Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

Finance Minister Jan. von Capellor said this with excitement in his voice: "With the establishment of the Netherlands' position in the second world industrial revolution, the Netherlands has already become the equal of the American Federal Republic by virtue of its own strength. Together we will overpower the Kingdom of Prussia and the United Kingdom and become the leader in the second industrial development."

William IV nodded, thinking of the United States.

Historically, Prussia was the pioneer of the second industrial development before the 1860s and 1870s, but was slowly surpassed by the United States in the end. Historically, the United States became the world's first industrialized country in 1894, that is, A-wu- In the year of the war, the industrial output value was approximately US$14 billion, surpassing the old colonial empires of Britain and France. Of course, this was because the United States was the first to embrace the second industrial revolution, and electrification was widely used and directly realized Overtaking at a corner, countries similar to the United States include the emerging power Prussia (called Germany after 1871), which was later known as the United States. The national fortunes of the United States are getting better and better. They made a fortune in World War I and World War II. At the same time, Also take advantage of these opportunities to become a true world hegemon.

Thinking of this, William IV asked Industry Minister Wem Kot: "What is the current industrial status of the Netherlands?"

"Currently, the Dutch industrial economy ranks fifth in the world. In terms of industrial economy alone, the Netherlands is already on par with the United Kingdom. Especially in heavy industry, we are even better than the rest of the world. Prussia is the challenger. In terms of light industry, our opponents are the United Kingdom and the United Kingdom. Commonwealth of America."

Nodding, he asked Agriculture Secretary Gates about the situation in agriculture.

Gates said. In terms of agriculture, the main opponents are France and the United States after the division of the North and the South. "In the eastern part of the Australian continent and the Netherlands, this is the core area of ​​the Dutch agricultural products production. The main agricultural products include corn, wheat, etc., these places are amazing Agricultural output has been hailed as the "breadbasket of the world", making the Netherlands one of the world's largest exporters of agricultural products last year. In the Dutch East Indies, sugar, tobacco, and palm oil are among the world's top producers."

"Agriculture and food are the foundation of the country. Keeping the Dutch people fed and clothed is the most fundamental. Only then can more energy be devoted to the industrial aspect of economic sublimation. Therefore, we must ensure that all Dutch people have food to eat and control. in one's own hands"

Agriculture Secretary Gates naturally nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, William IV asked Finance Minister Jan. von Capello about the development of industrial economy and the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance.

Finance Minister Jan. von Cappello said: "The decade from 1857 to 1867 saw the first merger and acquisition boom, and many large companies were born. The Dutch Steel Union was composed of more than 300 large and small steel companies, occupying Accounting for more than 65% of the output of the United States, Wilhelm Steel Company (another name for the Dutch East India Company Steel Company) is the world's largest company, accounting for the remaining 35% of the Dutch steel industry's output, and is the world's largest steel company.

There are also the Dutch East India Company and the General Electric Company just established by Edison, the Dutch Gunpowder Company, etc., all of which have become the largest companies in the world in various fields. Moreover, many giants were born under the leadership of the Dutch East China Sea India Company. Various industries in the Netherlands The growth of all industries is rapid, and one or two have become giants in the same industry in the world.

The Netherlands currently has abundant mineral resources, especially in the Far East, including the golden belt, oil, iron ore, coal mines, etc. in the northern part of the Australian continent. "

“Whether it is light industry or heavy industry, the Netherlands needs to develop, especially the electrical aspect, which will be the most important way for the future economic development of the Netherlands. We must firmly develop in this direction so as not to fall behind.

Facts have proved that the rise of Prussia, the Federal Republic of Mili and the Netherlands was all due to electrification. Therefore, in terms of industry, the research and development of electric motors and other things must be a protracted battle day by day, and we cannot relax even a little bit."

William IV told Prime Minister Tolbeck: "In this regard, I think we should carry out a military-civilian integration policy."

Military-civilian integration?

Not only Tolbeck was confused, but even the people next to him were very confused, because this word was so unfamiliar that it had no impact at all.

William IV said: "Military-civilian integration is not yet available in the world. This is a new word I invented. In my opinion, the Netherlands should establish a national defense technology system to promote 'military-civilian integration' combined with civilian applications."

Military-civilian integration is mainly divided into two meanings. In the first generation, the military is converted into civilians, which means that military technology is used among civilians. In this aspect, shipping cargo ships can get a glimpse of it by using the military's advanced steam engines.

Instead, civilians participate in the military, that is, private entities participate in the military industry market.

This provides a solution to the Dutch Ministry of Defense's dilemma of reducing major funding investments.

The Dutch Ministry of National Defense only needs to formulate a direction or an area that needs a breakthrough, and the Dutch civilian military industry will invest in the breakthrough. The Ministry of National Defense will then place an order to obtain the research and development results of the project and even manufacture the finished product.

In this way, the funds of the Dutch Ministry of Defense can be used on other projects with more cutting-edged edges. "

As William IV told the story, the entire Privy Council was shocked.

As a result, the pressure on the Dutch Ministry of Finance will be much less, and Finance Minister Jane von Capellor suddenly looked excited.

The other military personnel were even more excited.

If the Ministry of Finance reduces the pressure, the military will naturally be able to come up with more plans for projects.

It seems that projects that were unimaginable in the past, at this moment, after the quality and William IV's statement, they are no longer restricted by funds.

"Military industrial groups have accumulated rich industrial resources during their long development, while civilian enterprises have the advantages of being more flexible and innovative. If both parties integrate deeply, a win-win situation can be achieved."

Prime Minister Tolbeck commented on William IV’s statement of ‘military-civilian fusion’.

William IV smiled and said: “On the one hand, through the deep integration of military and civilians, we can revitalize existing assets, attract various channels of support to enter the security field of the Netherlands, promote development and innovation, and accelerate the upgrading of weapons and equipment in the Netherlands. On the other hand, we have solved the original problems of the Netherlands. Regarding the efficiency of military industry assets, building an operating system that is dominated by the Dutch state, driven by demand, market operations, and deeply integrated with the military and civilians can transform the original "blood transfusion" into "blood production" and promote the upgrading of the entire Dutch military industry.

I have data to estimate that if the military-civilian integration policy is successfully carried out, this project can save at least a quarter of the Dutch Ministry of Defense budget every year.

More than a quarter? 25%? The impact of this data is too great.

The current defense budget of the Netherlands is growing rapidly every year. Due to the increase in demand on the Australian mainland, the current Dutch military expenditure exceeds 10 million pounds. According to this statement, the savings can exceed 2.5 million pounds.

You must know that the current construction cost of a steam battleship is only hundreds of thousands of pounds. It's almost a dozen or twenty battleships in size.

Thinking about it, the entire Privy Council was shocked.