Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 252 Madrid: A City That Never Sleeps
The relationship between European countries is quite complicated, which can be well reflected in the Triple Alliance.

Although Germany did not favor Austria-Hungary in the peace negotiations, its self-proclaimed impartial neutral attitude also angered Russia.

Russia won the Russo-Turkish War at great cost, but the beneficiaries turned out to be Austria-Hungary and Britain. This made Tsar Alexander II hate Germany, and the relationship between Germany and Russia deteriorated.

For Germany, how to proceed with relations with Russia has become a very difficult choice.

German Chancellor Bismarck was secretly preparing an alliance with Austria-Hungary to guard against Russia, which might ally with France. At the same time, he wanted to repair relations with Russia and continue to maintain his policy of isolating France.

In such a seemingly contradictory diplomatic stance, the German-Austrian alliance was successfully signed, but it was not made public. This alliance treaty was more like a private agreement between Germany and Austria-Hungary, and both sides jointly guarded against the possible defection of Russia.

In this alliance treaty, Germany and Austria agreed that if either side was attacked by Russia, the other country would provide assistance with all its military strength and would not make a separate peace.

If one side is attacked by a non-Russian European country, the other side should adopt a benevolent neutrality. If the attacking country is supported by Russia, the other side should join the war in accordance with the treaty.

This military treaty, which was specifically designed to guard against Russia, gave the Austro-Hungarian Empire a sigh of relief, and also officially brought the relationship between Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire closer.

Germany also began to attach importance to its ally, Austria-Hungary. At least compared with Russia, which posed a greater threat, Austria-Hungary's stance towards Germany was more resolute, making it an ally that Germany could more easily control.

Although Russia is powerful, it is easy for this ally to backfire on Germany. A German-Austrian alliance treaty led by Germany is obviously more reassuring to Germany than a tripartite alliance in which the three countries have their own thoughts.

With the intelligence brought by the Royal Security Intelligence Service, Carlo naturally learned about the secret meeting between the diplomatic representatives of Germany and Austria-Hungary.

From the historical trend, Germany eventually chose the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Russia also came together with France, thus giving birth to the two most powerful military groups in Europe so far, the Austro-German Alliance and the Franco-Russian Entente.

The current evolution of the European situation has already shown such a trend, but the situation is not so clear yet. Carlo is also considering which side Spain should choose when the two major military groups evolve into their final form, that is, the British-French-Russian Alliance Group against the German-Austrian-Italian Alliance Group?

Carlo does not have a clear answer yet. Perhaps only when that moment really comes, Carlo will know which side Spain should choose.

Now, Carlo’s most important task is to help Spain establish more advantages in the Second Industrial Revolution and minimize the gap with other European countries.

Although the two major military groups each have three powers, their comprehensive strength is actually not proportional. The three major powers of the Anglo-French-Russian Alliance are all hegemonic powers, and the only weaker one is Russia, which has frequent domestic problems.

But even such a Russia still had greater overall strength than the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

On the side of the German-Austrian-Italian alliance, only Germany could truly rival Britain, France and Russia. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was one level weaker, and Italy was another level weaker.

What's more, Italy was not a staunch ally at all. After the war broke out, it instead sided with Britain, France and Russia.

This also led to the situation in World War I where Germany and Austria were actually fighting against the whole of Europe. In the middle and late stages of the war, it had evolved into a situation where Germany was fighting against the whole of Europe.

Spain must at least grow into a great power at the level of France and Russia before it can hope to change the situation of World War I on its own.

At that time, Spain will have choices whether to join Britain, France, and Russia or to join the German-Austrian alliance, and it can ensure its ultimate victory.

As time came to September 1879, Carlo also received two good news.

The first good news was that with the help of Tesla, Gramm's electrical laboratory successfully developed a generator with higher power.

The generator that Gramm mainly studied was the ring-shaped armature engine, which used hydroelectric power to drive the generator, with a maximum power of 6.5KW.

After Tesla joined the Electric Power Laboratory, he proposed an idea of ​​a two-phase giant generator that was completely different from Graham's.

With the help of many scientists in the Electric Power Laboratory, it took more than a year for the Laboratory to finally produce the first generation of finished products, which was also the world's first high-power generator.

This high-power generator has an output of an astonishing 26.5KW, which is four times that of the previous generation of generators.

This also means that there is hope that electricity can now be put into industrial production, allowing Spain to truly enter the electricity era.

Of course, there are some problems to be solved. Although the power of the generator has increased, the transportation of electricity is still a big problem.

The current electricity is fine for lighting, but if we want to use it for industrial production, at least multiple power plants have to work together.

Unless the problem of high losses in electricity transportation can be solved, the door to the electric power industrial era will not be opened.

Although there are many restrictions, the birth of high-power generators also means that more street lights can appear in the streets and alleys of Spain, providing more adequate lighting for people getting off work at night.

Currently, only the two busiest streets in Spain have street lighting. Carlo’s next plan is to equip the main roads in Madrid and Barcelona with street lighting so that the Spaniards can feel the beauty of the electric age.

According to Tesla's report, the current high-power generator still has many problems. If these problems can be solved one by one, the maximum power of this generator may even reach more than 50KW.

This is what we call the beginning of everything. After clarifying the two ways of using electricity, electric motors and electric lights, it was only a matter of time before the electric age arrived.

Perhaps it won’t be long before the power laboratory will be able to manufacture large generators with a power generation capacity of hundreds of kW. These large generators are the symbol of the arrival of the Spanish power industry era, because only larger generators can drive larger motors, thereby driving Spain’s industrial production.

The birth of high-power generators also marks a decrease in the cost of power generation. As street lights begin to appear in the streets and alleys of Spain, electricity will surely be imitated by other countries, allowing more people to invest in the power industry and promote the popularization of the power industry around the world.

Carlo has a crazy idea, which is to install street lights in every street and alley of Madrid before Christmas this year, and light up the whole Madrid on Christmas night.

It is meaningful to do so. At least it can promote it and let all Europeans know that Spain has a city that never sleeps, so that people will spontaneously become curious about electric lighting and become curious about Spain as a country.

Once Spain gives Europeans the impression of being developed and advanced, there will naturally be a steady stream of immigrants rushing to join Spain.

This is just like the United States in later generations. No matter what the domestic environment in the United States is like, for the people of other countries, the United States is promoted as a beacon of human civilization. Naturally, there will be many people who are unaware of the truth and are eager to join the United States, the so-called pearl of the world.

When they actually arrive in the United States, it is too late to regret because immigration requires costs, not everyone can afford the cost of immigration, and not all countries will accept those who have just immigrated and are about to return.

In this era without the Internet, once Spain's external impression becomes civilized and advanced, it will naturally increase its attractiveness to immigrants.

Even if Spain does not rely on this to attract immigrants, it is feasible for it to strengthen its international influence by demonstrating technology.

Spain is in an awkward situation now. In terms of strength, Spain has returned to the ranks of the great powers. In terms of international status and influence, Spain is in a similar situation to Italy and will not be truly valued by other countries.

Therefore, it is very important to improve Spain's international status and influence. Improving military strength is one way, and demonstrating technology and increasing presence is also another way.

Electricity and electric lights are not secrets at all. Other countries have studied them. But as long as Spain becomes the first country to try it out, people will often think of Spain as the first country to use electricity on a large scale. The city that never sleeps is obviously a good gimmick. Before electric lights, there was never a way to light up the entire city and keep it lit for a whole night.

If Spain did it, such a scene would certainly be reported by newspapers in various European countries. As long as it could attract the attention of European media and the curiosity of European people, Carlo's goal would be more than half achieved.

In order to complete the miracle of Madrid, a city that never sleeps, it is necessary to build enough power stations.

According to estimates by the Electric Power Laboratory, currently one set of generators can light up nearly 1500 small bulbs or 700 large bulbs. To achieve the grand goal of making Madrid a city that never sleeps, at least five large power stations need to be built around Madrid, which will be able to light up more than 5 large bulbs on Christmas Eve.

These 3000 large light bulbs will cover several main roads in the center of Madrid, allowing the center of Madrid to achieve the grand goal of being a city that never sleeps on Christmas Day.

The street lamps around the city center will be replaced with small light bulbs to provide lighting. Although the brightness is not enough, it can at least ensure that you don't bump into the wall in the dark.

At that time, the photos in the newspapers will only publish the bright scenes in the city center, and the dim areas outside the city center will not be mentioned in the newspapers.

There were only three months left until Christmas, and it was quite difficult to build five large power plants and install more than 3000 street lights in Madrid within these three months.

More importantly, the power company has to install electrical wires for these 3000 street lights to ensure that they can be lit normally on Christmas night.

Carlo personally assured Gramm and Tesla that as long as they could achieve the grand goal of making Madrid a city that never sleeps, the research budget of the Electric Power Laboratory would be doubled next year, and Carlo would also hire more electric power experts from Europe to come to Spain to join the Electric Power Laboratory.

The benefit of doubling the research budget made Tesla and Gramm determined to achieve this goal at all costs.

In order to motivate the researchers in the Electric Power Laboratory, Carlo even stated that as long as the plan is successfully completed, all personnel in the Electric Power Laboratory will receive a reward.

Carlo is well-known for his generosity to researchers, which makes ordinary scientific researchers look forward to it. They are full of motivation when working, not only to get the reward promised by Carlo, but also to achieve the unparalleled feat of the city that never sleeps and create a great electricity milestone with their own hands.

As long as everyone works together, there is no problem that cannot be solved.

This was indeed the case. A week before Christmas, the power laboratory had completed the laying of all street lights and the construction of the power plant, and had tested the lines to confirm that there were no problems with the line connections.

Now we are just waiting for Christmas to come, waiting for Madrid to become a hot topic among European people, and waiting for Spain to become a symbol of advancement and development in the minds of European people.

On December 1879, 12, with the arrival of Christmas night, the street lights in the center of Madrid were successfully lit.

The citizens of Madrid also took to the streets, their eyes filled with excitement and excitement. Looking at the center of Madrid that was as bright as day, the eyes of the Spaniards were filled with tears of excitement.

"Dad, what is this? Why is it glowing?" Under a street light in the center of Madrid, a little boy who looked only a few years old asked his father curiously.

The street lights in front of me are so bright, a brightness I have never seen before, as if they are the same as the sun in the daytime.

Hearing his son's question, Francesco was reluctant to take his eyes off the street lamp, and smiled as he introduced it to his son: "The newspaper said this is a street lamp, and it provides us with lighting.

We are the first country to adopt street lighting on a large scale, and Madrid is also the first city to achieve night as bright as day. All this is brought by our great King. Now Spain is the most powerful country in the world! "

As early as the day before Christmas, the Spanish government announced the plan of a city that never sleeps. This statement caused a sensation among all Spaniards, and many Spaniards decided not to celebrate Christmas and go to Madrid to see the so-called city that never sleeps.

This was the case with Francesco's family, who lived in Toledo in the south and came directly to Madrid without even celebrating Christmas.

The fact was just as they expected. At this moment, Madrid was as bright as day. The light was not emitted by the street lamps, but the light blooming in the hearts of the Spaniards with tears in their eyes under the street lamps.

It turns out that the Spanish love their country so much. When Spain used the city that never sleeps to show its strength, the Spanish were all in tears. They used various ways to vent their emotions and celebrate the strength of their country.

Madrid is a city that never sleeps tonight, and for all Spaniards in Madrid tonight, it is another sleepless night.

Carlo had never expected that a city that never sleeps would keep many Madrid citizens awake all night.

However, this also proves that the effect of the City That Never Sleeps Project is indeed good, and news from various countries the next day once again proved this.

First, major newspapers in Spain proudly reported the success of Madrid, the city that never sleeps, and proudly announced that Madrid is the first city that never sleeps in human history. Spain also declared its strength and return in this way.

The photos of rows of street lights in the center of Madrid that were as bright as day were reprinted by newspapers in other northern European countries, and their news also reported on the city that never sleeps, Madrid, Spain.

Because Europe was at peace, this once-in-a-century news immediately made headlines in various countries and sparked discussion among many European people.

Of course, while these European people envy Spain for having a city that never sleeps, they have also begun to condemn their own governments.

Especially in major European countries like Britain and France, the British and French people are more fierce in condemning their own governments.

In the eyes of the British, the British Empire is the most powerful country in the world and London is the beacon of the world.

How come London has not achieved the grand goal of becoming a city that never sleeps, but a small city like Madrid has achieved it?

In the past, Londoners viewed Spain as a remote and backward countryside, but now this remote and backward countryside has become a developed modern city, and London is now lagging behind.

This is absolutely unacceptable to the British. The British can be proud of their country's strength, but they can also be angry when their country lags behind others.

On the second day of Christmas, as newspapers from various countries reprinted the news of Madrid, the city that never sleeps, Londoners also took to the streets. They protested against the government's inaction and demanded that London be equipped with street lights to make it a city that never sleeps.

The citizens of Paris also protested against the government like the citizens of London. The Parisians' resistance was even more intense, and the French government did not dare to underestimate the opinions of the Parisians.

This is no joke. The citizens of Paris really dared to overthrow the government. If the French government handled the protests of the people in London in the same way as the British cabinet, which turned a blind eye to the demonstrations of the citizens in London, I am afraid that the life of the French government would come to an abrupt end.

The opinions of the people cannot be violated, but realizing a city that never sleeps is a burden that Britain and France cannot bear.

Thanks to the strength of Britain and France, London and Paris also have a large population. This also means that if London and Paris want to achieve the goal of being a city that never sleeps, they must help build more street lights and more power stations than Madrid.

Looking at the people's anger, these constructions must be completed in a short period of time so as to calm the people's anger.

How much would this cost? The two governments dare not even calculate it. If they really build a city that never sleeps just to illuminate a city, will the other developments of the two governments still be necessary?
What's more, even if they are willing to follow Spain's example and build a city that never sleeps, do they have the capacity to develop electricity to do so?
Not only do they need high-power generators, but they also need light bulbs that can provide stable lighting. On the premise of having both, they also need to save costs and reduce expenses as much as possible. This instantly made the two governments feel overwhelmed, and they all complained about why Spain wanted to build a city that never sleeps. Isn't this putting their two governments on the spot?
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(End of this chapter)