Chapter 238: The Ruhr Area

During these few days visiting the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Gao Da spent most of his time enjoying the scenery around Vienna with Crown Prince Rudolf, while also taking the opportunity to visit the Austro-Hungarian Empire's factories and several famous enterprises.

On the second day of Gao Da's arrival in Vienna, Spanish officials began formal talks and consultations with their Austro-Hungarian counterparts.

After more than a week of negotiations, the two sides reached another cooperation agreement. This agreement focused primarily on industrial cooperation, with the Austro-Hungarian Empire providing industrial support to Spain.

This was also a return for the Austro-Hungarian Empire's diplomatic support of Spain; after all, the relationship between the two countries also needed benefits to be maintained.

Regarding the industrial aid provided by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Gao Da had only one attitude: the more, the better.

Because the two sides had already reached cooperation in the military industry previously, the new agreement focused more on the chemical and heavy industries, with the goal of helping Spain better complete its industrial foundation.

After all, when it came down to it, Spain had been developing its industry comprehensively for less than ten years. Although the speed of industrial development was fast, there were still some deficiencies in basic industries, as well as in the chemical and heavy industries.

Part of the cooperation reached this time involved building a large-scale chemical plant in Spain to complete Spain's capabilities in the chemical sector.

Because there were subsequent diplomatic visits to be made in Germany and France, Gao Da did not stay in the Austro-Hungarian Empire for very long.

After the two governments signed the industrial cooperation agreement, Gao Da took the Spanish officials and departed from Vienna, heading north toward the German capital, Berlin.

Traveling by train the whole way had one benefit: being able to see the development and prosperity of the German region with one's own eyes.

The terrain of Germany and France had a similarity: both had many mountain ranges in the south and vast, boundless plains in the north.

France possessed the vast Western European Plain, and Germany likewise possessed the vast North German Plain, where agriculture and animal husbandry were quite developed.

This was also the advantage Germany and France held over Spain; no matter how large their populations were, both countries could satisfy the food needs of their domestic populations by relying on these vast plains.

Crossing the Sudeten Mountains, the Spanish officials shed tears of envy as they faced the vast North German Plain.

If only Spain possessed a large plain area, its current development would not be so sluggish. However, this topographical flaw was something Spain was born with; unless the Spanish government abandoned the development of the Spanish mainland, it could only silently endure the various limitations brought about by Spain's terrain.

Just like with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Spanish government had already communicated with the German government when coming for a diplomatic visit to Germany.

Although there was no alliance between Spain and Germany, the German side naturally would not refuse such a diplomatic visit where a king came in person.

Gao Da did not have many requirements for the visit to Germany, hoping only to introduce some industrial technology from Germany or reach certain cooperation agreements with German military enterprises.

Gao Da was quite interested in Germany's Krupp Company. At present, the Krupp Company was still controlled by its founder, Alfred Krupp. Although he was not as famous as his namesake and grandson, Alfred Krupp the Younger, his ability to turn a small factory that could barely survive by producing cutlery into a world-renowned German arms company was evident.

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 artillery heavily equipped by the French.

In the German capital, Berlin, Gao Da was also warmly received by the German government.

Just like the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Germany also sent its Crown Prince Friedrich to receive Gao Da.

However, unlike the Austro-Hungarian Empire, where Crown Prince Rudolf was of a similar age to Gao Da, the German Crown Prince Friedrich was born in 1831 and was already at the advanced age of 47.

German Crown Prince Friedrich was even only one year younger than the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I, which showed just how long-lived the founder of the German Empire, Wilhelm I, was.

Wilhelm I was born on March 22, 1797, and was already a person born in the previous century. Among all the heads of state in Europe, Wilhelm I was the oldest and the only monarch still alive who was born in the previous century.

This was not even the most exaggerated part. What was more exaggerated was that Wilhelm I would live for another ten years. His lifespan reached 91 years, which even caused his son, Crown Prince Friedrich, to become the famous "Hundred Days Emperor."

Although Crown Prince Friedrich passed away due to throat cancer, he was already 57 years old when he died, which was not considered an early death in this era.

It could only be said that Wilhelm I reigned for too long, causing the power of the German Empire to transition frequently in a short period, eventually arriving in the hands of the famous German Emperor Wilhelm II.

Gao Da and Crown Prince Friedrich did not have a very close relationship, but their meeting could be considered quite harmonious.

Gao Da first paid a visit to German Emperor Wilhelm I, then attended the welcome banquet prepared by the German government for him and his accompanying officials, and only then rested in the residence arranged by the German royal family.

The House of Hohenzollern was quite luxurious. As a famous European royal family, the residence they prepared for Gao Da was not just a few rooms, but a medium-to-large manor located in the suburbs of Berlin.

The Spanish officials were also arranged in another manor near Gao Da's residence, which could be reached in ten minutes even on foot.

Gao Da was quite satisfied with the residence arranged by the German government. However, Gao Da was not very satisfied with the German-style cuisine.

Having been in this world for such a long time, Gao Da had a relatively clear understanding of European cuisine. Among the cuisines of various European countries, Italian and French cuisines could be ranked at the top.

At least compared to the cuisines of other countries, Gao Da still preferred Italian and French meals. Furthermore, Gao Da also quite liked the characteristic cuisines of the two Iberian countries.

Gao Da tasted Spanish seafood paella almost every so often, and Iberian ham was a delicacy Gao Da often tasted.

But apart from these, European food was not very tasty. The only characteristic delicacies Gao Da tasted in the Austro-Hungarian Empire were schnitzel and apple strudel; it was said that the latter was a delicacy created by the chef specifically for the House of Habsburg.

As for German specialty foods, they were mainly sausages, dumplings, and pork knuckles.

Fortunately, although these delicacies were not stunning, they definitely could not be called unpalatable. Germany was not an absolute culinary desert; at least compared to the United Kingdom, German food was still presentable.

In addition to those characteristic foods, the table was also set with Königsberg meatballs, cheese noodles, beef rolls, and vinegar-braised horse meat; these were all relatively characteristic German delicacies.

Besides dumplings, one could also choose a portion of mashed potatoes or potato pancakes as a staple. The side dishes included beef soup and roast chicken, and there were many desserts and cakes after the meal; in short, it was quite sumptuous.

Gao Da admitted that his appetite had been spoiled by the chefs hired by the Wang Gong, but fortunately, the long journey had made Gao Da and the officials somewhat hungry, so they did not show any disdain for the German delicacies in front of them.

After enjoying a sumptuous meal, the welcome banquet was about to end. Gao Da and the Spanish officials had been traveling all the way, and the most important thing now was to seize the time to rest, and then discuss government affairs with German officials the next day.

The German government naturally knew this logic; after the banquet ended, they did not disturb them anymore, giving Gao Da and the Spanish officials plenty of time to rest.

A night without dreams, and time quickly arrived at the next day.

Although Gao Da did not intend to lean completely toward Germany, some cooperation in industrial aspects could still be discussed. After all, Germany was a more powerful country, and Spain could still learn a lot of experience from Germany.

Unlike the Austro-Hungarian Empire, although Germany was also willing to support Spain in industry, there were prerequisites.

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

At least for now, Gao Da was still unwilling to lean completely toward Germany. Precisely because of this, the negotiations between the Spanish government and the German government regarding the alliance fell into a stalemate.

Fortunately, both sides quickly stopped this topic and turned to discuss shallower things.

Gao Da knew that without an alliance relationship, it was impossible for Germany to help Spain for no reason.

However, even if Spain used funds to purchase German industrial equipment and related materials, it would definitely not be a loss for Spain.

The German side naturally would not tear its face off with Spain. Although the German officials were not as enthusiastic as they were on the first day of arrival, Crown Prince Friedrich still indicated that as long as German enterprises did not object, the German government would allow Spain to reach certain cooperation with German enterprises.

German private capital was quite powerful, and these private capitals all had one thing in common: they would not get up early without profit, and they would not release the hawk without seeing the rabbit.

Although Germany did not object to these enterprises reaching cooperation with Spain, if Spain wanted to obtain something from these German private enterprises, it would certainly have to pay more funds than the value of these things.

Precisely because of this, the German royal family and government, including Crown Prince Friedrich, were not worried about this at all.

Even if the Spanish government reached a certain cooperation with German enterprises, Germany would certainly be the party that profited from such cooperation.

German Chancellor Bismarck was still quite regretful that he could not achieve the goal of completely blockading France through Spain. However, completely blockading France was indeed unrealistic; after all, France still possessed the strength of one of the five great powers, and its current comprehensive strength was only second to the United Kingdom and Germany.

Pressing France too hard might even cause the United Kingdom to refocus its attention on the situation on the European continent. It would be better to maintain the current situation; in any case, Germany had already gained the advantage of hegemony on the European continent through the League of the Three Emperors and was not afraid of a French counterattack.

After the negotiations between the Spanish and German governments fell into a stalemate, Gao Da took the opportunity to propose a new suggestion: visiting Germany's Ruhr area.

The Ruhr area was located on both banks of the Ainahe and was an extremely important industrial base for Germany, known as Germany's industrial heart.

The purpose of Gao Da's trip to the Ruhr area, besides visiting the industrial development of the Ruhr area and letting Spanish officials learn valuable experience in building German industrial bases, was also to reach cooperation with some factories in the Ruhr area.

Although the Ruhr area rose to prominence relying on the coal industry, the factories in the Ruhr area had long since gone beyond just coal processing plants. As Germany's largest industrial area, the Ruhr area possessed a huge scale in the chemical industry, heavy industry, and mechanical processing industry, and was also one of the most famous comprehensive industrial bases in Europe.

Although Spain did not have the ability to build a large-scale industrial base like the Ruhr area, it could make the planning and construction of Spain's existing industrial areas more reasonable by learning from the industrial area planning experience.

Spain also possessed relatively rich coal and iron reserves, so developing an industrial base of a certain scale was naturally a matter of course. Gao Da's expectation for the Barcelona industrial base was to build it into a small-scale Ruhr area, turning the Barcelona industrial base into Spain's own industrial heart.

At present, the scale of the Barcelona industrial base was still far from that of the Ruhr area, but for Spain itself, it was already the largest industrial base in the country.

If Spain could learn some experience from the Germans in terms of industry, Spain would also go further in the construction of industrial bases.

Regarding Gao Da's request to visit the Ruhr area, the German side did not refuse after consideration.

To put it bluntly, the Ruhr area was ultimately a traditional industrial base, so there was naturally nothing to keep secret.

The strength of the Ruhr area was not some advanced industrial production technology, but the rich coal mine resources and convenient transportation on this land.

As long as one could possess the two innate conditions of rich mineral resources and convenient transportation at the same time, plus a certain scale of population, building an industrial base like the Ruhr area was not a difficult task.

The rise in industrial output was of course a good thing, but it had to be linked to the demand for industrial products. If industrial output rose too much while the domestic demand for industrial products did not grow much, an economic crisis would follow.

Germany at present had not completely emerged from the influence of the economic crisis, and German industry had also suffered huge damage in the economic crisis.

As Germany's largest industrial base, the Ruhr area was also 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 had basically resumed production.

Of course, to restore the full-scale size before the economic crisis, it would take at least a few years of recovery.

Germany could be considered to have learned a lesson in this regard, and the expansion of industrial scale was not so rapid anymore.

After obtaining the permission of the German government, Gao Da naturally did not hesitate and took a group of Spanish officials to take a train to the Ruhr area, Germany's industrial heart.

Berlin was located in the eastern part of Germany, while the Ruhr area was located in the western part of Germany.

To reach the Ruhr area, one had to take a train across most of Germany. Fortunately, the road was basically the vast North German Plain, and it was only after traveling more than half the distance that they entered the Sudeten Mountains.

Although it was called a mountain range, it could not be compared with Spain's Meseta Plateau and the Central Mountains and other high mountain areas. Because he was used to Spain's high mountain areas, these small mountain ranges in Germany were not even enough to surprise Gao Da.

Along the way, Gao Da spent more time enjoying the scenery along the way, while the accompanying officials appeared to be quite busy.

While they were paying attention to the development of Germany's inland areas, they were also recording some places worth learning from to implement after returning to Spain.

There were two cabinet ministers following Gao Da on this diplomatic visit: one was the Foreign Minister, Marquis of Everton, and the other was the current Deputy Prime Minister of the Spanish Cabinet, who also served as the Minister of Industry, Canovas.

The main purpose of the Marquis of Everton's accompaniment was to communicate with the officials of these visited countries and perfect some diplomatic procedures and so on.

After all, only the diplomatic department was good at these things, and other departments could only be said to know a little bit. In diplomatic visits between two countries, some diplomatic links and processes were still quite important.

Gao Da did not want any mistakes to occur during the diplomatic visit; light ones would lose national face, and heavy ones could potentially damage the relationship between the two countries.

The reason why Deputy Prime Minister Canovas came with Gao Da was naturally his concurrent position as Minister of Industry.

The main purpose of this visit to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Germany, and France was to obtain some industrial help and cooperation agreements from these three countries.

What Spain's industry specifically needed and what kind of cooperation agreements needed to be reached with these countries was something that needed to be decided by Canovas as the Minister of Industry.

Precisely because of this, Foreign Minister Marquis of Everton and Minister of Industry Canovas were the two busiest among all the accompanying officials.

Unlike Gao Da, who was enjoying the scenery along the way in a leisurely manner, the two of them were quite busy along the way, and sometimes even had to pull many officials together for meetings.

Trains in this era were very slow, but the width of Germany's territory was not too exaggerated.

From Berlin to the Ruhr area, the straight-line distance was less than 500 kilometers. And the speed of trains in this era was generally 25-30 kilometers per hour, which also meant that it would only take about a day to reach the Ruhr area from Berlin.

Because this train was designated as a special train by the German government, the actual time required would be even less. There were also quite spacious rooms and soft beds on the special train, so at least Gao Da and the Spanish officials were not too exhausted.

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

The Ruhr area was not a city, but a large industrial area formed by the combination of many cities.

Within the scope of the Ruhr area, there were more than 50 towns of various sizes, including medium and large-scale cities such as Dortmund, Essen, and Duisburg.

Because they arrived by train, Gao Da and his party came directly to Dortmund, located in the middle of the Ruhr area, which was also the transportation hub of the Ruhr area.

5000-word two-in-one chapter, please support!





(End of chapter)