**Chapter 85**
**The Oil Industry and the Census (4)**
October 1838, the first census of the Mexican Empire was completed.
Despite deploying 4,000 surveyors, escorts, and hundreds of civil servants, it took a full year.
The population of Mexico in 1822, right after independence, is estimated at 6.5 million.
‘In the original timeline, Mexico’s population would be around 7.2 million by now.’
The population during the Mexican-American War in 1846 is recorded as 7.6 million, so we can estimate the population in 1838 to be around that number.
I felt a sense of tension, like checking my college entrance exam scores, as I pulled the report out of the envelope.
The multi-page report contained detailed information on the population statistics, broken down by region.
‘I’ll look at this later.’
I skipped the details and turned to the last page of the report. It was the page with the total population, the final tally.
“…10.82 million.”
*Whew-*
A sigh of relief escaped my lips. It exceeded my expectations.
“It seems you’ve surpassed your minimum expectations, Your Majesty. That’s fortunate.”
“Right. It’s neither disappointing nor satisfying.”
I showed Diego the number. It was a 66% increase from 1822.
“…Isn’t this an incredible population growth rate?”
Diego was surprised by the number and said that to me.
“It’s incredible, but we’re still a long way from catching up to our neighbor, the United States.”
“That’s true, but… Your Majesty thinks a war with the United States is not far off.”
Diego, having had many conversations with me over the years, knows that I believe a war with the United States is inevitable, and he agrees to some extent.
“Yes. It will happen within 10 years at the latest.”
The US population at the time of the Mexican-American War was 21 million, so it would be around 17 million by now. That means it has increased by over 70% since 1822.
In this world, we have intercepted many immigrants who would have gone to the United States, so the population would be a bit lower than that, but not by much.
‘Anyway, it means that the population growth rate of our Mexican Empire is lower than the population growth rate of the United States in the original timeline.’
This is a number that includes hundreds of thousands of indigenous people who were subjugated, as well as the 300,000 population of Cuba brought from Spain. And yet, it’s like this?
A low base number and a low growth rate means that the population gap between us and the United States is widening. But since so much has changed since I came to this world, the situation in the United States must have changed as well.
I calmly calculated the impact. It’s an impossible task for anyone who isn’t a god to calculate all the butterfly effects, but it would be convenient for the future to have a rough idea of the impact.
‘What have I done that has had a significant negative impact on the United States?’
There are many things related to immigration. We intercepted immigrants who would have gone to the United States from Europe, and we are receiving more immigrants from the United States than in the original timeline. We also intercepted many technicians who would have gone to the United States. We also defended Texas, which would have been annexed by the United States before the Mexican-American War.
‘Besides, sending half of the Comanche tribe to the US side will have a considerable impact. Looking at it this way, it seems like there has been quite a negative impact. Then, what has improved in the United States compared to the original timeline?’
The fact that our Mexican Empire has stabilized and our finances have become solid means that we have paid off all the debts we owed to the United States. Including the high-interest rates. I don’t know exactly what butterfly effect this will have, but it must have been a considerable benefit to the United States, considering the enormous amount.
‘This alone will offset many of the negative impacts. In that case, it’s reasonable to assume that it’s not significantly different from the original timeline.’
“I need to check the details of this report. Get ready to go to the Executive Branch.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The report was well organized in tables as I requested, but it only showed the population and sex ratio of countless regions.
‘I’m not expecting it to be like modern times with all kinds of charts, but this is too much.’
It’s my fault for only specifying the survey items and methods. I’ll teach them how to write reports this time. With that determination, I went directly to the Executive Branch.
The civil servants were shocked when I suddenly appeared, but I ignored them and continued reading the documents.
“As expected.”
“Your Majesty, have you found what you were looking for?”
Diego, who was organizing the documents so I could read them easily, asked me as I muttered.
“Yes. Look at this summary of the age range of the population in this region. It’s the same for all other regions.”
“Hmm… There are a lot of people under the age of six.”
“Yes. It means that the population began to explode not that long ago.”
Six years ago would be 1832.
“We started taking tenant farmers from the landowners’ farms and using them for northern territory development around 1830, and we started the European immigration company in 1829. If we assume that the population growth rate started to rise significantly two or three years after that, it’s roughly accurate.”
The feeling of slight disappointment disappeared, and anticipation filled its place.
After summarizing the data myself, I found that not only the population but also the population growth rate itself was trending upwards.
‘This changes things.’
It means that we can soon surpass the population growth rate of the United States.
There was another positive sign, not only the population growth from immigration and the high birth rate of the northern self-sufficient farming class, but also the urban workers were showing a considerably high birth rate.
It was the result of houses being provided, even if they were loans, and the overall decrease in food prices.
This was also a result of my encouragement. Mexico is an agricultural country, but agriculture is focused entirely on cash crops, so food prices were high. To improve this, I instructed that seed distribution, one of the benefits of frontier immigration, should be focused on food crops.
‘This is a satisfactory report card.’
That night, I was able to sleep peacefully, having put aside some of my worries.
***
November 1838.
A month had passed since the results of the census came out.
Unlike the census, which had a huge impact on me and a handful of people, an event occurred that would have a major impact on the entire Mexican Empire, and eventually on people in the United States and Europe.
“This is kerosene, right?”
“Yes. Many people will use this kerosene in the future.”
“Is it used for the same purpose as whale oil, which we used to use?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm… It smells a bit different.”
Cecilia, who was used to using oil in her daily life, didn’t seem very impressed, but kerosene would have a greater impact on the common people than the upper class.
After greeting Cecilia, I went to my office and said to Diego.
“Tell Real Inversion to increase investment in anyone who wants to start a publishing business for the time being.”
“You’re going to grow the publishing industry.”
Diego said as he wrote a letter.
“Yes, the act of lighting a fire at night will become increasingly common. For most people, it’s like they’ve gained ‘evening time’ for the first time.”
“You’re preparing for the changes in lifestyle that will come with the invention of kerosene. You’re amazing.”
Diego was impressed.
“It would be nice if they used the newly acquired time in a healthy way.”
“Yes, that’s a really good idea.”
I can’t stop them from going to a tavern and drinking until late at night, but if I push reading as an option, wouldn’t it help to reduce illiteracy and improve education levels?
Diego immediately sent someone to deliver my instructions, and we invested heavily in the publishing industry for the next three months. But there was a problem.
“It seems word has gotten out.”
“Yes, we’ve invested in over 30 publishing houses in three months, so it’s not unreasonable for rumors to spread that Real Inversion is more lenient with the publishing industry.”
The final candidates for this week’s review by Real Inversion were a whopping 40. Of those, 35 were in the publishing industry.
“…We can’t make them sign a confidentiality agreement.”
“Real Inversion’s investment also plays a kind of certification role, so if we keep the investment a secret, we’ll lose that advantage.”
Companies that received investment from Real Inversion, my investment company, received various benefits besides the investment, but the most important one was the public perception that they had been chosen by the Crown Prince.
“We need to raise the review standards for the publishing industry.”
“Yes, that would be good. But there will still be many people who want to do it. People in Mexico City are starting to figure out why Your Majesty is investing in the publishing industry.”
Three months have passed since kerosene started being sold, and it’s not a nationwide phenomenon yet, but in Mexico City, at least, the act of lighting a fire at night is becoming increasingly common.
‘It’s actually an inevitable phenomenon, something you could predict even if you didn’t know history.’
For a very long time, those who could afford it, even at that expensive price, somehow used oil. It’s a natural desire. It’s just become mainstream.
“Then let’s do that for the investment, and the only thing left is to change the name of ‘Mora Mine’.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Now that we’re extracting and refining oil, the name ‘mine’ is a bit awkward.”
Hernando Mora suggested the mission, but he didn’t actually convey the name he wanted. He wanted me to decide, but I couldn’t think of a good name either.
“Hmm… Since we deal with various resources, including gold mines, I’ll call it Mora Resources.”
“Yes, that’s a suitable name. I’ll convey that.”
Mora Resources could become the largest of my companies in the future. The oil industry has that kind of potential, and I have no intention of being satisfied with Texas.
***
December 1838, England declared war on Afghanistan.
‘The First Anglo-Afghan War. Was this the right time in the original timeline?’
Afghanistan, called the ‘Graveyard of Empires’. Countless superpowers have invaded Afghanistan, but they have failed to achieve their goals and withdrawn, or they have occupied it for a short time but not for long.
The news of this war appeared in a corner of the pages of some newspapers in Mexico, but it wasn’t a major event that attracted much attention, but that soon changed.
In March 1839, news that the British Parliament had decided to go to war with China hit Mexico.
I didn’t know the exact timing of the Afghan War until this point, but I know about the Opium War.
‘The full-scale war took place in 1840, didn’t it? It’s considerably faster.’
History was changing in earnest.
“Tsk, they’re even starting a war to sell opium.”
“Yes, it seems England has a lot of power left. They’ve started wars with two countries in a row in just three months.”
Diego replied, looking worried at my words.
Not only Diego, but many people in Mexico were concerned. It was because they were worried about what France would do if England, already engaged in another war, went to war with China, not a small country, but that giant.
“It’s a bit faster than expected, but wasn’t it something that would happen eventually?”
I replied calmly.
The reason France hasn’t moved so far isn’t because they’ve suddenly developed a conscience. It’s because England was holding them back, so they couldn’t act rashly. And now, England is going to war with not one, but two countries. There’s no better opportunity for France.
England’s war was shaking Mexico.
Thank you for the chapters 😊
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