Chapter 66: The Kidnapped Three Founders of Mercedes-Benz

The two telegrams from Kadier Buluon, sent less than a week and a half apart, left Carlos with vastly different moods.

The first telegram briefly stated that Gramme was willing to accept Carlos's invitation, accompanied by several technical staff members from the French Electric Company.

This made Carlos very happy; the gains from such poaching were far more effective than Spain cultivating its own electrical talent.

He could even rely on Gramme and the other technical staff who arrived with him to build a Spanish electric company from scratch, allowing Spain to walk at the forefront of electrical energy utilization.

But the second telegram, arriving a week and a half later, left Carlos with quite complicated feelings.

Because the telegram said that after Kadier Buluon arrived in Germany, he successfully found the Benz that Carlos had mentioned, and also discovered several excellent talents in the fields of mechanical engineering and engines.

But not everyone was as destitute as Benz and Gramme. Some had already married and had children, and had received invitations from larger machinery factories.

In order to successfully complete Carlos's orders, Kadier Buluon had no choice but to resort to the most desperate method: forcibly kidnapping these people to Spain.

And when he saw the list of people Kadier Buluon had kidnapped, Carlos was shocked.

Along with Karl Benz, had Kadier Buluon coincidentally rounded up the three great founders of the future Mercedes-Benz company?

Yes, those two poor souls who were kidnapped were two of the three great founders of the Mercedes-Benz company: Daimler and Maybach.

Although kidnapping as a means would certainly bring some trouble, if the ones being kidnapped were the three great founders of the Mercedes-Benz company, then this bit of trouble was acceptable.

The achievements of these three were not just as simple as founding the Mercedes-Benz company. In the field of automotive engines, these three could be called pioneers, and they were also the most excellent talents in the engine field of this era.

At the same time, Spain, having collected these three talents, could at least be said to possess a considerable advantage in the automotive field now.

And for Carlos, assembly line production, which allows cars to quickly expand their market and reduce costs, was not a difficult task.

Fortunately, Daimler and Maybach had not yet done anything to cause a sensation in Germany, so even if they went missing in Germany, it would not attract the attention of the German government.

With current technology, as long as Kadier Buluon handled the aftermath meticulously, the local government would never be able to find out how these people went missing.

As long as Carlos could make them stay in Spain willingly after they arrived, then this matter could be considered a complete success.

Of course, whether they were willing or not, they couldn't go back to Germany anyway.

After all, kidnapping was not an honorable thing, so it was impossible to let them spread the word.

Amidst Carlos's expectant waiting, a group of talents slowly arrived in Madrid.

The first to arrive in Madrid were Gramme's family and several of Gramme's friends.

Carlos had clearly underestimated the attractiveness of the conditions he offered to these researchers and practitioners in the electrical field.

After agreeing to the invitation, Gramme did not hesitate at all; after resigning from his original company, he boarded the train to Spain with these friends who also wanted to come to Spain.

And after hearing from Gramme himself about the conditions Carlos had proposed, more than a dozen researchers and practitioners in the electrical field immediately chose to come to Spain.

There was no help for it; the conditions Carlos offered were simply too tempting. Spain was not far from France to begin with, and coupled with such generous terms, it was not surprising that some people were moved.

On the day Gramme arrived in Madrid, Carlos met with him in the Wang Gong and reiterated the conditions Kadier Buluon had proposed to him.

Gramme was appointed as the General Director of the Spanish Royal Electrical Research Institute and Chief Consultant of the Royal Electrical Company, needing only to specialize in electrical research.

Carlos was also quite generous with Gramme's salary. Upon learning that Gramme's original annual salary was less than 100 pounds, Carlos immediately and boldly stated he would quintuple it, raising his annual salary to 13, 00 pesetas.

At the same time, regarding the research and development funds for the Electrical Research Institute, Carlos also stated that he could use up to 300, 00 pesetas per year at will.

Gramme had never seen such a generous boss; he immediately stated that he would focus on the research at the Electrical Research Institute and even said he could start work the next day.

Carlos also showed a generous attitude toward the researchers and practitioners in the electrical industry who came with Gramme.

Compared to their wages in France, their current wages were all doubled, and they were provided with free housing in Madrid.

As long as they could make certain contributions at the Electrical Research Institute, they could receive more rewards, and could also increase their income or receive titles of nobility based on their contributions.

Carlos also specifically stated that he was very happy to see people become nobles by making contributions in various ways.

Whether they were farmers, workers, scientists, or soldiers, as long as they made sufficient contributions, they could all receive the reward of a title.

This statement was very encouraging to those electrical researchers who had traveled from afar from France; after all, they had not received such attention in France before, nor were the channels for advancement so broad.

In France, they could only manage to feed themselves and couldn't even touch the edge of the middle class. But in Spain, as long as they worked hard, they would have more income, and even have the opportunity to become middle class or even the upper echelons of the country. Wasn't this more promising than staying in Paris?

Under the attraction of the power of money, Gramme's friends all expressed that joining Spain was the wisest decision of their lives, and their words were full of gratitude toward Carlos.

Carlos certainly wouldn't believe their flattery. But the fact that these guys were quickly won over by the power of money also proved one thing: a large number of scientists and researchers in this era were still living in poverty, and their inventions and research might change the world in the future.

If these scientists could be attracted to defect through money, it would be a good thing for both those scientists and Spain; it could be called a win-win.

However, one must be careful that poaching scientists on a large scale would attract the attention of other countries. Before other countries valued scientists, the conditions Carlos could offer were unique and naturally possessed high attractiveness.

But if all countries spared no cost to poach scientists, Spain's meager assets would not be enough to compete with other countries.

Therefore, poaching scientists and technical personnel had to be done in secret, and it was best not to arouse the suspicion of other countries.

Once Spain had secretly accumulated a reserve of scientists and technical talent, there would be no need to worry about the talent reserve plan being destroyed.

First update, asking for support!





(End of chapter)