Empire Rising: Spain

Chapter 66: Chapter 65: The Kidnapped Three Founders of Mercedes-Benz

The two telegrams from Kadir Bruno, sent less than a week and a half apart, nevertheless evoked different moods for Carlo.

The first telegram succinctly described Graham’s willingness to accept Carlo’s invitation, accompanied by several technicians from Electricite de France.

This made Carlo very pleased, as such “poaching” was far more effective than Spain cultivating its own electrical talents.

With Graham and the other technicians arriving together, they could build Spain’s electric company from scratch, positioning Spain at the forefront of electric energy utilization.

Yet the second telegram, arriving a week and a half later, made Carlo’s mood quite complex.

The telegram reported that upon reaching Germany, Kadir Bruno successfully located Benz, as Carlo had instructed, and also discovered several outstanding individuals in the fields of mechanical specialization and engines.

However, not everyone was destitute like Benz and Graham. Some had already married and had children, and received offers from larger mechanical factories.

To fulfill Carlo’s orders, Kadir Bruno was forced to employ the most unwelcome method, which was to forcibly bring them to Spain.

Upon seeing the list of people kidnapped by Kadir Bruno, Carlo was shocked.

Together with Karl Benz, Kadir Bruno coincidentally gathered the three founders of Mercedes-Benz Company?

Indeed, the two kidnapped individuals were two of the three founders of Mercedes-Benz Company, Daimler and Maybach.

Although such a kidnapping would bring some trouble, the fact that the targets were the founders of Mercedes-Benz Company made such troubles acceptable.

Their achievements went beyond founding Mercedes-Benz Company. In the automobile engine domain, these three were pioneers, also the most exceptional talents of this era in engine technology.

With these three talents, Spain at least now in the automobile domain has quite a significant advantage.

Rapidly expanding the automotive market and reducing costs through assembly line production was not a difficult task for Carlo.

Fortunately, at this point, Daimler and Maybach had not done anything sensational in Germany, and even if they disappeared in Germany, it would not attract the attention of the German Government.

Given the current technology, as long as Kadir Bruno’s follow-up work was done meticulously, the local government could not trace how these people disappeared.

As long as Carlo could make them willingly stay in Spain upon arrival, the matter would be perfectly resolved.

Of course, whether they were willing or not, they couldn’t return to Germany anyway.

Since kidnapping is not glorious, letting it spread is certainly not possible.

Amid Carlo’s anticipation, a group of talents slowly arrived in Madrid.

The first to arrive in Madrid were Graham’s family and a few friends.

Carlo clearly underestimated the attractiveness of the conditions he offered to these researchers and practitioners in the power field.

After agreeing to the invitation, Graham did not hesitate. He resigned from his original company and took the train to Spain with friends who also wanted to come to Spain.

And upon hearing Graham describe Carlo’s proposed conditions, immediately over ten researchers and practitioners in the field of power chose to head to Spain.

There was no choice; Carlo’s offered conditions were too tempting. Spain itself was not far from France, plus such rich conditions, it was not surprising to win over some people.

On the day Graham arrived in Madrid, Carlo received him at the Imperial Palace, reaffirming to Graham the conditions Kadir Bruno had proposed.

Graham was appointed the General Director of the Spanish Royal Power Research Institute and the Chief Consultant of the Royal Power Company, only needing to engage in research on electricity.

Regarding Graham’s salary, Carlo was also very generous. Upon learning Graham’s original annual salary was just under 100 Pounds, Carlo immediately generously offered to quintuple it, raising his annual salary to 13,000 Pesseta.

Simultaneously, regarding the research and development funding of the power research institute, Carlo also stated it could be used freely up to 300,000 Pesseta per year.

Graham had never encountered such a generous employer, immediately pledging to actively devote to the power research institute’s studies, even saying he could commence work the next day.

For the power industry researchers and practitioners who came along with Graham, Carlo also displayed a generous attitude.

Compared to their wages in France, now their salaries were doubled, and were provided free accommodation in Madrid.

As long as they could establish certain merit in the power research institute, they could receive more rewards, or enhance their incomes based on merit, or obtain noble titles.

Carlo also specially stated that he was pleased to see people become nobility through various means of establishing merit.

Whether farmer, worker, scientist or soldier, as long as they established sufficient merit, they could receive noble titles based on the merit.

This statement was very encouraging to those power researchers from far away France, as they were previously not so valued in France, and the path for advancement was not so wide.

In France, they could barely fill their stomachs, unable to even touch the edge of the middle class. But in Spain, as long as they worked well, there would be more income, and even opportunities to become middle class or part of the national upper echelon, wasn’t this more promising than staying in Paris?

Under the lure of financial power, Graham’s friends declared joining Spain was the wisest decision of their lives, and their words brimmed with gratitude towards Carlo.

Of course, Carlo wouldn’t believe their flattering words. But these guys quickly succumbing to financial power also proved one thing, this era had many scientists and researchers still living in destitution, and their inventions and researches might change the world in the future.

If through financial allure these scientists could be attracted, it was a good thing for both the scientists and Spain, a win-win situation indeed.

But one must also be cautious that the large-scale recruitment of scientists does not attract attention from other countries. Before other countries paid attention to scientists, Carlo’s offered conditions were unmatched, naturally holding significant attraction.

But if all countries began to recruit scientists without sparing any cost, Spain’s assets wouldn’t suffice to contend with other nations.

Therefore, recruiting scientists and technical personnel must be done secretly, best not to arouse suspicion from other countries.

Once Spain secretly accumulated a reserve of scientists and technical talents, there would be no concern of the talent reserve plan being sabotaged.