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MTL - Restart Spain-Chapter 31 Tender and Offense
The first heavyweight signing of the Spanish railway construction was from the Vanderbilt family from the United States.
This American railroad tycoon family has invested in the main lines of the entire southeast coast in one go, and the Barcelona-Valencia-Malaga line is all in their pockets.
And as the price for this section of the railway to be assigned to them, in addition to the high cost, the lines from these cities to the inner road were also handed over to them.
This kind of railway line in a developed area is given to you, and there will naturally be additional conditions. This is essential. The Spanish government is not a fool, and the Vanderbilt family will not think that there will be a good thing falling from the sky.
A few days later, the Carnegie Steel Company of Scotland announced that it had won almost half of the lines from Madrid to the major cities, and in return, it also included some railways for the construction of inner roads.
After the two blockbuster deals were concluded, the local capitalists and aristocrats in Spain began to exert their efforts, and successively won orders from cities on the northwest coast, as well as from Madrid to Zaragoza and Valjos.
The domestic railway lines of various sizes have been taken seven to eighty-eight, and there are some remote areas that are left, and these areas can only be invested and constructed by the government.
At this time, in Ceuta, North Africa, about 20,000 Moroccans were preparing to board a ship to Spain across the coast.
These Arabs, as well as Berbers, are young men with strong bodies.
Most of these people are the ones who are fed up with poverty in their hometown and have hope for the future.
"Arni, this time we go to Spain, we must work hard. After a few years, we will return to China to buy my own land."
Quest said to his friends from the country, they were a pair of children from the suburbs of Fes.
"Quist, going to Spain is different from being a parent. We must be careful not to be a standout when we go there. They Christians don't like us."
Arny is two years older than Quest. Unlike Quest's yearning for a better future, he looks at things from a much more rational angle than Quest.
"That's natural, I'll forget it. We earn money in Spain for 5 years. When we get home, we can buy a farmland and build a new house. And Miria, she promised me that she would wait for me to come back."
Quest obviously knows the importance, but his yearning for a better life fills his eyes with longing for the future, and he longs for a stable and happy life.
"That's also true. When the time comes, we will buy the fields together, and we will live together. In the future, our children will be like us, and they will be brothers."
Arnie also fantasized about his life after returning to China. The corners of his mouth were raised unconsciously, and his eyes were filled with yearning for the future.
"That's right, let them be brothers too."
Quest stretched out his fist, the two of them touched fists and smiled.
"click"
Thompson, a Spanish photographer in the distance, recorded this moment. This inadvertent action recorded this moment and made it public a hundred years later…
Arni and Quest are just two of the most common people who went to Spain to work.
When the Spanish transport ship Philip entered the port, a whistle sounded, and the two of them boarded the transport ship with the current like small waves on the waves.
What they don't know is that when they board the ship that leaves their hometown this time, they will never have the chance to return to the motherland again...
Of course, Alfonso didn't know about this little thing that happened in Ceuta. All Moroccans who boarded the cargo ship to Spain had already been sentenced to death by Alfonso in advance.
History is always written by the victors. The bones on the road to a strong country are an indispensable process, and the merits and demerits will naturally be judged by future generations.
At this time, Alfonso was worried about how to manage these Moroccans. Spain only had a standing army of 140,000 people, of which 30,000 went to Cuba.
However, the existence of the two cavalry divisions does feel a little bit abandoned by the times.
"Inform Campos to put his cavalry division in charge of the Moroccan laborers, according to the standards of prisoners of war."
Alfonso soon made up his mind, and the advent of the Maxim machine gun made the cavalry force inevitably begin to move towards the end of his historical mission.
And the construction of the railway will inevitably spread the laborers, and the high mobility of the cavalry is more conducive to guarding.
This group of people, Alfonso, intends to let them accumulate experience. After the advent of the car, the road must also be handled by Moroccans. Moroccans are now an important resource for mobility.
The local railway construction plan is proceeding in an orderly manner.
Good news also came from Castro as far away as the Caribbean. The city of Santiago raised a large number of carriages, trailers and other means of transport, which brought a huge guarantee for the army's logistical supply.
This also means that the Spanish army can launch an offensive against the rebels in the west without any worries.
The troops of the 1st and 2nd divisions began to move towards Guaymaro. This should be the last battle in the Spanish mainland.
In the Philippines, another major colony, the level of chaos began to subside significantly after securing the homeland.
Negotiations between the British and the Americans also officially began. The current US President Grant was a soldier who rose in the Civil War and was historically known as the "Mediocre President".
The British Prime Minister and the US President finally met at Buckingham Palace in England.
"President Grant, we got news that you seem to have ideas about Spain's Cuban colony, and we can express our support for that."
Disraeli said that he did not shy away from the fact that he has had a bad relationship with the Spaniard recently.
"Your Excellency Prime Minister, the United States is not stable now, and we are powerless against Cuba."
The Whiskey Group case that shocked the United States caused him a lot of trouble. What troubled him the most was that his private secretary, who had a good personal relationship with him, was also involved in the case.
"I think your country can divert domestic attention by dealing with Cuba."
Disraeli said that the attitude of the British is already obvious.
"And the British will give you diplomatic support. You only need to use the Barbados port as a supply point to provide weapons and equipment to the Cuban Independent Organization."
Grant nodded lightly, but it didn't mean he agreed. It was just the possibility of capturing Cuba. There was even a greater possibility of a war with Spain, a European power.
Although Americans are now afraid of the British, it does not mean that they are willing to be the puppies that the British call at will.
"Your Excellency Prime Minister, your country's proposal is of no benefit to our country. The benefits are not proportional to the risks. The Americans do not want to risk war with Spain because of a small Cuba."
Grant's military style was unmistakable, and he directly rejected Disraeli without any hesitation.
"It seems that only the next time is talking."
Disraeli also sighed. If the Americans are unwilling, the British will not be able to end the battle in person. Just because a war of words is really going to be a war, it will not be worth the loss for the British.
Spain unexpectedly did not have a powerful country to intervene on the road to counterinsurgency...