Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 184 United Agricultural Development Corporation

The establishment of the Congo territory caused a sensation both inside and outside Europe because it was the first time that a European country established a large-scale colony in the interior of the African continent.

In addition to attracting the attention of various governments and royal families, it also attracted a large number of Spanish nobles.

At present, the vast majority of Spanish nobles have one characteristic: they are land nobles, that is, nobles who make a living on the land in their hands.

Most of the nobles' income came from the land and castles they held, and they rarely involved industry and finance.

This also led to the fact that although the royal family's land scale was not as large as those of the nobles, it soon surpassed these nobles in terms of total assets.

After all, farming is not as profitable as industry and finance. The most profitable industries in this era are industry and finance. Especially after the Spanish government issued a policy of reducing land taxes and rents, the income of the nobles from land became even less.

The newly established Congo territory is definitely an undeveloped land with huge economic benefits and potential value.

Don't underestimate the ambitions of European colonists. Basically, the areas that have not been visited by European colonists during this era are all barren areas that are not worth colonizing.

The fact that Spain was able to establish the Congo Territory on the upper plateau of the Congo River basin also meant that the Spanish royal family recognized that the land had development value and that the establishment of the Congo Territory would bring in huge income.

Some nobles did have ideas about the newly established Congo territory, but Carlo did not make any statement, so the nobles had to give up.

After all, Carlo was no longer the powerless young king. It was wishful thinking to skip Carlo and build a plantation in Carlo's Congo territory.

While the nobles were anxious, Carlo had already arranged for the church and a small number of trustworthy nobles to develop the Congo River basin first.

Historically, King Leopold II of Belgium made a lot of wealth from the large number of natural rubber trees in Congo, but it is obvious that Carlo at this time could not completely imitate it.

These natural rubber trees are indeed a huge fortune, but they can only be turned into income when the rubber becomes truly valuable.

Although rubber currently has other uses, it only became truly valuable after the advent of tires and cars.

It is precisely because the use of rubber has been greatly expanded that the value of rubber has continued to grow, and rubber plantations and rubber companies have sprung up everywhere.

At present, the value of rubber is similar to that of oil, and the price is low because the biggest use has not been found. The rise in oil prices is also due to the invention of various internal combustion engines and engines, and the birth of machinery that uses these engines has made the value of oil as an energy source rise steadily.

The same is true for rubber. Before tires and other rubber products were created, natural rubber did have a certain value, but it was not high.

Although it is impossible to make a lot of money from rubber plantations, these lands in Congo still have many uses.

In fact, Congo, which is almost entirely irrigated by the Congo River, is more suitable for agriculture.

However, because the Congo Basin is covered with tropical rainforests, various diseases and poisonous insects are rampant, making the environment in this area extremely bad and agricultural development extremely difficult.

On the contrary, the vegetation in the upper plateau area is not so dense, there are fewer poisonous insects, and it is easier to develop. In addition, because it is located in the tropics, it is more suitable for growing rice, cotton, oil crops, cocoa, rubber, bananas, etc.

Since rubber plantations cannot be established, we can focus on cotton plantations, banana plantations, etc. Anyway, there are a large number of indigenous laborers who can be exploited. As long as the plantations are established, there are various ways to make money.

After the Congo Territory was declared, crops and agricultural products from the upper plateau could be transported in two ways: by rail to the port of Spanish Guinea, or by river, all the way down the Congo River to the sea.

For Spain, both methods are naturally needed. Although the first method of transporting materials by rail can also be smooth, after all, this railway is a single-track railway, and there is a limit to the amount of materials that can be transported.

The second is to strengthen control over the Congo River Basin. Now that the Congo Territory has been established, the most important thing to do next is to control the entire Congo River, extending through the Congo River to the entire river basin, and thus controlling the entire Congo region.

In this regard, Spain's biggest colonial competitor was Portugal, which had long been engaged in colonial aggression against the Kingdom of Kongo and had established its own colonies in West Africa.

Although they have not yet completely controlled the lower reaches of the Congo River, if Spain does not speed up, Portugal is likely to completely control the lower reaches of the Congo River before the arrival of the Spanish colonial team.

This is disadvantageous to Spain. After all, the upper reaches of the Congo River are inland, and without the support of river transportation and ports, economic development will be subject to certain restrictions.

At this point, even if the relationship between Spain and Portugal eases, Carlo will not take a step back.

If Portugal was determined to engage in colonial competition with Spain in the lower reaches of the Congo River, Carlo would not mind sending out the forces of the Guards to forcibly seize this area.

If Portugal is dissatisfied, the worst that can happen is a war between the two countries. For Spain, a war can actually train its own army.

Such a colonial dispute was not enough for other powers to intervene forcibly, and they could only mediate. As long as the powers did not intervene, Carlo would not be afraid of the dispute between the two countries.

Not to mention a small Portugal. Even if two Portugals were united, they would not be a match for Spain.

The gap between Portugal and Spain does not only exist in land area and population, but also in the comprehensive backwardness in economy, industry, population, agriculture and other aspects.

The land of Congo is very important to Kalo. It is not only a place where agriculture can be developed and cash crops can be planted, but also has extremely rich natural and mineral resources.

Later generations of Congo were called the world's raw material warehouse, with a variety of rich natural resources and a variety of rare metals.

其中拥有超过7500万吨的铜矿，450万吨的钴矿，700万吨的锌矿，600吨的黄金矿和2亿克拉的钻石矿。还拥有超过2500万吨的石油，400亿立方米的天然气和超过6000万吨的煤矿。

Such rich mineral resources are a good supplement to Spain. In addition, because it is located in Africa, it is also relatively convenient to transport.

More importantly, Congo also has a large amount of high-purity uranium ore, which is an important raw material for making atomic bombs in the future.

Although the atomic bomb is a very distant future, even if Carlo doesn't think about himself, he has to think about his future heirs.

If Spain could become the first country in the world to possess an atomic bomb, it would have more confidence in future world wars. This would greatly change the war situation and the future destiny of Spain.

As the first Spanish duke Carlo met, Duke Jacob played a very important role in Carlo's plan.

After being summoned by Carlo, Duke Jacobo hurried to the palace and respectfully asked to see Carlo.

At this time, Carlo was completing his Congo River Basin development plan. When Duke Jacob arrived, the plan had just come to an end.

"Your Majesty." Duke Jacobo saluted very respectfully. He did not look down on the 24-year-old king in front of him at all. Instead, he attached great importance to and respected him.

Duke Jacob knew that the young king in front of him was not an immature child. To despise such a king was simply to play a joke on his own title and future.

Although European kings rarely abolished noble titles, it did not mean that the kings did not have such power. In addition, Carlo was not a native Spaniard and did not have deep feelings for these native Spanish nobles. If these Spanish nobles were to stand in Carlo's way without knowing the consequences, perhaps Carlo would abolish some nobles in the near future.

Whether the king can abolish a certain noble actually depends on the power the king himself possesses and his influence in the entire European aristocratic system.

After all, the nobles are also human beings, and they will be afraid when faced with such a power that can deprive them of their noble status. Once the nobles are afraid, they will naturally unite to fight against the royal power.

If the king cannot deal with the united opposition of the nobles, then he naturally has no right to deprive the nobles of their titles. Otherwise, if a civil war breaks out between the king and the nobles, the country will be in turmoil at best, or the royal family or the nobles will be abolished at worst, and the monarchy will suffer a heavy blow.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, European kings rarely fell out with their nobles, unless the nobles themselves committed suicide, which went against the interests of the king and most other nobles.

Such nobles do not even need the king to take action personally, the nobles will unite and eliminate the traitors.

Carlo nodded with a smile, and then went straight to the point: "Duke Jacobo, I plan to set up a joint agricultural development company in Congo. Are you interested in being the head of the company?"

As the name suggests, the United Agricultural Development Company is actually the main organization for Carlo to develop Congolese agriculture. The reason why it is a joint company is also because it takes into account the subsequent nobles' participation in the development of Congo.

"United Agricultural Development Company?" Duke Jacobo was stunned for a moment, then he asked his own question: "Your Majesty, what is the purpose of this company? Is it only engaged in the cultivation and sale of agricultural products, or is it to develop agriculture in the Congo region on a large scale?

There are several different ways to develop agriculture in the Congo region. The first is to establish a plantation of a certain scale and exploit Congo's interests in the simplest way.

The second is to monopolize the agricultural product trade in the Congo region by building plantations on a large scale, developing agriculture and constructing transportation roads, and to extend influence to other places outside the Congo, such as Portugal's West African colonies.

Different choices will naturally lead to different powers and status of the so-called joint agricultural development company.

If it is only the first method, then this so-called company is actually just an organization that unites several agricultural plantations and does not have much power.

But if it is the second way, the agricultural development company will become an important means for Spain to exert influence on Central Africa, and it can even control the Central African region through the company.

Don't underestimate the influence of such a company. When the United Agricultural Development Company controls a large amount of agricultural output, it can influence the price of agricultural products in a region or even a country.

The fluctuation of agricultural product prices affects farmers’ income, which in turn affects the stability of the entire country.

Especially for Portugal's West African colonies that are not self-sufficient and need to export materials from Portugal, a large-scale agricultural development company can have a great impact.

"I always have high expectations for the development of the agricultural company. According to the expedition team's investigation in the Congo region, the entire Congo River basin has high agricultural development value.

Especially in the plateau areas in the upper reaches of the Congo River, it is easier to develop agriculture because there is no dense tropical rainforest.

The first mission of the United Agricultural Development Corporation is to establish a large number of plantations in the area to increase Congo's crop production.

Subsequent expansion will only be possible when the United Agricultural Development Company becomes profitable. The specifics cannot be explained in a few words. If you are willing to serve as the general manager of the United Agricultural Development Company, you can decide the development of the company, and you only need to be responsible to me. "Carlo said with a smile.

Carlo was most satisfied with Duke Jacobo asking for clarification before agreeing to something. If he just nodded and agreed without asking for clarification, Carlo would doubt his ability.

To solve a problem, the most important thing is to understand the cause and process of the problem, so that a more reasonable solution can be found. Carlo was very satisfied with Duke Jacobo's calm attitude. The yet-to-be-born United Agricultural Development Company needed such a leader to create a great cause in the barren Congo River Basin.

After hearing Carlo's answer, Duke Jacobo no longer had any concerns. He nodded and said to Carlo respectfully, "I am willing to share your worries, Your Majesty."

Carlo smiled and nodded again, already treating the honest duke in front of him as his own: "The church will also participate in the agricultural development of the Congo territory, and the company can cooperate with the church after it is established.

When the plantations in Congo Territory have reached a certain scale and start to make profits, we can use a lot of propaganda to spread these things, and it would be best if all the nobles knew about it."

Duke Jacobo was stunned at first when he heard that the church would also participate in the agricultural development of the Congo territory. But when he heard Carlo say that after the plantation became profitable, he would conduct a lot of publicity to let all the Spanish nobles know, Duke Jacobo completely understood Carlo's intention.

To put it bluntly, the church's involvement is more like bait hung on a fishhook, luring the nobles to take the bait.

The clever Duke Jacobo even thought of more. For example, the government had previously purchased some of the nobles' land at high prices, and then rented it out to Spanish farmers at low prices for cultivation.

To put it bluntly, the nobles held too much land, which not only affected the agricultural development of Spain, but also harmed the interests of the majority of Spain's agricultural population.

Especially when the land in Spain is not fertile, the amount of land farmers have is directly related to their income.

Most of the land in Spain is controlled by the nobles, which also means that a large part of Spain's agricultural income is occupied by the nobles.

Why did Carlo attract the nobles to develop agriculture in Congo in this way? Wasn't it for the nobles' land in Spain?
Thinking of this, Duke Jacobo had a clearer understanding of Carlo's plan and expressed his sincere admiration for Carlo for coming up with such a plan.

For Spain at present, this is indeed a good way to effectively alleviate the problem of the nobles holding the vast majority of the land.

More importantly, this method would not overly stimulate the nobles. After all, there is indeed more land in the Congo River Basin. If it is really fertile land more suitable for agricultural cultivation, then the nobles will not lose anything by exchanging land.

You know, the Congo Territory was established only a short time ago. Carlo was able to come up with such a plan, which proved that Carlo had such an idea before the establishment of the Congo Territory.

Judging from Carlo's current performance, he is much better than the previous two Spanish monarchs. Duke Jacobo understands the importance of the United Agricultural Development Company. This is not only an important institution for Spain to control the Congolese territory and Central Africa through economic means, but also an important means for Carlo to solve the problem of land nobility.

As the first manager of the company, Duke Jacobo's importance in Carlo's heart will naturally increase.

Thinking of this, Duke Jacobo naturally had no hesitation. For him, this was also a good opportunity to enhance his influence in Spanish politics and his status among the nobility.

"I understand, Your Majesty. After the agricultural development company is established, I will contact the church and jointly develop agriculture in the Congo territory.

But in terms of public opinion propaganda, perhaps we still need the cooperation of The Sun and El País." Duke Jacobo stood up very solemnly and gave his answer and promise.

It is obviously difficult for an unestablished agricultural development company to vigorously develop plantations in Congo. However, with the support of the church, or cooperation with the church, the construction of the plantation will be much smoother.

The influence of the Spanish Church is still very large. Through the propaganda of the church, some Spaniards can be attracted to develop the Congo River Basin.

With the efforts of church missionaries and a large number of local indigenous people, the establishment of the plantation will be very smooth, and profitability or even huge profits are just around the corner.

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(End of this chapter)