Chapter 388

The entire construction process of the Banamayunhe is quite complex, and for Gao Da, there is no need to worry about the United States obtaining the right to lead the construction of the Banamayunhe in the short term.

At this time, the company responsible for building the Banamayunhe is a French construction company, which took over this project from another French enterprise under the leadership of the French government.

In order to prevent the French from obtaining the operating rights to the canal after building it, the Americans went to great lengths to create trouble during the process of this French company building the Banamayunhe.

The route of the Banamayunhe designed by the French runs parallel to the Panama Railway operated by the Americans; the reason for this design is to facilitate the transport of materials.

However, the United States did not cooperate with the French canal construction efforts at all; the railway department set up multiple obstacles for the distribution of transported materials and adopted passive measures, delaying the progress of material transport as much as possible.

Forced into a corner, the French enterprise had to buy this railway, which was only worth 7.5 million marks, at the exorbitant price of 25.5 million marks, which also caused huge problems for the company's capital.

This was not the end of it. Although the French enterprise bought this railway built by the Americans, for the sake of stability, they did not dismiss the American employees of the railway department.

These American employees remained within the French company to continue causing trouble, making it impossible for the Panama Railway, which already belonged to France, to effectively transport materials for the canal construction.

If it were only this, the United States could only delay the construction speed of the canal to a certain extent.

Besides external pressures like the United States, the French canal construction company also had huge problems in its business management. With the executive layer headed by Lei Madu, even under the circumstances where the canal construction was suffering from heavy obstacles, they still unscrupulously embezzled the funds from the publicly issued canal stocks.

In order to cover up the truth, they continued to issue various types of debt and used large amounts of funds to bribe local officials.

According to records, 150 ministers and members of parliament of the French government accepted bribes one after another, which is also the reason why this canal company could still remain safe and sound under the circumstances where the project construction could no longer meet expectations.

Of course, paper cannot wrap up fire in the end. In 1889, this French canal company finally reached the end of its rope and eventually had to declare bankruptcy.

The French company currently building the Banamayunhe took over the canal project under these exact circumstances.

From this aspect, it can also be seen that the French government has certain ambitions regarding the sovereignty of the Banamayunhe. They do not want the operating and management rights of the Banamayunhe to fall into the hands of the Americans; after all, if the Banamayunhe is completed, this is a vital passage for traffic between the east and west coasts of Beimeizhou, and just collecting tolls would be enough to count money until one's hands go soft.

Gao Da does not care when the construction period of the Banamayunhe ends. For Gao Da, as long as the operating and management rights of the Banamayunhe do not fall into the hands of the Americans, then whoever controls the Banamayunhe is completely acceptable.

Of course, the best situation is for Spain to also become one of the shareholders of the Banamayunhe, participating in the daily operation and management of the Banamayunhe, to limit the development of the United States to a greater extent.

The reason why the United States in history finally obtained the operating and management rights of the Banamayunhe is mainly because they obtained the support of the British, and the only competitor they faced was France.

And now, because the British have already ended the Boer War, it is highly probable that the British government will not give up the ownership of the canal and let the Americans take advantage for nothing.

The French government is even less likely. From the construction of the canal until now, it has always been French enterprises that have put in the effort. Although the previous French canal company's progress in the canal construction was indeed too slow, and the company's own business management problems were very serious.

But it cannot be denied that this French canal company has already completed one-third of the total project, and the French are the contributors to the Banamayunhe's construction to date.

As for the United States, which has always wanted the sovereignty of the Banamayunhe, they have made no contribution to the canal's construction and have even been constantly creating trouble for the French company.

It cannot be denied that the United States has already achieved the feat of the student surpassing the master in terms of capital. Compared to European countries, the United States is a capitalist country through and through.

Capital holds supreme power in the United States, and this customary method in business is naturally second nature to the U. S. government.

However, for Gao Da, these methods used by the United States just served as a reminder to him. Since the United States can use these dirty business methods, why can't Spain use such methods to fight back?

Gao Da is still very interested in these countries in Nanmeizhou. Although there is no true great power in Nanmeizhou, the resources of these countries in Nanmeizhou are still relatively abundant.

Brazil possesses extremely rich reserves of iron ore, Argentina possesses vast stretches of black soil that can be used for planting or animal husbandry. Chile possesses huge reserves of nitrate mines, while Colombia possesses the Panama region, which is the most excellent place for canal construction.

Besides this, most Nanmeizhou countries were once colonies of Spain, and the populations of these countries are basically descendants of mixed-race unions between Spaniards and local indigenous people.

For Spain, most of the population from Nanmeizhou is acceptable, except for those black people.

This is no longer as simple as affecting the development of the United States; if Spain can incorporate Nanmeizhou into its own sphere of influence and can continuously improve its comprehensive strength, this is what Gao Da truly wants to do.

Even if the development speed of the United States is slowed down, the land area and mineral resources of the United States are still there, and the comprehensive strength of this country will not be too bad.

Only by trying every possible way to improve Spain's own strength can it be ensured that Spain has the confidence to fight the United States at any time.

As time gets closer and closer to the 20th century, Gao Da finally felt a trace of urgency.

Starting from the middle of 1897, Gao Da almost asked the academicians of the Royal Academy of Sciences about their research progress every month, hoping that Spain could be one step ahead of other countries in fields like airplanes and tanks.

Currently, Spain has made certain breakthroughs in both the Sky project and the Water Cabinet project. The Sky project refers to airplanes, and the Water Cabinet project refers to tanks.

Because he knew that research and development in the airplane field is not that easy, Gao Da only provided his own ideas about airplanes to the Sky project, and after that, he did not pay much attention to the progress of the Sky project.

Currently, it is heard that the Sky project team is building the first airplane, and perhaps within two years, it will be able to welcome its first flight experiment.

Unlike the slow-progressing Sky project team, the Water Cabinet project team, which specializes in developing tanks, has made certain progress.

Actually, to put it bluntly, the most primitive tank design is also very simple. It is nothing more than a structure similar to a car, installing a thin layer of steel plate on the car, and then installing a machine gun or artillery piece.

If it were only such a tank with a relatively simple principle, currently Spain, relying on the production line of the Royal Benz Automobile Company, could completely build thousands of them in a short time. But the problem is, Spain does not need such crude tanks. Gao Da hopes more that Spain can possess tanks in the true sense before World War I, playing an extremely important role in the land wars of World War I.

Especially in some offensive wars, whoever can first achieve huge battle results can naturally obtain the largest share of the post-war benefit distribution.

If it were an enemy of France, tanks might be used in the campaign to attack Paris. If it were an enemy of Germany, tanks might be used in the campaign to attack Berlin.

For Spain, who the enemy is is not important; what is important is whether Spain can possess such an important weapon as a tank before the war breaks out.

The good news is that the current tank research and development has already made certain progress. The current tanks also have certain similarities to the tanks of later generations, and their role in war has already been able to be reflected.

But the bad news is that because a relatively thick layer of steel plate is covered around the tank, this has caused the tank's power system to bear incomparable pressure.

Currently, the tank has no major problems in terms of steel armor protection and firepower; the biggest problem is concentrated in the power aspect.

Such tanks often break down before they have driven a few kilometers, and the power system goes on strike. It just so happens that the power system is the most important thing for a tank; if the tank cannot move on its own, isn't this just a larger and heavier artillery piece?

Seeing the problems reported by the tank research and development project team, Gao Da understood that Spain must conduct deeper research in the field of engines.

Currently, Spain has an engine research laboratory, but this engine research laboratory is responsible to the Royal Benz Automobile Company, and the main research field is also the gasoline engines used by cars.

For such larger and clumsier machinery as tanks, the power of gasoline engines is obviously insufficient. There must be a more powerful diesel engine to provide power for the tank, which also means that Spain must also have its own engine research laboratory for tanks.

This is not the end of it. Tanks need engines, and airplanes naturally also need engines.

Rather than waiting for problems to appear during the airplane research and development process, it is better to conduct research on airplane engines early and solve the problem of airplane engines one step ahead.

Thinking of this, Gao Da no longer hesitated and immediately ordered the Royal Security Intelligence Bureau to pay attention to scientists in the field of engines across Europe and to use every possible means to win these scientists over to Spain.

Because the research on engines is related to Spain's research and development in tanks and airplanes, Spain will spare no means to win over talent.

If normal conditions still cannot attract these scientists in the field of engines to join Spain, then it can only be done through forced kidnapping.

Anyway, for Spain, letting these talents disappear is always better than letting these talents remain in non-Spanish countries.

Although such a scientist is only one person, the scientific research results they develop are sometimes more powerful than a division.

Very quickly, a list provided by the Royal Security Intelligence Bureau was presented on Gao Da's desk.

Among the lists of many internal combustion engine scientists in various European countries, Gao Da saw at a glance a famous figure of later generations, Rudolf Diesel.

Without the slightest hesitation, Gao Da immediately ordered the Royal Security Intelligence Bureau to kidnap Rudolf Diesel to Spain at all costs.

This internal combustion engine developer, who is hailed as the father of the diesel engine, has extraordinary strategic value. The diesel engine he developed became the main power source for submarines of various countries during World War I, and the diesel engine was also widely used in later generations; this point alone is enough for Gao Da to invite him to Spain at all costs.

The Royal Security Intelligence Bureau also attached a file about Rudolf Diesel. This scientist, born in 1858, is not yet 40 years old.

Rudolf Diesel's parents were both German, but he was born and raised in Paris. When the Franco-Prussian War broke out, the Rudolf Diesel family had to flee to London and finally returned to Germany.

In Germany, Rudolf Diesel received a good education and was valued by the famous mechanical professor Linde.

After working in Switzerland and Paris for several years, Rudolf Diesel resolutely resigned and founded his own engine laboratory.

After seeing these materials, Gao Da valued Rudolf Diesel even more and was very much looking forward to what kind of progress Spain would have in engine research after inviting him to Spain.

Although Diesel's research and development is more in the field of diesel engines, some of his ideas about engine structure are still widely used in later generations.

For such a scientific research talent, Gao Da only has respect. If Diesel is willing to come to Spain, that is naturally the best; Gao Da can provide him with the best research and development environment in the world and provide him with enough funds to develop the internal combustion engines he wants to develop.

Whether it is the diesel engine developed by Rudolf Diesel in the early stage or the bio-gasoline engine he wanted to develop later but did not have time to develop, Gao Da can give him all the support he can think of.

About a week passed, and the Royal Security Intelligence Bureau finally brought Gao Da a piece of good news, which is that Rudolf Diesel is about to arrive in Spain.

Originally, he was unwilling to come to Spain. After all, in the past few years, Rudolf Diesel's research on engines has already had huge results, and the engine currently being tested has already shown extremely powerful potential.

Rudolf Diesel also received strong support from investors, which is also his confidence in refusing the recruitment of the Royal Security Intelligence Bureau.

But such a small number of investors is naturally not worth mentioning to the Royal Security Intelligence Bureau.

It doesn't even need the intelligence personnel of the Royal Security Intelligence Bureau to take action; the Paris branch of the Benz Automobile Company can solve these investors.

In front of a large enterprise like the Benz Automobile Company, these investors were quite sensible and soon "voluntarily" gave up their support for Diesel.

It is also for this reason that Rudolf Diesel finally came to Spain.

For now, one update of 4,000 words, and there will be another update after 12 o'clock in the evening.

(End of this chapter)