Chapter 344: Primo High School

While the war in the Balkans was being fought fiercely, over in Spain, Carlos was also carrying out new reforms.

Rather than calling them reforms, it would be better to call them some small plans for the future.

The future here is not for Carlos, but for the next heir to the throne, Prince Hu An Fernando.

Prince Hu An Fernando was born in May 1875 and is currently about to turn 14.

As mentioned before, the little fellow is quite serious about his studies, and his grades in all subjects are excellent, earning high praise from the teachers Carlos specifically hired.

As he reaches the age of 14, the preliminary education Carlos prepared for him has been completed; next, he needs to undergo higher-level advanced education, while simultaneously incorporating training in military and political capabilities.

Regarding the education of the subsequent heir to the Spanish throne, Carlos has his own ambitions and plans.

To avoid the appearance of dim-witted monarchs like those of the Bourbon dynasty in the future, the years from when the heir to the throne turns 14 until they come of age will be the most important stage of education.

Carlos spares no expense in hiring famous teachers from all over the world, and even creates certain scenarios for him to exercise his abilities.

Besides the importance of the heir's own abilities, it is also quite important whether the next King of Spain can gain his own support during this time.

If a king wants to manage his country properly, he clearly cannot do it alone. He must have a certain number of capable subordinates to handle the numerous government affairs of a country.

Carlos has considered this point for a long time and finally decided to establish the Primo High School, allowing Prince Hu An Fernando and future heirs to the Spanish throne to exercise their abilities there and find their future helpers.

Primo High School will integrate the former Royal Knights, recruiting talented young people from the noble class to cultivate them, letting them become companions to the princes.

Integrating the power of the nobility is something Carlos must do, and it is something the future King of Spain must do.

At any time, the nobility is the king's greatest support and also the most loyal and reliable class.

Times are different now. It has been 20 years since Carlos became the King of Spain, and the local Spanish nobility can only choose to be loyal to Carlos; the former Bourbon dynasty has become a thing of the past, and the remnants of the Bourbons cannot be restored in Spain.

From the movements of these old-fashioned nobles, one can also see that they are gradually aligning themselves with Carlos and the Spanish royal family.

When Carlos proposed the West Africa Development Plan, these old-fashioned nobles used a large amount of manpower and material resources to develop African land.

The nobles also sensibly sold some of their local land to the government and the royal family, which allowed the local Spanish population to surge while the per capita arable land did not decrease on a large scale.

Although even today a large number of nobles still control a considerable portion of Spain's land, it is already much better than the status quo when Carlos first became the King of Spain.

Carlos does not expect to hold all the land of these nobles in his hands; after all, for the old-fashioned nobles, this land is also the foundation of their survival.

As long as the rent these nobles charge for the land is not too harsh, it can ensure that Spanish farmers have enough income to maintain food and clothing.

It is precisely because of the good sense of these nobles that Spain's African development plan has become very smooth.

Spain's large-scale industrial construction began in the era of Carlos's rule, which resulted in Spain's private capital not being very strong, apart from the official capital led by the royal family and the government.

At this time, the nobility became a very important support; the wealth they hold is quite large, and after investing in African development, it is quite important for the construction of African colonies.

For these sensible nobles, Carlos naturally would not be stingy.

If there are nobles willing to concentrate their efforts on developing African land, Spain is willing to purchase their local land at a price higher than the market price.

If they are unwilling to sell, they can also adopt the method of exchanging land for land.

For land in different colonies, the ratio of land exchange is also different.

The land with the lowest value is the land in the South Morocco colony; 1 acre of land in Spain can be exchanged for 10 acres of land in the South Morocco colony.

As for the more fertile land in the West Africa colony, the exchange ratio for Spanish land can only reach 1: , that is, 1 acre of Spanish land is exchanged for 3 acres of land in the West Africa colony.

Although such a land exchange ratio is not very high, the advantage is that the African colonies have a large amount of free labor.

After these nobles exchange their land for land in the African colonies, they can unscrupulously exploit and squeeze the local African natives, and no one cares about the life or death of these African natives.

The grain produced on the land can be chosen to be transported to Spain or various European countries for sale, or it can be sold to official grain trading companies at market prices.

On this point, Carlos will not cheat his own people; the prices given by the import and export companies are quite reasonable and will definitely not let these nobles who are deeply involved in the colonies lose money.

In other words, these nobles go to the colonies to develop land, and they are doing business that is almost guaranteed to make a profit.

Those who want to obtain large-scale land at once can choose the land exchange method. Using Spanish land to exchange for large tracts of already cultivated farmland, and then hiring some African natives who cost almost nothing, they can conduct their own plantation business.

If they feel that land exchange is not cost-effective, they can also obtain sufficient funds by selling land and then cultivate farmland in the African colonies on their own.

Still the same sentence, it is precisely because the African colonies have enough labor that these nobles have more choices.

When the first batch of nobles who went to the African colonies made money, the remaining nobles naturally would not hesitate and joined the wave of making big money by investing in the development of the African colonies.

As of May 1889, the total amount of land exchanged by these nobles has exceeded 1 million acres, which is more than 4, 00 square kilometers of land when converted.

Because the land in the West Africa colony is the most fertile and most suitable for agricultural planting, most of the land exchanged by the nobles is in the West Africa colony.

Through the 1: exchange ratio, the nobles quickly mastered more than 12, 00 square kilometers of land in the West Africa colony; these lands are full of plantations or farms, each of which is a place of labor for African natives.

This is also the reason for the rapid growth of agricultural production in the West Africa colony. This 12, 00 square kilometers of land is equivalent to 3 million acres, 1. 14 million hectares, or 18. 1 million mu.

How exaggerated is such a large area of arable land?

This means that the grain output of the West Africa colony has the hope of exceeding Spain in the future, and even the so-called future is not far away.

It is worth mentioning that the current grain yield per mu in the West Africa colony is higher than that in Spain. One reason is that the West Africa colony can achieve two or even three harvests a year, which also doubles or triples the grain yield per mu.

The second reason is that the West Africa colony has made extensive use of chemical fertilizer technology, and because the entire colony is crossed by rivers, there is no shortage of water for irrigation.

The land in Spain is relatively short of water, and because of the many mountainous areas, the actual grain yield per mu in Spain is lower than that of various European countries.

The land in the West Africa colony has well compensated for this defect, and the grain yield per mu has reached more than twice that of Spain.

Under such circumstances, these 18. 1 million mu of land can easily produce nearly 1. million tons of grain.

Such grain output has exceeded one-third of Spain's grain output, and this only counts the land in the West Africa colony controlled by the nobles.

Of course, the actual grain output of the land controlled by the nobles will not be so exaggerated; after all, it is certainly impossible for all these lands to be used for cultivating farmland.

Whether it is buildings or roads, or other water conservancy facilities, etc., they all consume a large amount of land area.

However, what is certain is that after the land in the West Africa colony mastered by the nobles is fully cultivated, the grain output can still be increased to the level of one million tons, which is one-fourth of Spain's grain output.

According to the estimate that 4 million tons of grain is enough for 20 million people to eat, this 1 million tons of grain is enough for 5 million people to eat.

In addition to the land controlled by the nobles, many immigrants have also cultivated a large amount of land, as well as the land cultivated by the Spanish government through the West Africa Development Plan; these lands added together can also provide nearly one million tons of grain output.

According to Spain's current total grain output, all grain, vegetables, and fruits added together, the annual grain output can feed at least 35 million people.

This actually means that even if Spain's agricultural scale does not have much growth in the next few years, there will be no grain crisis in Spain.

The nobles made a lot of money in Africa, so they naturally gathered more unitedly around the royal family and Carlos. Carlos naturally would not refuse the allegiance of the nobles; this is also the reason why Carlos wants to integrate the power of all the nobles to be used as much as possible for himself and the future heir to the throne.

The previously mentioned Primo High School, the origin of the name is obviously the former Prime Minister of Spain, Primo.

Although Prime Minister Primo's reputation is not that good, after all, he promoted reforms that had a profound impact on Spain, harming the interests of many classes.

But for Carlos, Prime Minister Primo's ability and loyalty are worthy of affirmation. This high school, which will cultivate royal family members and noble members, is named after Prime Minister Primo, which also represents Carlos's expectation, hoping that this high school can cultivate more talents like Primo.

Ability is important, and loyalty is also important.

Carlos's vision for such a high school had already passed through his mind many times, and after confirming his plan, the education department also acted accordingly.

This high school will be funded by the royal family, inviting the most famous teachers and experts in all of Spain and even all of Europe to teach the students of the high school rich cultural knowledge and relevant theories.

In addition to normal cultural courses, the high school also opened courses related to politics and military affairs, cultivating students' interests and abilities in these two aspects.

If it is determined that there is a certain talent and interest, once graduating from Primo High School, one can go to the corresponding university for further studies to deepen one's corresponding professional ability.

To put it bluntly, this high school is to cultivate political and military talents for the heir to the Spanish throne.

Studying together from the high school stage can also allow the heir to the throne and the nobles to cultivate deeper feelings and strengthen their loyalty.

For the nobles, they certainly will not miss the opportunity to let their children study with the future king.

The nobility and the king prosper together and suffer together. Only by gaining the full trust of the king can the nobility let go and exert their abilities.

This can also be considered as cultivating a team for his son, Prince Hu An Fernando, in advance. According to the little fellow's age, when his classmates have certain abilities and enter the high level of the country, it will be about time for Carlos to abdicate and let the younger heir take the helm of the country.

By then, the new king will have his own confidants in the political arena and the military, and he will not have to worry about being sidelined by the prime minister and the parliament.

If he is a monarch with great talent and bold vision, he can naturally gradually control the government and the military through his own abilities, and then realize his aspirations and ambitions.

If he has no ability and ambition, he can also maintain a certain influence through his confidants, and let the throne be passed down safely, without having to pay too much attention to government and military affairs.

This is almost another trump card that Carlos left for the future heir to the throne.

The reason why the German Emperor Wilhelm II was sidelined in the middle and late stages of World War I was, on the one hand, that the influence of the Junker nobles at that time was already extremely huge, and Wilhelm II could no longer suppress it.

On the other hand, his grandfather and father passed away one after another in a short period of time, and Wilhelm II had not yet cultivated enough influence and prestige before he hurriedly ascended the throne, so he naturally did not have such high control over the government and the military.

Sure enough, after the news of the establishment of Primo High School spread, the Spanish nobles found excuses to ask to see Carlos, wanting to stuff their children into the high school.

On the one hand, they have the opportunity to become classmates with the future His Majesty the King, and on the other hand, this is also a good opportunity for the children of the nobility to expand their network of relationships.

Such a high school, those who can enter are either nobles or the children of high-ranking officials. At most, some capitalists donate money to enter, but those who can donate money to enter are a minority after all.

Most of the students have deep family backgrounds; letting their children enter and be classmates with them, that is definitely far more beneficial than harmful.

The school was chosen at a manor in the suburbs of Madrid, the advantage is that it can be opened without too much renovation.

It is not far from the urban area of Madrid, and because it is located in the suburbs, the place is also quite large, and students' hobbies can be cultivated during leisure time between classes, such as equestrianism, archery, etc.

There are still 4 months from May to the start of school in September, which is completely enough for the education department to open this school.

The lack of teachers in the early stage is not a big problem; at worst, teachers can be drawn from Spanish universities and other high schools, and then teachers can be slowly hired from abroad to fill the vacancies.

Anyway, after 20 years of development in Spain's education industry, there is no shortage of relatively excellent teaching talents.

In order to cultivate students' hobbies and abilities in politics and military affairs, Carlos even intends to let military generals come over every once in a while to give lectures to the students, tell interesting stories in the military, and cultivate the patriotic feelings of these noble children.

Students of this age are quite hot-blooded; if their patriotic feelings are cultivated a little, they can grow into hot-blooded patriotic teenagers.

Letting them be fanatically patriotic is better than engaging in other hobbies; noble children should serve the country, and establishing merits can also allow their family's titles to be passed down.

As soon as the news of the establishment of Primo High School was released, it immediately attracted the enthusiastic registration of a large number of nobles.

According to the report from the high school principal appointed by Carlos, hundreds of children from more than a hundred nobles have submitted registration information, which also means that this year's enrollment for the noble group is full.

Primo High School will certainly not be like ordinary high schools; the number of high school students enrolled each year will not exceed 200.

Among them, about 160 places are for nobles, more than 10 places are for children of non-noble high-ranking officials, and the remaining 20-30 places are prepared for the children of those capitalists.

The reason why some places were prepared for capitalists is mainly to obtain some school operating funds from the hands of capitalists.

Although it is only a high school, the annual operating expenses of Primo High School are at least hundreds of thousands of pesetas.

After all, the most elite education is carried out here; not only do they have to teach students ordinary cultural courses, but they also have to cultivate their interests and hobbies in politics, military affairs, and even other aspects.

Don't say, Carlos even prepared monthly target shooting training for these students. For the European noble group of this era, equestrianism and target shooting training are must-learns.

Even in the noble groups of many countries, there is the phenomenon of dueling; in the internet of later generations, one can actually find videos of duels of nobles of this era.

Once a conflict arises between two nobles, if they are unable to resolve it, they will arrange a duel.

The duel basically consists of two nobles standing within a range of 10 meters, each holding a revolver, to see who can kill the other.

Generally, such close-range duels do not have good outcomes; only a very small number of lucky individuals manage to kill their opponent without being hit themselves.

After all, at a distance of under 10 meters, as long as a noble has had even a little bit of marksmanship training, it is hard to say they would miss.

The noble who wins the duel will also win the final argument; whether it is a dispute over land or property, the winner of the duel gets it.

Although duels are a matter of life and death, the noble class of this era does not reject them. Nobles even take pride in dueling and look down upon those who are cowardly in a duel.

After Yu Kaluo vigorously developed bullfighting activities, the dueling method of Spanish nobles also changed from firearm duels to bullfighting duels.

Once an irreconcilable conflict breaks out between nobles, they will arrange to go to the bullring together and use bullfighting to decide the winner.

Although bullfighting is also dangerous, compared to close-range firearm duels, the survival rate is much higher.

Moreover, bullfighting activities can also cultivate the bellicose and brave spirit of the nobles. Apart from giving the nobles a greater probability of survival, there is not much difference between bullfighting duels and the previous firearm duels.

After all, this is the first enrollment for the Shengpulimo High School, and Yu Kaluo ordered the principal of the high school to carefully select from these noble children who applied, picking those noble descendants who truly have ability and talent to join the high school.

This is the first screening criterion; the second screening criterion is to select the children of Grand Dukes, Dukes, and Hou Jue as much as possible.

There is no help for it; the number of Spanish nobles is simply too large, and Counts and Barons with lower titles basically receive no respect.

Just counting the high-ranking noble titles of Grand Duke, Duke, and Hou Jue, the number of Spanish nobles who possess them adds up to hundreds.

Under such circumstances, if the enrollment of Shengpulimo High School also had to take care of Counts and Barons, those 200 enrollment spots would clearly not be enough.

(End of this chapter)