Chapter 236 Ruhr Area

During the days of visiting the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Carlo was more interested in enjoying the scenery around Vienna with Crown Prince Rudolf, and visited the factories and some famous companies of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

On the second day after Carlo arrived in Vienna, Spanish officials had formal talks and consultations with officials of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

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

This is also the return of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to Spain's diplomatic support. After all, the relationship between the two countries also needs interests to maintain.

For the industrial assistance given by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Carlo has only one attitude, that is, the more the better.

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

After all, Spain has less than ten years to fully develop its industry. Although the speed of industrial development is very fast, there are still some shortcomings in some basic industries and chemical and heavy industries.

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

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

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

There is also an advantage of taking the train all the way, that is, you can see the development and prosperity of the German region with your own eyes.

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

France has a vast Western European plain, and Germany also has a 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 large population, the two countries can meet the food needs of their domestic population with their vast plains.

Crossing the Sudeten Mountains, Spanish officials shed tears of envy facing the vast Po Plain.

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

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

Although there is no alliance between Spain and Germany, the German side will naturally not refuse such a diplomatic visit by the king himself.

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

Carlo is still very interested in Germany's Krupp Company. The current Krupp Company is still controlled by its founder Alfred Krupp. Although he is not as famous as his namesake and his grandson Alfred Krupp Jr., Alfred Krupp's ability to turn a small factory that can only make a living by producing cutlery into a well-known German arms company can also be seen.

The famous Krupp cannon was invented by the founder of this arms company. The artillery he invented played a huge role in the Franco-Prussian War and crushed the large number of artillery 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 Frederick to meet Carlo.

The only difference from the Austro-Hungarian Empire is that the Crown Prince Rudolf of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is about the same age as Carlo, while the Crown Prince Frederick of Germany was born in 1831 and is already 47 years old this year.

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

William I was born on March 22, 1797, and was born in the last century. Among all the heads of state in Europe, William I is the oldest and the only national monarch who was born in the last century and is still alive.

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

Although Crown Prince Friedrich died of laryngeal cancer, he was already 57 years old when he died, which was not considered premature in this era.

It can only be said that William I was in power for too long, which caused the power of the German Empire to frequently transfer in a short period of time, and finally came to 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 William I, then attended the welcome banquet prepared by the German government for himself and the accompanying officials, and then rested in the residence arranged by the German royal family.

The Hohenzollern family is still quite luxurious. As a famous royal family in Europe, the residence they prepared for Carlo was not a few rooms, but a medium-to-large manor located on the outskirts of Berlin.

The Spanish officials were also arranged to stay in another manor near Carlo's residence, which could be reached within ten minutes even if walking.

Carlo was quite satisfied with the accommodation arranged by the German government. But he was not too satisfied with the German specialties.

After such a long time in this world, Carlo also had 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 with the cuisines of other countries, Carlo still prefers Italian and French cuisine. Later, Carlo also likes the specialties of Spain and Spain.

Carlo tastes the Spanish specialties of paella almost every once in a while, and Iberian ham is a delicacy that Carlo often tastes.

But apart from these, European cuisine is not very delicious. The only specialties that Carlo tasted in the Austro-Hungarian Empire were schnitzel and apple pie. It is said that the latter was specially created by the chef for the Habsburg family.

And the specialties of Germany are mainly sausages, noodles and pork elbows.

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

In addition to those more distinctive foods, there are also Konigsberg meatballs, cheese noodles, beef rolls and vinegar-braised horse meat on the table, which are all more distinctive German delicacies.

In addition to noodles, you can also choose a portion of mashed potatoes or potato pancakes. Side dishes include beef soup and roast chicken, and there are 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.

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

The German government naturally knew this truth. After the banquet, there was no more interruption, giving Carlo and Spanish officials enough time to rest.

After a dreamless night, time quickly came to the next day.

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

Unlike the Austro-Hungarian Empire, although Germany is willing to support Spain in industry, there are prerequisites.

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

At least for now, Carlo is still unwilling to turn to Germany in an all-round way. It is precisely because of this that the negotiations between the Spanish and German governments on the alliance have reached a stalemate.

Fortunately, the two sides quickly stopped this topic and turned to discuss more superficial things.

Carlo knew that without an alliance, Germany would not help Spain for no reason.

However, even if funds were used to purchase German industrial equipment and related information, Spain would definitely not lose money.

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

Germany's private capital is still quite strong, and these private capitals have one thing in common, that is, they will not get up early without profit, and will not spread their eagles without seeing rabbits.

Although Germany does not oppose these companies to cooperate with Spain, if Spain wants to get something from these German private companies, it must pay more money than the value of these things.

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

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

German Prime Minister Bismarck is still quite regretful that he failed to achieve the goal of completely blocking 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 only second to Britain and Germany.

Suppressing France too hard may make Britain pay attention to the situation on the European continent again. It is better to maintain the current situation. Germany has already gained the advantage of hegemony in the European continent through the Three Emperors' Alliance and is not afraid of the counterattack of the French.

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

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

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In addition to visiting the industrial development of the Ruhr area and letting Spanish officials learn the valuable experience of building German industrial bases, Carlo's purpose of going to the Ruhr area is to reach cooperation with some factories in the Ruhr area.

Although the Ruhr area has risen with 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 also make the existing industrial area planning and construction in Spain more reasonable by learning the experience of industrial area planning.

Spain also has relatively rich coal and iron reserves, so it is natural 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 the Barcelona Industrial Base is far behind that of the Ruhr area, but for Spain itself, it is already the largest industrial base in the country.

If we can learn some of the Germans' experience in industry, Spain will go further in the construction of industrial bases.

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

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 is not advanced industrial production technology, but the rich coal resources and convenient transportation on this land.

As long as there are two innate conditions, rich mineral resources and convenient transportation, plus a certain population size, it is not difficult to build an industrial base like the Ruhr area.

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

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

As the largest industrial base in Germany, the Ruhr area has also been the most severely affected. Fortunately, Germany rescued the factories in the Ruhr area in time. 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 restore the heyday before the economic crisis.

Germany has also learned a lesson in this regard, and the expansion of industrial scale is not so rapid.

After obtaining permission from the German government, Carlo naturally no longer hesitated and took a group of Spanish officials to take a train 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 basically the vast Pode Plain, and it takes more than half of the journey to enter the Sudeten Mountains.

Although it is a mountain range, it is incomparable with the mountainous areas such as the Meseta Plateau and the Central Mountains 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 appreciating the scenery along the way, while the accompanying officials seemed to be busier.

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

There were two cabinet ministers accompanying Carlo on this diplomatic visit, one was the Foreign Minister Marquis Everton, and the other was Canovas, the current Deputy Prime Minister of the Spanish Cabinet and concurrently the Minister of Industry.

The main purpose of the Marquis of Everton's accompaniment was to communicate with the officials of the visited countries, improve some diplomatic procedures, etc.

After all, these things are only good at the diplomatic department, and other departments can only be said to know a little bit. Some diplomatic links and processes are still relatively important in diplomatic visits between two countries.

Carlo does not want to make mistakes during the diplomatic visit, which may cause loss of national face or 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 get some industrial help and cooperation agreements from these three countries.

What exactly does Spain's industry need and what kind of cooperation agreements need to be reached with these countries, this needs to be decided by Canovas, the Minister of Industry.

It is precisely because of this that Foreign Minister Everton and Minister of Industry Canovas are the two busiest officials in the entourage.

Unlike Carlo's leisurely appreciation of the scenery along the way, the two of them were quite busy along the way, and sometimes even had to pull many officials to meetings together.

The 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 this train was designated as a special train by the German government, it actually takes less time. There are also quite spacious rooms and soft beds on the special train, at least Carlo and Spanish officials are not too tired.

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

The Ruhr area is not a city, but a large industrial area combined with many cities.

In the Ruhr area, there are more than 50 towns of all sizes, including medium and large cities such as Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg.

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

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