I Became The Crown Prince Of The Mexican Empire - Chapter 109



Only Noblemtl

Core Cities and Capitalists (3)

“You won’t regret it.”

Hernando Mora was confident, because this wasn’t the first or second time he had signed a contract like this.

Philippine President Jose Garcia read the contract carefully again and signed it.

Swish swish-

“I hope this can be a mutually beneficial contract.”

“Don’t worry. Our company has the expertise to explore and develop resources. As I said, we have signed similar contracts in several countries in South America and have been doing well for many years. The reason we were able to do so is because it was mutually beneficial.”

The overseas resource development project that started with coal from Colombia, guano from Peru, and saltpeter from Chile also expanded to Venezuela. From the perspective of the government of that country, it was a convenient contract in which the country would explore and develop resources without investment, and even hire local workers, while also receiving a share of the profits.

It would be more profitable to develop it ourselves if possible, but it is not a bad choice for countries that do not have money, equipment, or technology, and President Garcia of the Philippines, who is more cautious than the dictators in South America, also agreed.

This led to the signing of the ‘Agreement for Exploration and Development of Gold Mines in Mindanao Island’. It was a contract between the Philippine government and Mora Resources.

“I believe it is a company owned by His Highness the Crown Prince of the Mexican Empire.”

“Haha, it seems you have done a lot of research on His Highness the Crown Prince.”

Hernando Mora was referring to the ‘Illegal Land Recovery Act’ recently passed and implemented by the Philippine government.

It was a bill to confiscate all the Spaniards who remained in the Philippines, the former governors who had declared themselves to be kings, the lands of some vested interests who had received concessions and lands from the king’s side, and everything contained in those lands.

“The more I studied about him, the more I realized that the current golden age of Mexico was all his. As the president of a newly independent nation, he was a great inspiration to us in the Philippines on the direction we should take.”

“He’s a great man. If you need any help implementing the bill, feel free to let me know. I’m not a military man, but I’ve been in situations like this many times, and I’ve found that if you collect old weapons left in Mexico and sell them, it can be very helpful.”

“Oh, that part is fine. We have plenty of weapons, thanks to the support we received from the Pacific Fleet.”

The weapons provided by the Pacific Fleet were old-fashioned to Mexico, but modern in the Philippines’ weapons situation.

In the Philippines, too, many who had their property plundered resisted, but they were unable to defeat the central army armed with the weapons they had received.

Even if they won, there was a problem, and most did not resist because they thought that if the Philippine government was in danger, the Mexican Empire’s Pacific Fleet would likely intervene. This was a perception that arose because the Pacific Fleet had helped the new government subdue the provinces that had not joined the Philippine Republic.

If you do not resist, they will allow you to pack your valuables in large bags or carts depending on the size of the land.

“I see. I hope the Philippines develops well.”

Hernando Mora was sincere.

His company brought a lot of money to many countries in South America, but few of them put that money to good use.

The rulers were busy sharing the profits from selling resources with their own entourage, and the people remained poor.

Those who succeeded in changing the government by using the people’s discontent as an excuse also committed similar acts, which led to unstable public security and the people end up bearing all the pain.

Thank goodness the Philippines won’t be going down that path.

***

“Let’s go to the factory today. The waterworks and sewerage side will be able to proceed without me for a while.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

I have left many of the city’s buildings, except for the water and sewer systems, to the architects of Ortega Construction, but there are some buildings that have not been built.

It is a disinfectant production plant. This plant must begin mass production of chlorinated lime and aluminum sulfate before the completion of the water supply and sewage system.

Upon arriving at the factory site, we could see Benito Gaitán already there.

“You came out early, huh?”

“Your Majesty! Of course. Isn’t this the site where the first factory of the company that bears my name is being built?”

Beito Gaitan, who was in charge of my chemical company ‘Gaitan’, was a chemistry teacher at a university in Spain. After receiving my offer, he became a professor of chemical engineering at the Imperial University, and eventually became the president of the company I newly created.

“I heard that the ‘Gaitan’ headquarters is under construction in the city center, but I didn’t know it would be located on the factory site.”

“I’m sure the headquarters will take care of building it, but we’re all unfamiliar with factories that mass-produce chemicals.”

“Yeah, right.”

I nodded in satisfaction at Gaitan’s words. I know very well what is important.

In the early days, the company gave 10% of its shares to each of its executives, but the shares got smaller as the company was established later.

At that time, apart from the title of crown prince, I had no foundation and it was difficult to use my connections to help others.

It was a situation where we just told them the plan, gave them a few dollars, and hoped that the managers would take care of it, and to varying degrees, they all did.

Now, because of the numerous foundations that have been built, success is virtually guaranteed, so I don’t give them a lot of shares. It’s like receiving a large sum of money with almost no risk. However, I think that not giving them anything at all means a different mindset, so I give them shares anyway.

I agreed to give Gaitan a total of 2% of the shares in several stages if he grows the company well according to the roadmap I laid out, and it seems like it was a good decision, seeing him at the factory construction site from early in the morning.

Even though the stake has decreased, the company will continue to be named after the CEO, as we have confirmed that this has a tremendous motivational effect, as expected.

‘It’s also much easier to name.’

Real Inversion, an investment company, was an exception, as it intended to emphasize that it was an investment company of the ‘royal family’.

“By the way, what do you think of the Chihuahua City? Isn’t it a shame that it’s so much smaller than Morelia?”

“Rather than feeling regretful, I am looking forward to it. Didn’t Your Majesty share with me the plans you have for this city? I know it will soon become a great city, and you have allowed me to build houses, headquarters, factories, and research labs here. It feels like a dream.”

“Hahaha, I’m glad you think so.”

In fact, one of the measures to foster the industry of this city was to make ‘Gaitan’s’ headquarters here, and I was glad that people liked it even though it was my unilateral decision.

In the case of businesses that can open branches among my companies, we plan to enter every city where they are built, and there were quite a few companies like that.

These included ‘Solis’, which was in the food and lodging business, ‘Rios Express’, which was in charge of logistics, ‘Rios Bank’, which was in charge of finance, ‘Ramon’, which started out with tents and jeans and grew into a company that handles various textile products as well as clothing, and ‘Real Inversion’, an investment company.

Professionals with degrees will be recruited and placed by the headquarters, but those without degrees will be recruited locally as much as possible, which will help with hiring.

“You must be busy with mass production, but please also conduct research on the operation of water and sewage treatment facilities. This system is only meaningful if it can be properly treated.”

“Yes, we are conducting many experiments with professors from the chemical engineering department and college students who plan to go on to graduate school, so we will be able to accumulate sufficient data before completion.”

The city’s modern water and sewerage system is the first of its kind in the world, so its operation had to be built from scratch.

As a civil engineer, I know a lot about water supply and sewerage systems, but I only know about their structure and construction, not the detailed operational details, such as how much disinfectant to use for how many liters of wastewater, and what size filter to use.

So, we commissioned a research project to establish detailed operating methods, and it seems to be progressing well.

‘But, mobilizing not only graduate students but also college students who are planning to go to graduate school… That’s a bit much.’

But it didn’t stop.

***

December 1, 1842.

It’s been a month since the hot summer ended and winter came.

The work environment survey has been completed.

The working conditions in the Mexican Empire, as reported openly in the newspapers and through the media, were appalling.

“Is this real? It doesn’t make sense. If they make people do things like this, who would work there?”

“This guy is naive. This is the result of investigating not only free people like us, but also all the Peons.”

“Peon? Free? Wasn’t all Mexico free?”

“Oh, you came from Europe.”

Victor Herrero, a city worker, explained Peón to his colleague and friend, Henry.

“···So, even if the working conditions imposed by the employer are harsh, you can’t refuse. If you refuse, you won’t be able to go anywhere else, so you’ll just starve to death.”

“That’s… slavery. I thought slavery was abolished in Mexico?”

“Ahem… There are still people who do things like this just to make a little more money. Tsk tsk.”

Henry asked as if it was absurd, and Victor’s face turned red. Victor, a mestizo born and raised in Mexico, felt embarrassed.

For him, his homeland, Mexico, was a proud nation.

Didn’t they achieve independence on their own, defeat Spain, their ruler, and develop rapidly to the point where they even defeated France?

Not only that. The royal family cared for all of its citizens. They were already well aware of how indigenous people, black people, and mixed race people were treated in other countries through the media.

Mexico not only abolished slavery, but also provided benefits such as pioneer immigration and urban immigration, allowing Mexicans to become self-reliant.

Prices were steadily rising, but wages were also steadily rising, working conditions were not bad due to competition for employment, and public safety was very stable.

Didn’t you praise Mexico’s many virtues with your fellow urban immigrant, Henry, saying that there is no other country like it?

In the meantime, something like this was happening somewhere.

That night, Victor decided that after work tomorrow, he would protest in front of the parliament.

I wouldn’t have done it before. It wasn’t my job, and I was afraid that the landlord would retaliate. But things have changed now.

He was a free man, a worker in the imperial enterprise. His financial situation was not influenced by the landlords, and there was nothing the landlords could do to him.

Protests took place in many cities, including Mexico City.

“Improve working conditions!”

“Improve! Improve!”

“Enact labor laws that apply to everyone!”

“Enact it! Enact it!”

Workers called for improved working conditions because that was a safety net that could be applied to everyone, including themselves.

The working conditions are not bad now because of competition, but it is not clear how long this will last. The population of the Mexican Empire is already growing explosively.

Massive protests continued throughout December, unprecedented even when the entire nation was gripped by fear following France’s declaration of war on Mexico.

“It seems like public opinion is slowly forming.”

“Okay. Tell them to proceed as planned.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Towards the end of 1842, imperialist deputies proposed the first ‘Labor Law’ applicable to the entire nation.