Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 236 Ruhr Area

During the few days of visiting the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Carlo spent more time enjoying the scenery around Vienna with Crown Prince Rudolf, and also visited the factories and some famous companies of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The day after Carlo arrived in Vienna, Spanish officials began formal talks and consultations with Austro-Hungarian officials.

After more than a week of negotiations, the two sides reached a cooperation agreement again. This cooperation agreement was mainly about industrial cooperation, mainly Austro-Hungarian Empire to provide industrial support to Spain.

This was also the Austro-Hungarian Empire's return to Spain for its diplomatic support. After all, the relationship between the two countries also needed to be maintained by interests.

Carlo had only one attitude towards the industrial aid given by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, that is, the more the better.

Because the two sides have already reached cooperation in the military industry, the new cooperation agreement is more about chemical industry and heavy industry, with the aim of helping Spain better complete its industrial base.

After all, Spain has only been developing its industry for less than ten years. Although the industry has developed rapidly, it still has some shortcomings in some basic industries, chemical industry and heavy industry.

Part of the cooperation reached this time is to build a large chemical plant in Spain to complement Spain's chemical capabilities.

Because he had to make diplomatic visits to Germany and France later, Carlo did not stay in the Austro-Hungarian Empire for long.

After the two governments signed an industrial cooperation agreement, Carlo led Spanish officials from Vienna and headed north to the German capital of Berlin.

One advantage of taking the train is that you can see the development and prosperity of the German region with your own eyes.

The terrain of Germany and France has one similarity, that is, there are many mountains in the south and endless plains in the north.

France has the vast Great Western European Plains, and Germany also has the vast Po Plain, where agriculture and animal husbandry are quite developed.

This is also the advantage of Germany and France over Spain. Even if they have a larger population, the two countries can meet the food needs of their domestic populations with their vast plains.

After crossing the Sudeten Mountains, Spanish officials shed tears of envy when they saw the vast Pod Plain.

If Spain had a large plain area, its current development would not be so slow. However, this terrain defect is destined by nature. Unless the Spanish government gives up the development of Spain, it can only silently bear the various restrictions brought by the Spanish terrain.

Like the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Spanish government had already communicated with the German government when it came to Germany for a diplomatic visit.

Although there is no alliance between Spain and Germany, Germany would naturally not refuse such a diplomatic visit from the king himself.

Carlo did not have too many requirements for his visit to Germany. He only hoped to introduce some industrial technology from Germany or reach some cooperation with German military industrial enterprises.

Carlo was still very interested in the German Krupp company. The current Krupp company is still controlled by its founder, Alfred Krupp. Although he is not as famous as his namesake and grandson, Alfred Krupp Jr., his ability to turn a small factory that could only make a living by producing cutlery into a well-known German arms company is evident.

The famous Krupp cannon was invented by the founder of this arms company. The cannon he invented played a huge role in the Franco-Prussian War and crushed the large number of cannons equipped by the French.

In Berlin, the capital of Germany, Carlo was also warmly received by the German government.

Like the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Germany also sent its own Crown Prince Friedrich to meet Carlo.

The only difference from the Austro-Hungarian Empire is that the Austro-Hungarian Crown Princes Rudolf and Carlo are of similar age, while the German Crown Prince Friedrich was born in 1831 and is already 47 years old this year.

Even the German Crown Prince Friedrich was only one year younger than the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I, which shows how long-lived William I, the founder of the German Empire, was.

William I was born on March 1797, 3, and was born in the last century. Among all the heads of state in Europe, William I is the oldest and the only monarch who was born in the last century and is still alive.

This is not the most exaggerated thing. What is even more exaggerated is that William I will live for another ten years. He lived to be 91 years old, and his son, Crown Prince Friedrich, became the famous Hundred Days Emperor.

Although Crown Prince Friedrich died of throat cancer, he was 57 years old when he died, which was not considered a premature death in that era.

It can only be said that William I's reign was indeed too long, causing the power of the German Empire to transfer frequently in a short period of time, and finally fell into the hands of the famous German Emperor William II.

Carlo and Crown Prince Friedrich did not have a very close relationship, but their meeting was quite harmonious.

Carlo first visited German Emperor Wilhelm I, then attended the welcome banquet prepared by the German government for himself and accompanying officials, and then rested in the residence arranged by the German royal family.

The Hohenzollern family was quite luxurious. As a well-known royal family in Europe, the residence they prepared for Carlo was not just a few rooms, but a medium-sized manor on the outskirts of Berlin.

Spanish officials were also arranged to stay in another estate near Carlo's residence, which could be reached within ten minutes on foot.

Carlo was quite satisfied with the accommodation arranged by the German government, but he was not so satisfied with the German cuisine.

After such a long time in this world, Carlo has a clearer understanding of European cuisine. Among the cuisines of European countries, Italian and French cuisines can be ranked at the top.

At least compared to the cuisines of other countries, Carlo prefers Italian and French food. Later, Carlo also likes the specialties of Spain and Spain.

Carlo would taste the Spanish specialty paella almost every once in a while, and Iberian ham was a delicacy that Carlo tasted frequently.

But apart from these, European food is not very delicious. The only distinctive food Carlo tasted in the Austro-Hungarian Empire was schnitzel and apple pie, the latter of which was said to be a delicacy created by the chef specifically for the Habsburg family.

The specialties of German cuisine are mainly sausages, spaetzle and pork knuckle.

Fortunately, although these foods are not amazing, they are definitely not bad. Germany is not an absolute food desert. At least compared with the UK, German food is still good.

In addition to those more special foods, the table also has Königsberg meatballs, cheese noodles, beef rolls and braised horse meat, which are all more special German foods.

In addition to gnocchi, you can also choose mashed potatoes or potato pancakes as the main course. Side dishes include beef soup and roast chicken. There are also many desserts and cakes after the meal. In short, it is quite rich.

Carlo admitted that his appetite had been spoiled by the chef hired by the prince, but fortunately, the long journey made Carlo and the officials a little hungry, so they did not dislike the German food in front of them at all.

After enjoying a sumptuous meal, the welcome banquet was almost over. Carlo and the Spanish officials had been traveling all the way, and the most important thing now was to take a rest and discuss government affairs with the German officials the next day.

The German government naturally knew this and did not disturb them after the banquet, giving Carlo and the Spanish officials enough time to rest.

It was a dreamless night and the next day came quickly.

Although Carlo did not intend to completely turn to Germany, some industrial cooperation could be discussed. After all, Germany was a more powerful country, and Spain could still learn a lot from Germany.

Unlike the Austro-Hungarian Empire, although Germany was willing to support Spain in industry, it had certain preconditions.

The prerequisite is that Spain must join the alliance organized by Germany, the purpose of which is to isolate France.

At least for now, Carlo is still unwilling to fully turn to Germany. Because of this, the negotiations between the Spanish and German governments on the alliance have reached a stalemate.

Fortunately, both sides quickly stopped talking about this topic and turned to discussing more superficial things. Carlo knew that without an alliance, Germany would not help Spain for no reason.

However, even if Spain uses the funds to purchase German industrial equipment and related information, it will definitely not lose money.

Germany will naturally not fall out with Spain. Although German officials are not as enthusiastic as they were on the first day, Crown Prince Friedrich still stated that as long as German companies do not object, the German government will allow Spanish and German companies to reach a certain level of cooperation.

Germany's private capital is still quite strong, and all of these private capitals have one thing in common, that is, they will not do anything without profit, and will not release the eagle until they see the rabbit.

Although Germany does not object to these companies reaching cooperation with Spain, if Spain wants to get something from these German private enterprises, it will definitely have to pay more money than the value of these things.

It is also because of this that the German royal family and government, including Crown Prince Friedrich, are not worried at all.

Even if the Spanish government and German companies reach a certain level of cooperation, Germany will definitely be the one that benefits from such cooperation.

German Chancellor Bismarck was quite regretful that he failed to achieve the goal of completely blockading France through Spain. However, it is indeed unrealistic to completely blockade France. After all, France still has the strength of the five major powers, and its current comprehensive strength is second only to Britain and Germany.

If France is suppressed too harshly, Britain might refocus its attention on the situation on the European continent. It is better to maintain the current situation. Germany has already gained the advantage of hegemony on the European continent through the Three Emperors' Alliance and is not afraid of a counterattack from the French.

After the negotiations between the Spanish and German governments reached a stalemate, Carlo also made a new proposal, which was to visit the Ruhr area in Germany.

The Ruhr area, located on both sides of the Rhine River, is an extremely important industrial base in Germany and is known as the industrial heart of Germany.

Carlo's purpose of going to the Ruhr area was not only to visit the industrial development in the Ruhr area and let Spanish officials learn the valuable experience of Germany's industrial base construction, but also to reach cooperation with some factories in the Ruhr area.

Although the Ruhr area has risen due to the coal industry, the factories in the Ruhr area have long been more than just coal processing plants. As the largest industrial area in Germany, the Ruhr area has a huge scale in chemical industry, heavy industry and mechanical processing industry, and is also one of the most famous comprehensive industrial bases in Europe.

Although Spain does not have the ability to build a large-scale industrial base like the Ruhr area, it can make the planning and construction of existing industrial areas in Spain more reasonable by learning from the experience of industrial area planning.

Spain also has relatively rich coal and iron reserves, so it is not difficult to develop a certain scale of industry. Carlo's expectation for the Barcelona Industrial Base is to build it into a small Ruhr area and turn the Barcelona Industrial Base into Spain's own industrial heart.

At present, the scale of Barcelona's industrial base is still far behind that of the Ruhr area, but for Spain itself, it is already the largest industrial base in the country.

If Spain could learn from the Germans' experience in industry, it would go further in building its industrial base.

After considering Carlo's request to visit the Ruhr area, the German side did not reject it.

To put it bluntly, the Ruhr area is a traditional industrial base after all, so there is naturally nothing to keep secret.

The strength of the Ruhr area does not come from its advanced industrial production technology, but from its abundant coal resources and convenient transportation.

As long as one has both the two innate conditions of rich mineral resources and convenient transportation, plus a certain population size, it would not be difficult to establish an industrial base like the Ruhr area.

The increase in industrial output is of course a good thing, but it must be linked to the demand for industrial products. If industrial output increases too much, but domestic demand for industrial products does not increase much, an economic crisis will follow.

Germany has not yet completely recovered from the impact of the economic crisis, and its industry has also suffered great damage in the crisis.

As Germany's largest industrial base, the Ruhr area was also the worst affected. Fortunately, Germany rescued the factories in the Ruhr area in a timely manner. Except for some small-scale factories that went bankrupt too quickly, other medium and large-scale factories have basically resumed production.

Of course, it will take at least a few years to recover to its peak size before the economic crisis.

Germany has learned a lesson in this regard and is no longer expanding its industrial scale as rapidly.

After obtaining permission from the German government, Carlo naturally no longer hesitated and took a train with a group of Spanish officials to the Ruhr area, the industrial heart of Germany.

Berlin is located in the east of Germany, while the Ruhr area is located in the west of Germany.

To reach the Ruhr area, you have to take a train across most of Germany. Fortunately, the road is mostly the vast Po Plain, and you only enter the Sudeten Mountains after driving most of the way.

Although it is a mountain range, it is incomparable to the large mountainous areas such as the Meseta Plateau and the Central Mountain Range in Spain. Because he is used to the high mountains in Spain, these small mountains in Germany are not even enough to surprise Carlo.

Along the way, Carlo was more interested in enjoying the scenery along the way, while the accompanying officials seemed to be busier.

While they were paying attention to the development of inland areas of Germany, they were also recording some places that were worth learning from and implementing them after returning to Spain.

Two cabinet ministers accompanied Carlo on this diplomatic visit. One was the Foreign Minister, the Marquis of Everton, and the other was Canovas, the current Deputy Prime Minister of the Spanish Cabinet and Minister of Industry.

The main purpose of the Marquis of Everton's trip is to communicate with officials from the countries being visited, improve some diplomatic procedures, etc.

After all, these are things that only the diplomatic department is good at, while other departments can only be said to have a little knowledge of them. For diplomatic visits between two countries, some diplomatic links and processes are still relatively important.

Carlo does not want anything to go wrong during the diplomatic visit, which could at best result in loss of national reputation, or at worst damage the relationship between the two countries.

The reason why Deputy Prime Minister Canovas followed Carlo was naturally because of his concurrent position as Minister of Industry.

The main purpose of this visit to Austria-Hungary, Germany and France was to obtain some industrial assistance and cooperation agreements from these three countries.

What exactly Spain's industry needs and what kind of cooperation agreements it needs to reach with these countries will have to be decided by Canovas, as the Minister of Industry.

It is for this reason that Foreign Secretary Lord Everton and Industry Minister Canovas are two of the busiest officials accompanying the delegation.

Unlike Carlo who was leisurely enjoying the scenery along the way, the two of them were very busy along the way, and sometimes even had to drag many officials together to attend meetings.

Trains of this era were very slow, but the width of Germany's land area was not too exaggerated.

The straight-line distance from Berlin to the Ruhr area is less than 500 kilometers. The train speed of this era is generally 25-30 kilometers per hour, which means that it only takes about a day to get from Berlin to the Ruhr area.

Because the train was designated as a special train by the German government, it actually took less time. The special train also had quite spacious rooms and soft beds, at least Carlo and the Spanish officials were not too tired.

After arriving in the Ruhr area, Carlo and Spanish officials began a grand tour led by German government officials and Crown Prince Friedrich.

The Ruhr area is not a city, but a large industrial area composed of many cities.

There are more than 50 towns of various sizes in the Ruhr area, including medium and large cities such as Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg.

Because they arrived by train, Carlo and his party went directly to Dortmund, located in the central part of the Ruhr area, which is also the transportation center of the Ruhr area.

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(End of this chapter)