**Chapter 99**
January 1841.
“Wow, I didn’t know the Mexicans were that capable… Anyway, thank you. I’ll definitely compensate you for this information.”
“Oh, no, it’s nothing. I think I’ve been acting like I know too much, with my shallow knowledge, to patriots like you, who are not even soldiers.”
“Hehehe, you have a knack for making people feel good. Let’s meet again.”
The US Army general said that and left.
“Another successful deal today.”
Carter Smith was on a roll.
This political newcomer, who had recently appeared as a witness in the US Senate regarding Mexico, was making a name for himself as a ‘Mexico expert’.
He had met many people, starting with his testimony about the Mexican army’s armament.
He had told the US military in detail how the Mexican army had dealt with the Comanche tribe and the Texas vigilantes, as in the previous conversation, and he had advised a railroad businessman on how the Mexican railroad system was structured.
‘That Mexican Crown Prince is definitely a cunning bastard. Just telling people the methods he used makes them speechless.’
He was operating in Louisiana, bordering Mexico, following the advice of his political mentor, Henry Clay, and if he continued like this, he would soon be able to enter the state legislature.
“We did a good job today, let’s go have a drink.”
4 PM.
It was still winter, so it would get dark soon, but recently, kerosene lamps had been installed in various parts of the city, so it was still early enough to have a drink.
Carter Smith, grabbing his coat, opened the door and went out.
***
“Ugh, I pushed myself a bit too hard today.”
Carter Smith was leaving the tavern and heading home.
The city’s shopping district, illuminated by several kerosene lamps, was getting farther away, and the surroundings were getting darker, but it was fine since he was already this far.
‘It’s dark, but once I pass this corner…’
Thump!
A sudden feeling of chills down his spine, followed by a strong impact on the back of his head, sent Carter Smith’s consciousness flying.
He regained consciousness in a place he had never seen before.
Carter Smith, momentarily stunned by the surreal situation, quickly came to his senses.
He had been kidnapped!
“Where am I… Wh, who are you!”
Carter Smith shouted frantically when he saw a dark figure moving in the darkness.
Click-
The sound of a match striking and the room lit up.
“Long time no see, Smith.”
“Yo, you! Michael Williams! You traitor!”
Michael Williams, once the third-in-command of the Texas Vigilantes. He was the kidnapper.
“Traitor… You’re so tightly bound, can’t you figure out the situation?”
“Wh, what! You’re going to harm me? In this American land? I heard you took over Austin’s immigration company, you’re going to become a criminal?”
Smith, feeling fear only after hearing Michael’s words, tried to persuade him, but it didn’t work at all.
Michael ignored Smith’s words and opened his mouth with a sad expression.
“Oh, Smith. You don’t know anything. You had to cause trouble in my area. I didn’t want to touch the son of an old colleague.”
“Wh, what are you saying! Please save me! No, save me. Sir! You were close to my father!”
“I don’t know… It’s too late for that kind of talk.”
Michael checked the cylinder of the revolver and attached the cylinder.
Click! Whirr-
“You should have been more moderate. If you hated Mexico so much, you should have just left and lived in America. You snuck around for years, investigating every corner, and then told the US Congress. That’s nothing short of espionage.”
Michael, who had been living as a member of the Mexican Empire intelligence unit for years, didn’t like this, but there was nothing he could do, since he had been ordered.
He had talked so much in a short time, about the Mexican Empire army’s firearms and tactics, the navy’s new warships, the railroad, and the immigration company.
The head of the intelligence unit, upon hearing this, had given the order to assassinate him, which was rare, and it just so happened that Michael was in charge of that area.
“Pl, please…”
Bang!
***
“I’ve felt this for a while, but Your Majesty doesn’t seem to like Mexico City growing.”
Diego brought up that topic during their break.
“That’s right. To be precise, I like it growing, but I’m wary of it developing too quickly and indiscriminately.”
It’s natural to focus development on the capital and its surroundings in the early stages of industrialization. Almost all countries have done that and succeeded, so it’s considered a proven method.
“The method of developing around the capital is effective in most countries, but in countries with vast territories like the US or our Mexican Empire, the disadvantages are more pronounced than the advantages. Especially our capital, Mexico City.”
“Is it because of the earthquake you mentioned before?”
“Yes. Mexico City developing means reclaiming land from Lake Texcoco. That kind of land is very prone to earthquakes.”
Even countries that have grown well with the capital at their center, like South Korea or France in my previous life, are now saying that they should have developed the provinces more. What about our Mexican Empire, which is much larger, or the US, developing around a single city?
It will lead to a horrific level of regional imbalance.
Especially our Mexican capital, Mexico City, is a place that could collapse with a single earthquake, so it’s definitely not a place worth investing in heavily.
‘It’s already an area prone to earthquakes, and it’s a city built through development, so it’s on soft ground. Of course, modern civil engineering has ways to improve this soft ground, but it would cost an astronomical amount of money to apply it to the entire city with current technology.’
We’re spending that much money just to develop it? Even development itself is just a matter of digging up dirt? No one would agree.
“I see. I understand. By the way, I have an external appointment today.”
“External appointment?”
“Yes. Someone Your Majesty has been waiting for a long time is scheduled to arrive today.”
***
The aftermath of the war manifested itself in unexpected places.
“Welcome!”
“Wow, I never imagined Your Majesty would come to greet me personally.”
Henry Bessemer, the young engineer I had been waiting for a long time, finally arrived in the Mexican Empire.
I went to Veracruz Harbor to greet him, and he looked really surprised, as if he hadn’t expected it at all.
“Hahaha, I tried to scout you four times before I finally succeeded. It’s worth coming out personally, isn’t it?”
“Hahaha, the first offer was when I was 15 years old. I still remember it.”
“That’s right. I was a bit hasty back then.”
“No, thanks to your repeated interest, I finally decided to immigrate to Mexico.”
“That’s good then. Anyway, I’ll count on you in the future.”
“I’ll count on you too, Your Majesty.”
Bessemer said it as if he had come because I had been constantly interested, but it was inevitable to see the impact of the war.
It’s because the previous offer was also very good, and there was almost no difference from this one. Then, right after our Mexico won the war against France, he came to us first.
‘It’s all thanks to the increased prestige of our Mexican Empire.’
Rodolfo Nunes, the head of the immigration office who was waiting outside, after hearing that I had visited the Veracruz immigration waiting area, confirmed my guess.
“Your Majesty, it seems like the outcome of the war has affected immigration. The number of immigrants was already increasing, but the rate of increase jumped significantly after mid-last year.”
“Ah, is that so? I see.”
Mexico, right after independence, was only recognized by its fellow independent nations, North American countries, and wasn’t properly treated by European countries.
After winning against Spain, our Mexico’s prestige rose a little more, and we were recognized by European countries as a regional power, but after winning the war against France, we were now recognized as a European power.
This rise in international prestige helped attract technical talents like Henry Bessemer and various immigrants.
I sent Bessemer to Las Truchas, where his workplace and home were, and then toured Veracruz Harbor.
“Veracruz has grown a lot.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. The harbor has expanded, and the large shipyard is operating continuously, so the city is growing rapidly.”
The head of the immigration office, who had become my escort, answered.
“Yes. It’s growing because there are jobs. It’s a shame that it’s not growing under proper control, so the city is a bit chaotic.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. It seems like jobs are important.”
Diego answered this time.
‘Jobs…’
Building infrastructure, roads, railroads, and administrative buildings doesn’t make a city grow. The city’s economy needs to grow, and jobs need to be created.
This is what China’s provincial cities haven’t done properly. China, like me, has built hundreds of new cities over decades, led by the government.
It’s true that this project has greatly helped China’s economic growth, but it has also had the side effect of creating many ‘ghost cities’ where there are hardly any people living, but a lot of infrastructure and buildings have been built.
These ghost cities looked fine on the surface, but there was a serious lack of actual demand. The biggest reason was that industries that would provide jobs in the city weren’t developed at the same time.
“Come to think of it, all the investment proposals from Real Inversión that have come to me recently are from Mexico City or companies in this area. I don’t think they’re filtering by region, right?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. They’re not filtering by region. It’s probably because the company is in Mexico City, so there’s a physical distance.”
National development and industrial development must proceed together to be meaningful. But building buildings is easy, and developing industries is difficult.
“I see. If that’s the case, we need to consider Real Inversión’s expansion into the provinces.”
Diego looked slightly surprised at my words.
“Expansion into the provinces… You mean you’ll make the final investment decisions in the provinces too?”
“We’ll have to. It’s not a size I can handle alone. The return on investment will be a bit lower, but…”
The companies that have received investments from Real Inversión currently have an amazing success rate. It was possible because I had chosen only businesses that were sure to succeed in the future, but if I don’t make the final decision, the batting average will drop significantly.
“How about if we let the provinces decide on investments under 10,000 pesos, and Your Majesty reviews investments of 10,000 pesos or more?”
“Oh, that’s a good idea too. That’s a good direction to go in.”
Diego and I discussed the development of provincial industries as we walked through the streets of Veracruz.
“If that happens, funding will be an issue. There’s a limit to selling gold to the government.”
The government had been steadily buying the gold I had mined in California to secure its gold reserves for issuing currency.
“You don’t have to worry about funding. There are other ways to make money.”
Now we have the leeway to look overseas. The world is big, and there are many places to make money.