I Became The Crown Prince Of The Mexican Empire - Chapter 120



Only Noblemtl

Oregon Border Dispute (3)

Now is the age of the industrial revolution.

It was a time of many inventions, so much so that it could be called the Age of Invention, but I was certain that this would be the greatest invention of that period.

“Since they both worked together to invent it, we can call it the ‘Neilson-Bessemer Process.’”

“There were many technicians besides us who made it, so why don’t we name it after our company and call it the Estrada Steel Process?”

James Nielsen said it as if it was a burden, but I already knew all about it from Estrada’s report.

“I heard that you two came up with the core idea and implemented it. So it’s not unreasonable to name it after you.”

James Beaumont Neilson, who created the innovative steelmaking method called the ‘blast process’ in England, and Henry Bessemer, who brought about another innovation in the history of iron and steel by creating the ‘Bessemer process’.

These two did not disappoint me. In January, they invented the Bessemer law, a history of the Yuan Dynasty, a full 11 years ahead of the Yuan Dynasty.

This was an achievement made possible by bringing together two of the most talented people of the time in the field of steelmaking and providing them with enormous support.

‘It was worth taking the trouble to bring you here.’

Henry Bessemer was much younger than when he invented the original, and many circumstances had changed, so even with James Nielsen, I couldn’t tell when he would have succeeded, but this far exceeded my expectations.

I asked James.

“Can I see the actual process?”

“Yes. We are operating safely according to company policy, so there is no problem in observing it in person. I will personally introduce the process of the process.”

We entered the space where the process was taking place.

I could feel the heat before I even entered, but it wasn’t so bad that it was hard to bear.

“The steelmaking process begins with the introduction of liquid pig iron into the blast furnace, or converter. This pig iron has already been smelted in a blast furnace and can be kept in a liquid state at high temperatures.”

As he explained, liquid pig iron was seen being fed into the converter.

“The next step is air injection. The hot air injected reacts with the carbon and other impurities present in the iron and oxidizes them. In this process, carbon, silicon, and manganese are mainly oxidized and burned. The air is blown in powerfully through numerous small holes located at the bottom of the converter. Now, it’s time to start, so be careful.”

With James’s warning, the air injection process began. A violent chemical reaction occurred between the air and the impurities, producing flames and blinding light.

It wasn’t at a dangerous level, but I felt a hot heat along with the glare.

At the end of the process, lumps formed on the surface of the iron, and a special device at the top of the furnace removed these lumps.

“It is a process of removing impurities that have been oxidized and turned into slag. It is periodically removed through a device at the top of the furnace. Here, by controlling the air injection, the carbon content can be adjusted to produce steel with the required mechanical properties.”

From then on, it seemed like a repetitive task.

“I see. You had a good time.”

We left the work space.

“This process can reduce the cost of producing steel by 80%?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. This method can reduce costs by up to 80% compared to previous processes, and is also suitable for mass production.”

“Wow, James, Henry, you will be rewarded accordingly for your achievements.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

James and Henry thanked me, but I am more grateful.

How much profit did this invention bring me and the Mexican Empire? It is not in the hundreds or tens of millions of pesos. It is in the hundreds of millions or billions of pesos.

The reason I choose this invention as one of the greatest inventions is because steel could be used in almost every industry at this time.

In the 21st century, it began to compete with semiconductors for the title of “rice of industry,” but until the 20th century, no one denied that steel was the foundation of all industries.

‘It will be a great help to Prussia too.’

You might say that it is ridiculous to sell steel at a mere 20% discount when it can be produced 80% cheaper than the existing production cost, but the current steel production is not enough for our Mexican Empire.

It is a favor to sell a certain amount of them.

I said as I went back to Chihuahua with Diego.

“If I can monopolize this steelmaking method for just ten years, I have nothing to fear.”

Steel is important in the defense industry as well. Steel is important regardless of whether it is for the army or the navy. Even for ironclad ships, steel was expensive, so they only used it for cannons and didn’t they use wrought iron for armor?

“10 years… I guess we need to be more thorough with security.”

“That’s right. It can’t be helped that other countries invent their own technology, but at least the technology shouldn’t leak out. Order the Military Intelligence Agency to further strengthen security around Estrada Steel.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

***

“Are you saying that so many people want to emigrate?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. This month alone, 8,000 people have crossed over to the mainland.”

We are accepting immigrants from the Dominican Republic, and the number of applicants is enormous.

Immigration offered great benefits and the language was the same, so it was a natural choice for those with limited assets in Dominica.

In Haiti, there is little response to the call for immigrants. In contrast to the Dominican Republic, there are significant cultural and linguistic differences, and the radical land reform implemented by the reformist government has resulted in most of the population owning land.

‘The military intelligence agency intervened and succeeded in the revolution, but it is a country where almost all the people own land. In a way, it has become a truly great country.’

“Are there many people who applied for urban relocation?”

“Yes, it is almost at the same level as pioneer migration.”

“Okay, with that number, we can start construction on the second university right away. The demand for highly skilled workers is starting to increase, so it would be a good idea to start now.”

There are also plans to build a university in Chihuahua.

It is natural that a ‘key city’ of the state will be built in every state in the future, and the size of a single state is usually larger than that of South Korea in its previous life. So shouldn’t there be at least one university in each state?

We plan to build a comprehensive university, but we don’t need to worry about producing too many college graduates and creating unemployed people. Because we will have to build sequentially anyway because there is a shortage of construction workers.

In ten years, when the population of the Mexican Empire, which is now growing explosively, has grown to a certain extent, it will be possible to build several core cities in parallel, but now it is not easy to build even one.

‘Especially since we plan to give jobs to the laborers and have them settle in this city.’

“If it’s a second university, the design has already been completed, so we can start construction right away.”

“Yes. This will be the last time I will be directly involved in a design.”

It takes too much time to continue doing it myself, and it is better to have various architects experience it.

The architectural style of this university is ‘Spanish Colonial Revival Style (Arquitectura Neocolonial Española).’

This style, which influenced Stanford University in its former life, is a reinterpretation of colonial architecture and feels much more Mexican than the neoclassical style used in imperial universities or the European architectural styles such as Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque.

Of course, since Spain is a European country and has been influenced by other styles, there are many similarities, but there are also many unique aspects.

Some of the typical features of colonial architecture that add a Mediterranean feel to the building are the red tile roof, white or light-colored limestone walls, arched doors and windows influenced by Islamic architecture, and patios that connect the indoor and outdoor spaces.

As soon as I decided to start construction on the second university, materials and manpower began to gather.

“Damian, it’s been a while. How have you been?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I thought it would take another three years to build this university, so I am glad that the opportunity has come so quickly.”

It was Damian Luna, the chief architect of Ortega Construction, who designed the Imperial University with me. I worked with him again to design the second university, to get help from his aesthetic talent.

“I like it too. Since we’ve gained experience in building a university, it should be faster than last time, right?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. It will be much faster since we have hired architects who have experience in university construction, as well as skilled laborers.”

“Fast is good, but remember that safety is also important.”

As construction projects were carried out throughout the Mexican Empire, various incidents and accidents were constantly occurring. Even if I told you to be careful, things would happen, but since I brought up speed first, I thought it would be better to remind you that safety is more important.

At about the same time that the construction of Chihuahua City was halfway through, construction of the university also began.

“By the way, are the international students doing well? According to the report, there were more international students this year. If they don’t properly complete their studies, there’s no point in taking up a seat in the classroom.”

“I know that everyone studies hard, but they don’t get good grades because of the language barrier. I heard that only one Korean student got good grades.”

“I see.”

I don’t even need to ask who it is. It must be Park Gyu-su. I heard from missionaries in Joseon that Park Gyu-su was using his family’s money to invite his juniors to Mexico, so I guess you can see how surprised he was by the new knowledge.

It will be fun to see what his passion will bring about.

***

“Fifty-Four Forty or Fight!”

James Polk, the Democratic presidential candidate, presented himself as a hardliner, calling for the surrender of the Oregon territory, just as he had done during the primary, but the Whigs were no slouch either.

“We must investigate the disappearance of Carter Smith, a patriot who was spreading information about Mexico!”

Whig candidate Henry Clay Sr. declared that Mexico must have assassinated his protégé Carter Smith and that the case should be thoroughly investigated.

Although a presidential candidate has put forward a conspiracy theory without any evidence, surprisingly, it has been well-received by the American people.

Of course, it wasn’t because Henry Clay Sr. was really saddened by Carter Smith’s death. He was aiming for a hard-line position toward Mexico, as Democrat James Polk was swaying public sentiment by taking a hard-line position toward Britain.

If one side is hardliner, the other side is usually conciliatory, but in this US presidential election, hardliners are clashing with hardliners, which is unusual.

“There’s no evidence that it was Mexico’s doing!”

“Are you really suggesting that we go to war with the British Empire?”

The two candidates continued their campaign by hurling insults at each other.

American intellectuals were concerned that both presidential candidates were taking a hard-line stance on foreign policy, but the American people cheered.

“Now the politicians are finally coming out and acting cool!”

There was no deep consideration of what price one might pay for agreeing to those claims.

Time passed quickly, and the US presidential election was soon approaching.