Chapter 285: Drought And Disaster Relief
Carlo was quite satisfied with the test results of the new vehicle and decided to officially launch its commercialization.
Although the current vehicles still have various shortcomings, considering everything, they can already replace carriages in certain situations and are more efficient.
And with the promotion of assembly line production, the cost of vehicles will be compressed step by step. Currently, vehicles are not affordable for commoners, but who can guarantee that in more than a decade, the selling price of vehicles will not drop to a level that commoners can afford?
After all, the selling price of vehicles before and after the release of the Model T was worlds apart. Selling over 15 million units also proves that the Model T was not a vehicle only for nobles and capitalists.
Although it is out of reach for most commoners, some people with higher incomes can still save money to buy one.
Especially for those involved in transportation and carrying passengers, using vehicles to carry passengers and goods will theoretically earn more money than using carriages.
Although vehicles consume fuel, carriages also consume fodder. Moreover, fuel prices are not high at this time, and the main lighting method for the public, kerosene lamps, uses kerosene refined from petroleum.
However, before launching vehicles, the automobile company needs to make more thorough preparations.
Carlo’s goal is to sell vehicles simultaneously in the capitals or important cities of major European countries, which also means the production volume of the automobile company must keep up.
According to the current cost of 12,600 pesetas per vehicle, the final selling price will be at least 15,000 pesetas.
Even if assembly line production reduces the cost to below 10,000 pesetas, the final selling price will not be less than 12,000 pesetas.
This selling price calculation only considers Spain domestically and does not include transportation costs and tariffs for cross-border transport.
A vehicle’s selling price in Spain is 15,000 pesetas, but abroad it may reach 18,000 pesetas or even 20,000 pesetas.
After all, automobile factories need to make money, and the increased costs from various transportation expenses and tariffs can only be spread across each vehicle, making every user bear the burden.
Anyway, those who can afford vehicles at this time are either rich or noble. For these people, an increase of a few thousand pesetas in the cost of each vehicle is not a big deal and is completely acceptable.
As long as Spanish vehicles can demonstrate their excellent performance in terms of speed, safety, and stability, they can easily capture half of the current automobile market.
Other automobile companies without government support, relying on handcrafted vehicles, cannot compare to Spanish automobile companies, not to mention that Spain’s engine laboratory develops newer engines every year to improve engine stability and efficiency.
Based on the current selling price and profit margin of vehicles, if 10,000 vehicles are sold, Benz’s automobile company will achieve a net profit of tens of millions of pesetas.
Carlo, as the largest shareholder of the automobile company, will also receive tens of millions of pesetas in rewards.
It is worth noting that, to date, Carlo’s investment in the automobile company is less than 15 million pesetas, with an average annual investment in the automobile company and engine laboratory’s research and development funds being slightly over 1 million pesetas.
As long as 10,000 vehicles are sold, Carlo can guarantee that all his investment in vehicles and engines will be recovered with a small profit.
On top of this, the more vehicles sold, the more money Carlo can earn.
This is why it is said that making money is too easy in this era. Many industries similar to vehicles only require some investment to obtain huge returns; as long as one has substantial capital, such investments are basically not at a loss.
As a transmigrator, Carlo naturally knows which industries are suitable for investment. Coupled with the immense power he wields as king, Carlo’s investments become very simple, and each investment brings substantial income as a reward to the Royal Family.
Although the assets of the Spanish Royal Family are not yet comparable to those of royal families that have accumulated wealth for hundreds of years, considering that Carlo has only been King of Spain for about ten years, possessing such enormous assets is quite astonishing.
Give Carlo another ten years of development, and the Spanish Royal Family may very well become the richest royal family in Europe, and even the richest family in the world.
Carlo, having watched the entire vehicle testing process, left the automobile factory quite satisfied. Before leaving, he did not forget to instruct Benz to ensure quality and quantity while promoting assembly line production, as the quality and stability of vehicles are key.
To increase the recognition of vehicles and let the public know that a means of transport called a vehicle has surpassed carriages in efficiency and speed, Carlo decided to hold a Car Expo in Spain, similar to the previous Tram Expo, to promote vehicles as products.
Of course, how to better showcase their products at the Car Expo is something Benz needs to consider.
Carlo generally does not inquire about the subsequent sales situation of vehicles, only reviewing the sales reports submitted by the automobile company periodically to understand how much money his company has made.
Upon returning to the Royal Palace, Carlo had not enjoyed a few days of leisure before Prime Minister Cánovas arrived with an urgent report: a severe drought had occurred in inland Spain, potentially affecting agricultural yields in some inland regions.
Inland Spain is mostly mountainous, typically growing grapes and other agricultural products, rather than grain.
Such a drought will not significantly impact Spain’s grain harvest, but it will have a more severe effect on Spain’s main exported agricultural products, especially grapes.
Upon learning of the severe drought in the inland areas, Carlo did not hesitate and ordered the government to do its utmost to salvage the affected regions. Now is the time for the water conservancy facilities that Spain previously built to come into play.
Due to Spain’s geographical location and environment, it is one of the countries with the least rainfall on the European Continent.
Droughts are quite common in Spain; it’s just that this year’s is unusually severe.
Especially in inland Spain, it becomes as dry as a desert every summer, which is the biggest shortcoming and limitation of Spain’s geographical environment.
Carlo, understanding Spain’s low rainfall characteristic, had already ordered the government to vigorously construct water conservancy facilities several years prior.
Large-scale water conservancy facilities must be built, especially in areas with less rainfall, to ensure the people’s lives and agricultural water supply during droughts.
Fortunately, the population in these drought-stricken areas is not large; typically, a few towns share one water conservancy facility, which can generally ensure the local water supply.
The agricultural yield in drought-stricken areas concerns the income of local farmers, and it is still necessary to salvage it. Even if the government pays a greater price for it, it is better than letting these people suffer severe losses and go bankrupt.
Under Carlo’s orders, the government quickly took action, and a series of decrees were issued to the more severely drought-affected regions.
The morning at the end of high summer carried a hint of coolness, but Anthony was not happy at all.
He and his wife had breakfast early and went out. A few hundred meters east of their home were their family’s ancestral farmland, now planted with grapevines covering the hillsides, looking quite spectacular.
Looking at the grapes hanging on the vines, Anthony’s face showed no joy, but rather a somber expression.
For a grape cultivator like him, these vines covering the mountainside were more important than his own life. Looking at the sun gradually rising overhead and feeling the warm breeze blowing against him, a sense of despair arose in Anthony’s heart.
“When will these dry days end? It hasn’t rained for over three months. How will my grapevines survive?” Anthony muttered to himself, holding a yellowed, nearly withered grape leaf in his hand, with tears welling up in his eyes.
“Let’s water the grapevines first, Anthony. Let’s ensure this year’s harvest first, at least we won’t go hungry,” Anthony’s wife reminded him, who had fallen into despair.
Anthony numbly stood up and nodded belatedly, shouldering a yoke and heading to the water source one kilometer away with his wife.
The so-called water source was once a lake. Although it was not large, its sufficient rainfall used to guarantee water for the surrounding farmers.
But since the drought began, the lake’s area has shrunk, eventually shrinking to its current oval shape, less than 20 meters long and less than 10 meters wide.
Although it looks quite large, keep in mind that there are at least a hundred farm households within several kilometers, and the daily water needs of each household are an astronomical figure.
Not to mention that these residents are all farmers, and the irrigation water needed for cultivation is not something this small lake can provide.
Anthony, who was walking towards the lake, was suddenly pulled by his wife. He looked up and saw the fear in his wife’s eyes.
“What’s wrong? Sandy?” Anthony looked at his wife.
“Look! There are two groups of people there, oh my god, they’re fighting!” As Sandy exclaimed, the two groups gathered by the lake began fighting like a brawl, one with a sickle, the other with a hoe, making quite a spectacle.
“Damn it, how am I supposed to get water now?” Anthony was not concerned about the fighting groups; he was more concerned about how he could get water amidst the chaotic situation, as it concerned whether his grapes would yield and whether his grapevines would survive the drought.
Many farmers had the same idea as Anthony. Gradually, many people gathered around the lake; some joined the brawl, some watched from a hundred to two hundred meters away, and more were anxiously waiting with buckets to fetch water.
As more and more people gathered, the anomaly here soon attracted the attention of patrolling police.
Carlo maintained a high standard for public security in Spain. In these remote rural areas, police from the town would patrol on horseback.
Of course, to ensure the safety of the police, all police officers are also equipped with firearms, but they are all low-power pistols.
Bang bang!
Two consecutive gunshots instantly quieted the crowd. The two groups fighting also stopped their actions in unison, looking towards where the gunshots came from.
“What’s going on? Damn it, can someone tell me what’s happening here? Are you bastards trying to start a war here? Are you going to make me lose my job? Asshole!” Patrolman Black walked up angrily, going straight to the leaders of the two groups fighting.
As a senior patrol officer in town, Black was quite familiar with the people from the surrounding villages. The two groups fighting in front of him came from two different villages, and the reason they were fighting was precisely over the water source.
This lake is the common water source for the entire town, but because the lake’s water volume is constantly decreasing, some people want to claim the lake as their own, allowing only the people from their village to fetch water.
This clearly enraged the public, and was the reason the two groups gathered to fight.
Under Carlo’s deliberate promotion of bullfighting, Spaniards have also, more or less, acquired a somewhat combative personality.
Especially in this sweltering climate, the violent attributes of a person’s character are infinitely amplified.
Sheriff Black watched the two groups of people who had stopped fighting. More or less everyone had injuries on their faces, and a few who were more seriously injured were only now feeling the pain, possibly having broken bones.
“Damn it, you fools!” This was not the civilized era of later generations, and the temper of a patrolman was naturally not very good.
Sheriff Black was famous in the surrounding towns; not only was he skilled, but his pistol marksmanship was also exquisite.
More than ten years ago, a gang of bandits came to the small town, specializing in plundering remote farmhouses.
Sheriff Black pursued this group of robbers for several days, finally executing all of them at the cost of being seriously wounded.
This also led to Sheriff Black being promoted by the municipal government to Chief, responsible for managing the town’s security and public order.
Upon learning that the reason the two groups were fighting was precisely over the dispute of water sources, Sheriff Black was furious, but he still explained to everyone watching: “From today on, you will no longer have to worry about the issue of water sources.
His Majesty the King has been informed of the drought and has ordered the government to deal with the drought situation in various places at all costs. The municipal government has approved the proposal to open the floodgates, and the town’s irrigation canal will have water tomorrow.
“Sheriff Black, is what you’re saying true? Will the canal have water tomorrow?” Upon hearing Sheriff Black’s words that the gates would be opened to release water tomorrow, the onlookers could no longer concern themselves with gossip. They all excitedly stepped forward, surrounding Sheriff Black.
“Damn it, would I lie to you? This is a direct order from His Majesty the King, transmitted by the Cabinet Government to the Regional Governments, and then by the Regional Governments to the municipal governments.
Who would dare to falsify orders at such a critical juncture? My lads, His Majesty the King cares about us, and we must also reduce His Majesty’s worries, mustn’t we?
From now on, I do not want to see any fighting over water sources. Everyone must queue up to take water as needed. If anyone cuts in line or fights over water, then I will have to consider revoking their qualification to take water.
“His Majesty the King will not abandon us, as long as we are law-abiding citizens, right?” Sheriff Black watched the gradually approaching crowd. He first stepped back to free himself from the encirclement, and then slowly explained.
Although he knew that the people in front of him were all nearby residents, he could not guarantee that there were no people with malicious intentions who would take advantage of the chaos to snatch his pistol.
Spain does not ban firearms, but firearms are not widely circulated either. The rifles that ordinary citizens can use, apart from small-caliber pistols, are only hunting rifles approved for use in the wild.
Entering cities requires handing in firearms, after all, the Spanish government does not want to see the public engage in full-scale combat within its cities.
Small caliber pistols or hunting rifles can generally be purchased at official weapons stores, as long as one possesses the identity of a Spanish legal citizen and has no criminal record.
But when purchasing bullets, not only are there quantity restrictions, but each purchase also requires reporting the purpose of the previous bullet purchase.
The purpose of doing so is precisely to reduce the occurrence of shootings. Normal hunting or self-defense is permitted, but malicious attacks on others with firearms, under such weapon controls, will also allow for a quick judgment of the store that sold the weapon.
In addition to official weapon stores, any private weapon stores are prohibited, at least not allowed to exist on the surface.
This point is linked to the political achievements of the officials of the various regions and municipal governments. Once a shooting incident occurs in a city or region, and it is determined that the firearms were purchased from unofficial arms stores, then the officials of that region will be severely punished.
Doing so can also effectively reduce the circulation of weapons and lower the occurrence of gun violence in Spain.
Back at the scene, when it was confirmed that there would be enough water the next day, the public present immediately cheered.
The reason they quarreled was precisely due to the reduction of water resources. Now that it has been confirmed there is enough water, they naturally will not fight anymore.
“Long live His Majesty the King!”
Because the order to guarantee water for the drought-stricken areas at all costs was given by Carlo, the citizens present, after cheering for a short while, immediately shouted slogans such as “Long live His Majesty the King.”
These farmers’ gratitude towards Carlo was sincere. It was precisely because of Carlo’s order that their year’s effort would not be in vain.
Having enough water ensures the maturity of the grapes and that the grapevines do not wither. The grape harvest concerns their income for the year, and the survival of the grapevines concerns years of their hard work.
It was Carlo who guaranteed that their income would not suffer too much loss, so how could they not be grateful to Carlo?
After letting everyone cheer for a while and vent their emotions from the past few months of drought, Sheriff Black then lowered his hands and began to resolve the conflict.
“Since the water resource issue has been resolved, this brawl is not a big deal.”
Since you two groups are fighting, just take care of your own injured people. Fortunately, your injuries are not serious, and I can save you.
If someone dies in a brawl, I won’t be able to protect you then.
Alright, let’s just disperse. Everyone is neighbors in the same town, there’s no need to make such a fuss.
If you have any fight in you, why don’t you join the army and take it out on others? What’s there to boast about punching your own countrymen? We should punch the country’s enemies; only then can we repay His Majesty’s kindness.
“It’s just that I’m getting old; otherwise, I would have joined the army too. I heard the income in the army is even higher than that of the patrol police. If any of the young lads in your families want to join the army, none of you should stop them.” Sheriff Black first assigned responsibility to the two groups who were fighting, and then he smiled as he mediated their conflict.
In reality, there were no conflicts. Since there was no clash of interests, the two groups could naturally shake hands and make peace.
After Sheriff Black’s few words, the anger between the two groups turned into gratitude towards Carlo, and some even aspired to become soldiers.
On the one hand, they indeed wanted to join the army to repay Carlo’s kindness. On the other hand, the welfare benefits of the Spanish Army were indeed truly high.
108 Carlo understood the principle that political power grows out of the barrel of a gun. Since becoming King of Spain, he had repeatedly increased the income and welfare benefits of the Spanish Army.
Why was Prime Minister Primó’s revolution successful? Besides Queen Isabella and her government being too corrupt and chaotic, a large amount of wealth extorted by Spain from its colonies and homeland flowed into the pockets of nobles and clergy, with commoners having no relation to it whatsoever.
High-level positions in the army are firmly controlled by nobles, and these nobles deduct soldiers’ income in various ways.
In such circumstances, it is too normal for the army to lean towards the Revolutionary Army. This is also why Queen Isabella’s government rapidly collapsed at the time and was eventually driven out of Spain by Prime Minister Primó.
This also served as a lesson learned, making Carlo understand how important it was to guarantee soldiers’ income.
The Guard, as the army directly under the Royal Family, naturally needs no further explanation. The Guard’s welfare benefits have always been the highest among all Spanish armies, and their loyalty is also extremely high.
To put it mildly, they would carry out every order Carlo gave without hesitation, even if it was a suicide mission, they wouldn’t hesitate in the slightest.
Under Carlo’s efforts over many years, the Guard had long become an army completely loyal to the Royal Family, and an army that Carlo could completely trust.
Although Carlo’s direct army only consisted of the Guard, because the Military Academy had cultivated a large number of officers over the years, Carlo also had considerable influence over the Spanish Royal Army.
The soldiers’ income grew continuously, partly because of the increase in the per capita income of Spaniards, and partly because Carlo repeatedly requested the government and parliament to increase soldiers’ income.
This point had long been publicized throughout the country via newspaper and media propaganda, and the soldiers of the Royal Army were also well aware of it.
Although Carlo had not yet mastered the control of the army, with Carlo’s influence in the army, it was not a problem to directly issue orders to the Royal Army in special circumstances.
Precisely because of the high income and high welfare benefits of the Spanish Army, most Spaniards do not reject joining the army, and even hope to be able to enter the army and obtain more opportunities to serve the country.
Upon hearing Sheriff Black’s request not to prevent his son from enlisting, a large group of farmers chuckled and said, “How could that be, Sheriff Black? If that young man is willing to enlist, we’d be overjoyed.”
Seeing that everyone’s emotions had been stirred up by him, Sheriff Black nodded with satisfaction, and finally said, “Alright, you lot, line up and get water one by one.
Once the water is officially released tomorrow, you won’t have to queue up to get water one by one. Remember what I said, I don’t want to see any bullfighting happen again.
“After all, I also need political achievements, don’t I?”
Amidst everyone’s laughter, Sheriff Black, accompanied by an officer, rode away on horseback. As instructed by Sheriff Black, everyone lined up in an orderly fashion to collect water.
“Anthony, what do you think about letting little Anthony join the army in a few years?” Anthony’s wife, Sandy, had also heard what Sheriff Black had just said, and Sandy was clearly willing to have her son join the army.
“No, Sandy,” Anthony shook his head and then said, “I’d rather he get into a military academy and become a glorious officer.
How could we not try our utmost to repay Your Majesty’s kindness, given how much Your Majesty values us?
I have no chance to enter the army, but little Anthony still has hope. If he can be admitted to the Military Academy, he can become an Officer in the future and escape our family’s generations of being farmers.
I heard that graduates of the military academy become company commanders as soon as they graduate, managing dozens of people. Little Antoni inherited my intelligence, so I believe he will definitely be able to enroll in the military academy and become a high-ranking officer in the future.”
131 The couple talked and laughed, their previous despair vanishing, and they seemed full of hope for life.
6600-word two-in-one chapter, support requested!
