#262 - Madrid is a city that never sleeps

The relationship between European countries is quite complicated, which can be well reflected in the Triple Alliance.

Although Germany did not favor Austria-Hungary in the peace talks, its self-righteous neutral attitude also annoyed Russia.

The Russo-Turkish War, which Russia won at a great cost, benefited Austria-Hungary and Britain. This made Tsar Alexander II hate Germany, and the relationship between Germany and Russia deteriorated.

For Germany, how to develop relations with Russia became a very difficult choice.

German Prime Minister Bismarck secretly prepared an alliance with Austria-Hungary to guard against Russia, which might ally with France, and on the other hand, he wanted to repair relations with Russia and continue to maintain his policy of isolating France.

In such a seemingly contradictory diplomatic stance, the German-Austrian alliance was successfully signed, but it was not made public. This alliance treaty is more like a private agreement between Germany and Austria-Hungary, and both sides jointly guard against the possible defection of Russia.

In this alliance treaty, Germany and Austria agreed that if either side was attacked by Russia, the other country would assist with all its troops and could not make peace alone.

If one side is attacked by other European countries other than Russia, the other side should adopt a benevolent neutrality. If the attacking country is supported by Russia, the other side should join the war in accordance with the treaty.

This military treaty, which was specifically used to guard against Russia, relieved the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and also formally brought the relationship between Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire closer.

Germany also began to attach importance to the Austro-Hungarian Empire as an ally. At least compared with the more threatening Russia, the Austro-Hungarian Empire's position on Germany was more firm, and it was an ally that Germany could more easily control.

Although Russia is powerful, Russia as an ally is also prone to backfire on Germany. A German-Austrian alliance treaty led by Germany is obviously more reassuring to Germany than the Triple Alliance, in which the three countries have their own thoughts.

With the intelligence brought by the Royal Security Intelligence Service, Carlo naturally learned about the secret meeting between German and Austro-Hungarian diplomatic representatives.

From the perspective of history, Germany eventually chose the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Russia also came together with France, thus giving birth to the two most powerful military groups in Europe so far, the German-Austrian Alliance and the Franco-Russian Alliance.

At present, the evolution of the situation in Europe has such a trend, but the situation is not so clear. Carlo is also considering when the two major military groups evolve into the final body, that is, the Anglo-French-Russian Alliance Group against the German-Austrian-Italian Alliance Group, which side should Spain choose?

Carlo has no clear answer yet. Perhaps only when that moment really comes, Carlo will know which side Spain should choose.

And now, Carlo’s most important task is to help Spain establish more advantages in the Second Industrial Revolution and minimize the gap with other European countries.

Although the two major military groups each have three powers, their actual comprehensive strength is not proportional. The three major powers of the Anglo-French-Russian Alliance are all hegemonic powers. The only weaker one is Russia, which has frequent domestic problems.

But even such Russia still has a comprehensive strength that exceeds the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

On the side of the German-Austrian-Italian Alliance, only Germany can truly rival the three countries of Britain, France and Russia. The Austro-Hungarian Empire is one level weaker, and Italy is another level weaker.

What's more, Italy is not a firm ally at all. After the war started, it ran to the side of Britain, France and Russia.

This also led to the situation of World War I being that Germany and Austria were actually fighting against the whole of Europe. In the middle and late stages of the war, it had evolved into Germany fighting against the whole of Europe.

Spain had to at least grow into a great power at the level of France and Russia before it could hope to change the situation of World War I by its own strength.

At that time, whether it joined the British, French and Russian side or the German-Austrian alliance, Spain had a choice and could ensure its final victory.

As time came to September 1879, Carlo also received two good news.

The first good news was that with the help of Tesla, Gramm's Electric Power Laboratory successfully developed a generator with higher power.

Gramm's main research generator was a ring armature engine, which drove the operation of the generator through hydropower generation, with a maximum power of 6.5KW.

After Tesla joined the Electric Power Laboratory, he proposed a two-phase giant generator concept that was completely different from Gramm's.

With the help of many scientists in the Electric Power Laboratory, it took more than a year for the Electric Power Laboratory to finally produce the first generation of finished products, which was also the world's first high-power generator.

The power generation capacity of this high-power generator reaches an astonishing 26.5KW, which is 4 times that of the previous generation of generators.

This also means that the current electricity is really beginning to be put into industrial production, allowing Spain to truly usher in the era of electricity.

Of course, there are also some problems that need to be solved. Although the power of the generator has increased, the transportation of electricity is still a big problem.

The current electricity supply for lighting is okay. If you want to use it for industrial production, at least multiple power plants have to work together.

Unless the high loss problem in the process of power transportation can be solved, the door to the power industry era will not be opened.

Although there are many restrictions, the birth of high-power generators also means that more street lights can appear in the streets and alleys of Spain, providing more sufficient lighting for people who get off work at night.

Currently, only the two busiest streets in Spain have street lighting. Carlo's next plan is to make the main roads in Madrid and Barcelona have street lighting, so that the Spaniards can feel the beauty of the electric age.

According to Tesla's report, the current high-power generators still have many problems. If these problems can be solved one by one, the maximum power of this generator may even reach more than 50KW.

This is what is called the beginning of everything. After clarifying the use of two types of electricity, motors and electric lights, the arrival of the electric age is only a matter of time.

Perhaps it won't be long before the power laboratory can produce large generators with a power generation capacity of hundreds of KW. These large generators are the symbol of the arrival of the Spanish electric industry era, because only larger generators can drive larger motors, thereby driving Spain's industrial production.

The birth of high-power generators also marks the decline in power generation costs. With the appearance of street lights in the streets and alleys of Spain, electricity will surely be imitated by other countries, so that more people will be involved in the power industry and promote the popularization of the power industry around the world.

Carlo has a crazy idea, that is, before Christmas this year, all the streets and alleys of Madrid will be equipped with street lights, and the whole Madrid will be lit up on Christmas night.

It is very meaningful to do so. At least it can be widely publicized, so that all Europeans know that Spain has a city that never sleeps, so that people will spontaneously be curious about electric lighting, and friends will be curious about Spain as a country.

Once Spain gives Europeans the impression of being developed and advanced, there will naturally be a steady stream of immigrants scrambling to join Spain.

This is just like the United States in later generations. No matter what the domestic environment in the United States is like, for people in other countries, the United States is promoted as a beacon of human civilization, and naturally there will be many people who are unaware of the truth and are eager to join the United States, the so-called pearl of the world.

When they actually arrive in the United States, it will be too late to regret it. Because immigration requires costs, not everyone can afford the cost of immigration, and not all countries will accept those who have just immigrated and are about to return.

In this era without the Internet, once Spain's external impression becomes civilized and advanced, it will naturally increase its attractiveness to immigrants invisibly.

Even if it doesn't rely on this to attract immigrants, it is feasible for Spain to strengthen its international influence by showing technology.

Spain is in an awkward situation now. In terms of strength, Spain has returned to the ranks of the great powers. In terms of international status and influence, Spain and Italy are in a similar situation and will not be truly valued by other countries.

Therefore, it is very important to improve Spain's international status and influence. Improving military strength is one way, and showing technology and enhancing presence is also another way.

The two technologies of electricity and electric lights are not a secret at all, and other countries have studied them. But as long as Spain becomes the first country to try it, people will often think of Spain, the first country to use electricity on a large scale when using electricity.

The city that never sleeps is obviously a good gimmick. Before electric lights, there has never been a way to illuminate the entire city and keep it for a night.

If Spain did it, it would be certain that such a scene would be reported by newspapers in various European countries. As long as it can attract the attention of European media and the curiosity of European people, then Carlo's goal has been more than half completed.

If you want to complete the miracle of Madrid's city that never sleeps, it is necessary to build enough power stations.

According to the estimation of the power laboratory, at present, a group of generators can light up nearly 1,500 small bulbs or 700 large bulbs. In order to achieve the grand goal of Madrid's never-sleeping city, at least 5 large power stations need to be built around Madrid, and more than 3,000 large bulbs can be lit on Christmas Eve.

These 3,000 large bulbs will cover several main roads in the center of Madrid, allowing the center of Madrid to achieve the grand goal of a never-sleeping city on Christmas Day.

The street lights around the city center will be replaced with small bulbs to provide lighting. Although the brightness is not enough, it can at least ensure that you will not hit the wall in the night.

At that time, the photos in the newspapers will only publish the bright scenes in the city center, and the dim areas outside the city center will not be mentioned in the newspapers.

At this time, there are only three months to Christmas. It is still quite difficult to build five large power plants and install more than 3,000 street lights in Madrid in these three months.

More importantly, the power company has to install wires for these 3,000 street lights to ensure that these 3,000 street lights can be lit normally on Christmas Eve.

Carlo personally assured Gram and Tesla that if they could achieve the grand goal of Madrid City that Never Sleeps, the research budget of the Power Laboratory would be doubled next year, and Carlo would also hire more power experts from Europe to join the Power Laboratory in Spain.

The benefit of doubling the research budget made Tesla and Gram determined to achieve this goal at all costs.

In order to motivate the researchers in the Power Laboratory, Carlo even stated that as long as the plan was successfully completed, all the staff in the Power Laboratory would receive a reward.

Carlo is famous for his generosity to researchers, which makes ordinary scientific researchers look forward to it. They are full of motivation when working, not only to get the reward promised by Carlo, but also to achieve the unparalleled feat of the city that never sleeps and create a great electrical milestone with their own hands.

Under the premise that everyone is working hard, there is no problem that cannot be solved.

This is indeed the case. A week before Christmas, the power laboratory had completed the laying of all street lights and the construction of the power plant, and had tested the lines to confirm that there were no problems with the line connection.

Now we are waiting for the arrival of Christmas, waiting for Madrid to become a hot topic among European people, and waiting for Spain to become a symbol of advancement and development in the minds of European people.

On December 25, 1879, with the arrival of Christmas night, the street lights in the center of Madrid were also successfully lit.

The citizens of Madrid also took to the streets, their eyes were full of excitement and excitement, looking at the center of Madrid as bright as day, the eyes of the Spaniards were full of tears of excitement.

"Father, what is this? Why does it glow?" Under the street lamp in the center of Madrid, a little boy who looked only a few years old asked his father curiously.

The street lamp in front of him was so bright, a brightness he had never seen before, as if it was the same as the sun in the daytime.

Hearing his son's question, Francesco was reluctant to take his eyes off the street lamp, and smiled and introduced it to his son: "The newspaper said that this is a street lamp, which provides us with lighting.

We are the first country to use street lamps for lighting on a large scale, and Madrid is also the first city to achieve a night as bright as day. And all this is brought by our great king. Now Spain is the most powerful country in the world!"

As early as the day before Christmas, the Spanish government announced the city that never sleeps plan. This sentence caused a sensation among all Spaniards, and many Spaniards decided not to celebrate Christmas and went to Madrid to see the so-called city that never sleeps.

This is the case with Francesco's family. They live in Toledo in the south, and they didn't even celebrate Christmas and ran directly to Madrid.

The fact is just as they expected. Madrid is as bright as day at this moment. This light is not emitted by street lamps, but the light blooming in the hearts of Spaniards with tears under the street lamps.

Facts have proved that the Spaniards love their country so much. When Spain used the city that never sleeps to show its strength, the Spaniards were all full of tears. They used various ways to vent their emotions and celebrate the strength of the country.

Madrid is a city that never sleeps tonight, and for all the Spaniards in Madrid tonight, this is another sleepless night.

A city that never sleeps actually made many Madrid citizens sleepless all night, which Carlo did not expect at all.

However, this also proves that the effect of the city that never sleeps plan is indeed good, and the news from various countries the next day also proved this again.

First of all, the major newspapers in Spain proudly reported the success of the city that never sleeps in Madrid, and proudly announced that Madrid is the first city that never sleeps in human history. Spain also used this method to declare its strength and return.

The photo of rows of street lights in the center of Madrid, which is as bright as day, was reprinted by newspapers in other northern European countries, and their news also reported on the city of Madrid that never sleeps in Spain.

Because Europe is at peace, such rare news in a century immediately became the headlines of various countries and aroused discussions among many European people.

Of course, while these European people envied Spain for having a city that never sleeps, they also began to condemn their own governments.

Especially for European powers such as Britain and France, the British and French people condemned their own governments more fiercely.

In the eyes of the British, the British Empire is the most powerful country in the world, and London is the beacon of the world.

How come London has not achieved the grand goal of a city that never sleeps, but a small city like Madrid has achieved it?

In the past, Londoners regarded Spain as a remote and backward countryside, but now this remote and backward countryside has become a developed modern city, and London is behind.

This is absolutely unacceptable to the British. The British can be proud of the strength of their country, and of course they can also be angry because their country is one step behind others.

On the second day of Christmas, as newspapers in various countries reprinted the news of Madrid's city that never sleeps, Londoners also took to the streets. They protested against the government's inaction and demanded that London also lay street lights to make London a city that never sleeps.

The citizens of Paris also protested against the government like the citizens of London. The Parisians' struggle was more intense, and the French government did not dare to underestimate the opinions of the Parisians.

This is not a joke. The citizens of Paris really dared to overthrow the government. The British cabinet can still turn a blind eye to the march of Londoners. If the French government also handles the public protests like the British cabinet, I am afraid that the life of the French government will come to an abrupt end.

The opinions of the people cannot be violated, but the realization of a city that never sleeps is a burden that Britain and France cannot bear.

Thanks to the strength of Britain and France, the population of London and Paris is also very large. This also means that if London and Paris want to achieve the goal of a city that never sleeps, they must help more street lights than Madrid and build more power stations than Madrid.

Looking at the anger of the people, these constructions must be completed in a short time in order to calm the anger of the people.

How much money is this? The two governments dare not even calculate it. If they really build a city that never sleeps like Spain, and just to illuminate a city, then do the two governments still need other developments?

Moreover, even if they are willing to imitate Spain and build a city that never sleeps, do they have the ability to develop electricity?

Not only do they need high-power generators, but they also need light bulbs that can provide stable lighting. On the premise of having both, they must save costs and reduce expenses as much as possible. This made the two governments instantly headache, and they also complained about why Spain wanted to build a city that never sleeps. Isn't this putting their two governments on the fire?

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