, the East District and the West District now have a population of nearly 300,000 people. Most of the streets are newly built, and Saint Hérissé's idea is to do it all in one step. Anyway, labor costs are cheap, loan funds are sufficient, and loan interest rates are not very high. Whether it is the sewer system, the roads, or the enclosure of residential areas, it is basically planned according to a long-term population of 1 million. The area of the new towns in the East and West Districts is also constantly expanding.

The ring road around the East and West urban areas built by Saint Hérissé is expected to be completed by the end of the year. This ring road surrounds the East and West urban areas, reaching an astonishing 33.6 kilometers in length, with an area of 55.8 square kilometers within the ring. It contains the essence of the two urban areas and is built according to the standards of the old district, without incorporating some of the towns that were later merged into the East and West urban areas.

The area within the first ring road is basically the prime area of Bahía Blanca. Bahía Blanca's most important political, economic, and cultural centers are located here.

In addition to the first ring road, there are also 9 main roads extending out, which will respectively connect the outer districts and towns of the urban area, connecting the entire suburbs of Bahía Blanca.

The main roads of Bahía Blanca are also built according to a two-way four-lane standard, which caused strong opposition from many municipal civil servants. Most civil servants believed that this was a huge waste and would occupy a lot of land and finances?

Saint Hérissé patiently persuaded them that everything is very cheap now. He does not like the narrow roads of Buenos Aires, which are dark, dim, and have a bad environment.

After the main roads were successfully built, many people in Bahía Blanca believed that this was the best urban planning in Argentina. It was too convenient to drive. The green belts in the middle of the main roads, the sidewalks outside the main roads, and some public health facilities outside the sidewalks, such as garbage stations and bus stops, and even the small lawns outside the sidewalks, have become places for some people to relax at night.

These plans are very complete, conducive to the following development, and can connect the urban and suburban areas through trucks and buses.

Many people think that these 9 main roads are a better plan than the so-called ring road. Of course, they have not yet seen the need for such a ring road. It is estimated that they will only think it is really good after it is built...

This can also disperse some personnel to the suburbs. As long as the buses are deployed in place, commuting efficiency will be greatly improved, and it will be possible to plan more calmly, with commercial, residential, and industrial areas outside the main roads.

The main roads were built more quickly than the ring road, using the method of simultaneous paving, with great efforts and speed.

The West District is the old city. Saint Hérissé also tried his best to widen the roads of the main roads, build houses, manage drainage, green the urban area, build parks, plan the old urban area, and preserve colonial-era buildings. It is now the area with the best environment.

This is also an advantage of Bahía Blanca's development, that is, the old city is not large in scale and there are not many people. He can plan it at will. He does not like the small streets and alleys, which hide dirt and are high-crime areas.

Another thing is that the land in Bahía Blanca is indeed very flat, which greatly reduces construction funds. There is no need to open mountains and dig holes, just push forward steadily.

As a strong mayor, he can very easily plan the roads of the entire city. Saint Hérissé is also preparing to build a large airport in the suburbs, as well as a military airport that is already under construction.

There is also a train station now. With the connection of the railway, the Bahía Blanca train station is now located in the East District, which is not very well planned and is not connected to the port.

With the support of the Argentine National Railway Company, Saint Hérissé has newly built an outer railway, connected to the Achiri district. The new railway line also passes through all the outer towns, which is also conducive to rapid transportation.

Bahía Blanca is now a large construction site. A large number of buildings and real estate alone can contribute a large amount of tax revenue.

Each large processing industrial zone has basically been expanded by Saint Hérissé to cover an area of more than 10 square kilometers. The industrial zone is fully equipped with living and production facilities, and the transportation is also very convenient. It is also the main place for people in Bahía Blanca to work.

Bahía Blanca can now be said to be the most modern city in Argentina. Some high-rise buildings have also begun to appear in the main urban area, such as the 20-story Southern Petroleum Building headquarters and the 22-story Bahía Blanca Commercial Bank headquarters, which are under construction.

Saint Hérissé even plans to open futures exchanges, stock exchanges, etc., but due to the scale of the population, he has temporarily given up. Of course, he will not give up these ideas.

The level of the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange is estimated to be only equivalent to the New York Stock Exchange 40 years ago. It is very imperfect and technologically backward. Saint Hérissé does not have a listed company in Argentina. In his opinion, the level of that exchange is too poor, not even comparable to the Rio de Janeiro Stock Exchange.

He earns a lot of money every month from Sequoia Capital and Blackstone Securities. Although he has intentionally controlled the scale, Sequoia and Blackstone are now medium-sized and large Wall Street securities firms, which have brought a lot of benefits to Saint Hérissé. He has designed a very special control method, fortunately, it is not too out of control.

Argentina cannot be closed to the world. The domestic market is very small, and many technological sources need the transfer of some companies to reach the international advanced level. Sequoia and Blackstone are his white gloves, helping his companies improve their technical level, and at the same time investing in some future well-known companies in Europe, Japan, and the United States to earn some small money.

Compared to the United States using the Bretton Woods system to plunder a large amount of wealth, Saint Hérissé, through American Sequoia, Blackstone, and newly established Rio de Janeiro International Investment, London Rhine Investment, Tokyo Pacific Trading Company, and Paris Industrial Financial Credit, is creating waves in the financial market.

It can be used to acquire technology and companies at more favorable prices and import them into Argentina for industrial technology upgrades.

In addition, Prarie International is also Saint Hérissé's most successful international trading company, conducting a large amount of trade in Latin America and Europe, and has reached cooperation with many banks.