Chapter 187: Valencia State-Owned Shipyard

It will still take a long time for the plantations established in the Congo to yield results. Although crops and fruits in tropical regions can be harvested twice or even three times a year, the plantation system must first be established, the land cleared, and the sowing completed.

Judging by the current progress, there will be no results within the next three months. However, Gao Da is not in a rush; after all, utilizing the large-scale agricultural development of the Congo and the exchange of land with the Spanish nobility is something that naturally requires a long time to complete.

After arranging matters in the Congo, Gao Da turned his gaze back to Spain. The current royal family possesses sufficient assets, and over 200 million in liquid funds represent that the royal family still has enough strength to invest in a certain industry.

It is not just a simple 200 million in liquid funds. Some of the diamonds and jewelry from the temple treasure can flow into the market over time, and their value is higher than their actual worth.

Then there is that small portion of gold, which can be exchanged for many times its value in cash in the hands of the Currency Issuance Committee. Coupled with the continuous income from royal industries, let alone investing in one industry, even investing in several industries a year would not pose any funding problems, provided the steps taken are not too large.

Because private capital in Spain is not strong at this time, royal investment is very important for the development of various industries in Spain.

The investment of a large amount of funds can promote the rapid development of certain industries, and if they are relatively key industries, it will play a crucial role in the future of Spain.

It is precisely because of this that the royal family's money must be invested in relatively key industries to be more effective and lay a good foundation for the future strength of Spain.

In fact, without even needing to think about it, the first industry the royal family needs to invest in is the shipbuilding industry.

Spain is a country facing the sea on many sides and possesses colonies spread across all continents, so it must certainly attach importance to the development of its navy and sea power.

Although the shipbuilding industry does not equate to the ability to build warships, the shipbuilding industry determines the lower limit of military shipyards. If a country's shipbuilding industry is not very developed, it is difficult to build a world-class military shipyard through its own efforts.

Conversely, if a country's shipbuilding industry is quite developed, even without the help of other countries, it can still convert it into an excellent military shipyard through its developed shipbuilding industry.

Although the process is fraught with difficulties, countries with more developed shipbuilding industries will also be more successful in the field of military shipbuilding.

Although Spain's shipbuilding industry is not bad, having state-owned and private shipyards of various sizes, except for the Royal Guanizo Shipyard that Gao Da invested in and saved, none of the other current military shipyards have the ability to build ironclad warships.

Besides this, most private shipyards have relatively backward technology and can only build wooden warships or old-fashioned steamships. These ships are fine for civilian use, but for military use, they are just live targets for the enemy to aim at.

The future development of the Spanish Navy certainly cannot rely solely on the Royal Guanizo Shipyard. If the Royal Guanizo Shipyard were to be destroyed, would that not mean Spain would completely lose the ability to build the latest types of ironclad warships?

Based on the above considerations, Gao Da decided to invest heavily in the development of Spain's shipbuilding industry, helping state-owned and private civilian shipyards acquire more advanced experience in building civilian ships, and integrating some private shipyards to build a new medium-to-large military shipyard.

This shipyard does not need to have the ability to build 10, 00-ton ironclad warships like the Royal Guanizo Shipyard. As a main military shipyard to replace the Royal Guanizo Shipyard in an emergency, and existing as Spain's second-largest military shipyard in peacetime, the goal of this new shipyard is to have two docks capable of building warships over 7, 00 tons.

The Royal Guanizo Shipyard is located in Santander Bay in the Cantabria region, while the new shipyard must be located on the Mediterranean coast to ensure that both shipyards will not be bombed and destroyed by the enemy at the same time.

After much thought, Gao Da finally decided to locate the new shipyard in the city of Valencia in the Valencia region, which is also the large port closest to Madrid in a straight line.

Why not put it in Barcelona, which has a larger port? The main reason is that Barcelona already has an industrial zone. If there were another medium-to-large shipyard, it would inevitably be bombed by the enemy in a war; this is unavoidable.

However, having said that, the development of the shipbuilding industry cannot rely solely on the efforts of the royal family; the Spanish government must certainly contribute as well.

The current Spanish government is not poor. After consideration, Gao Da finally had Butler Luo Lun draft a "Spanish Shipbuilding Industry Development Plan" and took this plan to the cabinet to meet with Prime Minister He Sai.

Seeing Prime Minister He Sai after a long time, Gao Da's first impression was that the Prime Minister's face looked even more aged.

Prime Minister He Sai was born in 1814 and is currently only 61 years old. Perhaps it was because the Spanish reforms took too much energy, making Prime Minister He Sai look even more aged and decayed, despite being four years younger than Duke Luo Suo.

If he did not know Prime Minister He Sai's age, Gao Da would even think the old man before him was in his seventies or nearly eighty.

But in reality, the age of 61 is not that old. Although the average life expectancy of Europeans is only thirty or forty, this is, after all, a statistic for ordinary people.

For high-ranking officials and nobles like Prime Minister He Sai, excluding those who died in childhood, the average life expectancy of the remaining dignitaries reached over 60, and many even died of various diseases in their seventies or eighties.

The most obvious examples are Gao Erji and Luo Suo.

Gao Erji was born in 1807 and finally died of illness in 1882 due to the sequelae left by his early years of traveling to various countries and battlefields. He was nearly 75 years old when he died, which is considered a long life even in later generations.

Duke Luo Suo was no different. Born in 1810 and passing away in 1885, he also lived to be nearly 75, having gone through almost the entire 19th century.

From these examples, it can be seen that even if the average life expectancy of civilians is less than 40 due to various forms of exploitation and safety issues, the high-ranking dignitaries remain unaffected.

Let alone these famous dukes and nobles, even ordinary barons and counts, as long as they do not court death, living to fifty or sixty is not a problem.

Moreover, many people in this era died of illness due to poisoning by various chemical elements, not truly dying of old age.

Especially among noble ladies, many of them used substances from the periodic table of elements to apply makeup. This is strictly prohibited in the Wang Gong, and any strange things or elements entering the Wang Gong must be inspected.

Gao Da is unwilling to have strange things mixed into the food he normally eats, which would not only affect his lifespan but also affect the health of his family and the growth of his children.

"Your Majesty." Although it was Gao Da who took the initiative to meet with Prime Minister He Sai, the Prime Minister still very proactively bowed to Gao Da.

"Prime Minister He Sai." Gao Da also stepped forward, stopping the Prime Minister's bow, and pulled him to sit on the sofa nearby, his attitude very gentle and respectful.

For Gao Da, Prime Minister He Sai is definitely his benefactor. Without the support of Prime Minister He Sai, he would definitely not have become the King of Spain.

After choosing a young foreign nobleman to become the King of Spain, Prime Minister He Sai not only did not take the opportunity to seize power but also guaranteed Gao Da a certain amount of say.

Although such a small amount of say does not affect the government's decision-making, it is at least much better than openly sidelining Gao Da.

Moreover, Prime Minister He Sai has also gradually handed over more power to Gao Da as time has passed. Just the fact that he is not greedy for power is enough to make Gao Da sincerely admire him from the bottom of his heart.

Not to mention the contributions of Prime Minister He Sai to Spain. Agricultural reform, land reclamation, literacy education, industrial development, and other achievements are enough to make Prime Minister He Sai one of the greatest prime ministers in Spain in the last hundred years, and one can even remove the word "one of."

Especially since the rule of the irritable King Fernando VII and Queen Isabel II, Spain has been sinking and decaying at an extremely fast speed.

Being able to stop this trend and reverse it, Prime Minister He Sai definitely deserves the credit.

As the saying goes, in Gao Da's heart, Prime Minister He Sai is definitely a major contributor to Spain's revival, and can even be called the greatest contributor.

As long as Prime Minister He Sai does not do anything foolish in the future, he will become the representative official that Gao Da will focus on promoting and praising throughout his entire reign. His ten-year cooperation with Gao Da will also be promoted as a close partnership similar to that of Germany's Wilhelm I and Prime Minister Bismarck, jointly writing a story and epic for future generations to read and admire.

This is truly a name that will be passed down through the ages. Even if the Kingdom of Spain were to perish in the future, this history would not be changed. For politicians, such a reputation is perhaps even more tempting than some actual benefits.

After all, the benefits obtained are tempting, but they are only temporary. This kind of story that is passed down through the ages is not something one can have just by wanting it; it requires a certain timing, a certain opportunity, and the trust of the King.

"Prime Minister He Sai, this is the shipbuilding industry development plan I have formulated based on the current backwardness of Spain's shipbuilding industry. It requires close cooperation with the government, and the relevant matters still need your attitude, Prime Minister." Gao Da smiled and took out the shipbuilding industry development plan he had already prepared, handed it to Prime Minister He Sai, and then explained with a smile.

Prime Minister He Sai nodded, took the shipbuilding industry development plan, and read it carefully.

"Integrate some private and state-owned civilian shipyards that cannot be saved, and convert them into medium-to-large military shipyards?

Help other private and state-owned civilian shipyards that can be saved to develop better, and improve Spain's shipbuilding industry system?" Prime Minister He Sai read while looking, sometimes nodding to himself, obviously taking this development plan very seriously.

Gao Da's development plan was actually only a few pages, but Prime Minister He Sai still read it for nearly half an hour.

Almost every word in the plan was read out by Prime Minister He Sai himself, and sometimes he had to think carefully, obviously respecting Gao Da's development plan quite a bit.

After reading the last word of the plan, Prime Minister He Sai first closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them again, looked at Gao Da while nodding, and said with a smile: "Looking at this plan alone, I cannot find any problems, Your Majesty."

Not finding any problems actually means agreeing, but Prime Minister He Sai will not speak too definitively. The specific development of the shipbuilding industry still requires detailed negotiation and joint funding between the government and the royal family. Prime Minister He Sai will not take on everything, as that would only bring a huge financial burden to the government.

"My plan is for the royal family and the government to each invest 15 million Pesetas to acquire certain state-owned and private civilian shipyards that can no longer be saved, and to completely integrate these shipyards, take in the shipyard workers, and then build a medium-to-large military shipyard in Valencia to replace the role of the Royal Guanizo Shipyard in certain emergencies.

The government is responsible for the land and the construction of the shipyard. The government will hold a 55% stake in this newly established military shipyard, and the royal family will hold a 45% stake. We will work together to build this shipyard.

What does Prime Minister He Sai think?" Some more complex matters naturally cannot be explained by a small plan, and Gao Da needs to provide a more detailed explanation.

Hearing Gao Da say this, Prime Minister He Sai thought for a while and finally gave his answer: "15 million Pesetas? This amount of money is not much. Your Majesty, what about the subsequent encouragement of other state-owned and private shipyards? How should that be carried out?"

Seeing that Prime Minister He Sai did not refuse the establishment of the second-largest military shipyard, Gao Da breathed a sigh of relief and began to answer the Prime Minister's new question: "The current preliminary plan is to issue certain tax reduction policies for the civilian shipbuilding industry, and for the government to take the lead in organizing the training and cultivation of some shipbuilding industry employees.

There is also the issue of solving the orders for civilian shipyards. Only by taking multiple measures can we thoroughly solve the current situation of our shipbuilding industry gradually falling behind and decaying, and let Spain's shipbuilding industry return to the forefront of the world."

There are many reasons for the decay of civilian shipyards, the most important of which can be divided into three aspects: backward technology, reduced orders, and insufficient staff.

These three aspects also influence each other. Because backward technology leads to a decrease in shipyard orders, and a decrease in orders affects the shipyard's income, eventually leading to layoffs.

And the fewer employees a shipyard has, the more impossible it is to achieve technological progress. This will make the shipyard's related technology unable to advance, eventually forming a vicious cycle.

To solve this problem, external forces are needed to solve these three problems simultaneously in an extremely tough way.

If the government and the royal family cooperate, these three problems are indeed easy to solve. Insufficient staff can be quickly trained, and backward technology can be supported. As for the lack of orders for private shipyards, they can compete for orders with foreign shipyards after having enough employees and excellent technology.

Spain still has a certain reputation in the civilian shipbuilding industry. Although it was weak for a period of time, thanks to the strong rise of military shipyards, civilian shipyards have also restored a certain reputation.

As long as we can strike while the iron is hot and accelerate the support and construction of civilian shipyards, it is no problem to compete for some international orders.

The cost of ships in civilian shipyards is not high; after all, the tonnage of these ships is not like that of main warships, which are often several thousand to nearly ten thousand tons.

They also do not need excellent armor protection and large-caliber artillery, which has saved too much in terms of cost.

Low cost means low selling price. As long as the selling price is low, more ship orders can be found from all over the world to meet the needs of the shipyard.

Previously, the Revival-class ironclad warships could not find buyers globally, but now, when it comes to civilian ships, finding a few buyers is relatively simple.

For example, those former Spanish colonies in the Americas, they may not have enough funds to build ironclad warships, but they still have enough money to build civilian ships.

In addition to these countries in the Americas, some countries in Europe with underdeveloped shipbuilding industries can also become potential customers for Spanish private shipyards.

There are also these colonies of Spain, which also need some civilian ships to strengthen their transport capacity. Shipping is an extremely advantageous mode of transport in any era, even in later generations.

Although airplanes are faster, they cannot carry much cargo and have quite strict cargo restrictions.

The speed of trains is also higher than that of transport ships, but trains must run on land, and cross-border transport is relatively troublesome.

Large transport ships are different. From one port to another, they only need to pass through the ocean along the way and replenish supplies at coastal ports.

A super-large transport ship in later generations can carry up to ten thousand or even tens of thousands of tons of cargo. If this were to be transported by airplane, it would be a bit overwhelming.

Hearing Gao Da's introduction, Prime Minister He Sai nodded, secretly estimating the expenses the government would need to bear.

In the shipbuilding industry alone, the funds that need to be invested are at least over 50 million Pesetas. If this money were to be paid by the royal family or the government alone, although it would not be a matter of hurting the foundation, it would obviously affect development in other areas.

If the royal family and the government each pay half, the problem can be solved easily. Half of 50 million Pesetas is 25 million Pesetas, which is less than one-third of the annual profit of royal enterprises and less than one-twentieth of the government's annual fiscal revenue.

Taking out this money is not a big burden for the royal family and the government. If it can effectively promote the development of military and civilian shipbuilding, it is definitely a good thing.

After thinking for a moment, Prime Minister He Sai said: "Your Majesty, I agree with your shipbuilding industry development plan. I will notify the relevant departments to cooperate closely with the royal family's actions, and I will also have the industrial department come up with a specific plan and time cycle for the construction of the shipyard.

Let the ministers of various departments and Butler Luo Lun talk about some specific matters. This is beneficial and harmless to Spain, and it is a good thing that can promote the development of Spain.

Your Majesty, do you have any naming suggestions for this medium-to-large military shipyard built after integration?"

Naming the shipyard? Gao Da shook his head; it is better for him not to participate in this kind of naming fee.

Seeing Gao Da shake his head, Prime Minister He Sai continued: "Since it is located in Valencia, why not call it the Valencia State-Owned Military Shipyard."

For a monarchy, enterprises controlled by the kingdom's government are state-owned, and enterprises controlled by the royal family are also state-owned. Enterprises jointly controlled by the kingdom's government and the royal family are naturally the most state-owned of the state-owned, so there is naturally no problem calling it a state-owned shipyard.

Gao Da also nodded and had no objection to this naming of the shipyard.

The naming of military shipyards does not need to be too fancy; a simple and clear name can improve the recognition of the military shipyard.

Just like Spain's largest military shipyard, the Royal Guanizo Shipyard, it is actually a military shipyard established by the royal family in Guanizo, and the naming is equally simple.

5400-word two-in-one chapter, please support!





(End of this chapter)