Empire Rising: Spain

Chapter 131: Chapter 117: The Development of the Military Factory (Part 2)

In theory, Argentinians and Mexicans share the same roots as Spaniards. Although this connection has been distanced due to prolonged colonization and intermarriage, these people are naturally closer to Spain than to other countries.

As long as the weapons from the Royal Military Factory have no quality issues, obtaining an order from these countries is relatively easy. Although it might not be a large-scale order, as long as it can keep the Royal Military Factory afloat, it’s not a problem.

Collectively, these Latin American countries could easily come up with an order of tens of thousands of rifles. Combined with the expansion and consumption of the Spanish Army, as well as smaller orders from other regions, the Royal Military Factory will not be short of weapon orders in the next five years.

Moreover, even if there is a shortfall in rifle orders, they can prioritize the production of artillery. Bullets and shells are consumables, with a constant stream of orders being generated.

In the future, the Spanish Army will place greater emphasis on infantry marksmanship training and artillery training, leading to a continuous consumption of bullets and shells.

These orders collectively can sustain a Royal Military Factory with a workforce of tens of thousands. Even in a state of loss, as long as it’s not too severe, Carlo finds it acceptable.

After all, the wars that these great powers in Europe will face are numerous, and as long as Spain’s weaponry is not too outdated, it can still secure orders.

Furthermore, the opening up of the African colonies will involve military actions, and Carlo has no concerns about the development of the Royal Military Factory.

However, we must admit that the expansion of the military factory cannot proceed blindly. The expansion of these factories is always interconnected, with the expansion of a single enterprise leading to the simultaneous development of many industries.

Take the military factory as an example. The production of rifles and artillery requires a large amount of steel, necessitating the initial expansion of steel plants to meet the increased steel demand from the military factory’s expansion.

And that’s not all. The production line for a rifle or artillery requires a lot of machinery and manufacturing equipment, which will aid the development of mechanical factories.

The expansion of the Royal Military Factory will not only create tens of thousands of visible jobs but also thousands, or even more, of unseen jobs.

This has a massive impact on the development of Spain’s economy and is good news for both the Spanish Government and the public.

Not to mention, a large factory with a workforce of tens of thousands will pay a substantial amount of taxes annually. Based on the current average Spanish income of about 97 Peseta, the wages to be paid to these workers annually exceed one million Peseta.

Once the workers receive this income, no matter which industry it is spent on, it will continually stimulate Spain’s economic development.

In these consumer activities, the government will also receive a steady stream of tax revenue, achieving a win-win-win situation for the military factory, the public, and the government.

Of course, among those who benefit the most, it might be Carlo’s Royal Family.

The military factory is a royal enterprise, and the wages paid to the workers will make them grateful to Carlo.

It’s important to note that the wages and welfare policies provided by the royal enterprise to its workers are among the top levels across all factories in Spain.

A ten-hour workday, monthly vacations, and holiday overtime pay, among others, make Spaniards view working in royal enterprises with great optimism.

By all accounts, Carlo is currently a major capitalist. His capital far exceeds all of Spain’s capitalists, with assets that can rival some of Spain’s top aristocrats.

If the original lands of the Bourbon Royal Family hadn’t been confiscated by the government, the Royal Family would likely be the wealthiest in Spain today.

But that is also a good thing. As the public learned that the lands of the original Bourbon Royal Family had been taken by the government and distributed among the people in various ways, their goodwill toward the Royal Family naturally improved.

Knowing that he wouldn’t get those lands back, Carlo proactively and eagerly offered them to the government, advocating for policies that would allow the public to reap real benefits.

For example, a significant portion of these lands would be leased to the public at low prices. With reductions in agricultural taxes, the income of these tenant farmers would greatly increase.

Although it’s the government that actually leases the land, Carlo, with the help of many public opinion institutions, naturally wins gratitude from the public toward the Royal Family and himself.

The government cannot claim that the leasing of the lands has nothing to do with the Royal Family, so Carlo gains a good public reputation without much cost.

Even though Carlo hasn’t made any major moves, this cumulative influence over time has led to high approval rates for Carlo among Spaniards. They harbor no resistance or prejudice against this foreigner from Italy serving as King.

Compared to many previous kings of Spain, Carlo may not rank as excellent, but he’s certainly achieved at least a good standing at present.

With the reforms initiated by Prime Minister Prim and the development of Spain’s economy, Carlo’s achievements are bound to continue to grow.

At least for now, Carlo is not in a rush. He is firmly seated on the throne, and no one can dethrone him.

The next step is to gradually exert influence within the government and the military, waiting for the opportune moment to seize power.

Once he fully controls the government and military, Carlo will, under the premise of ensuring rapid economic and industrial growth in Spain, begin setting his own goals.

The sole objective is to make Spain stronger, to once more be a great power in Europe, to be a player in the world’s game, not merely a pawn on the board.

The benchmark for Spain’s strength and rise is simple: the status of Gibraltar.

Only if Spain can reclaim Gibraltar, it will have achieved its goal of becoming a great power, rejoining the ranks of European powers.

But if Gibraltar remains in the hands of other countries, Spain has not completed its task of becoming strong, and there will be some distance from being considered a European great power.

The reason for making Gibraltar the target of Spain’s rise is due to its immense significance to Spain and the Spaniards.

In later generations, Spain has never given up its claim to Gibraltar. Unfortunately, the time for Spain to reclaim Gibraltar has long passed, and its status has always been a topic of concern for Spaniards.

If Gibraltar could be wrested from the hands of the British, it would greatly enhance Carlo’s prestige. It’s not an overstatement to say that if Carlo could reclaim Gibraltar from the British, he would become one of the greatest monarchs in the hearts of all Spaniards, perhaps even without any “one of” qualifiers.

This would greatly boost the morale of both the military and the public and increase the loyalty of all Spaniards to Carlo.

Once Gibraltar is recaptured, even if Carlo were to declare himself as the Emperor of the Spaniards, no Spaniard would oppose him.

The mere ability to inspire the public and infinitely boost military morale dictates that Carlo must take Gibraltar.

Moreover, Gibraltar’s geographic position is crucial, as it controls the Gibraltar Strait, cutting off the Mediterranean and Atlantic routes.

However, it is precisely because of Gibraltar’s extremely crucial geographic location that the British consider it very important.

For Spain to reclaim Gibraltar, it is destined to clash with the British. The British are not fools, and Spain cannot trade land for Gibraltar.

Therefore, to Carlo, the British have never been allies of Spain, not now, and not in the future.

Within Europe, only Germany and Austria-Hungary are suitable to become allies of Spain. They are also the countries that can practically help Spain reclaim Gibraltar.

As for Italy, it’s basically not worth considering. Firstly, Italy is unlikely to go to war against the British for Spain, as they have no major conflict with the British.

Secondly, even if the Italian Government is willing to go to war with the British for Spain, Carlo does not trust the Italian Government’s performance in a war.

Although Carlo is part of the Italian Royal Family, this does not mean that Spain and Italy have a close relationship.

Both countries are strong along the Mediterranean coast and are competitors. In Carlo’s eyes, Italy is not necessarily more reliable than Austria-Hungary, and he never expected Italy to aid Spain.