Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 564, 1899, a decade of economic growth and comprehensive development
The period from 1889 to 1899 is considered the golden decade of Han's economic take-off. During this decade, Han relied on its first-mover advantages in the fields of electricity, chemical industry, internal combustion engines, etc., especially after filling the gaps in population, economic market, and talent training. After years and two generations of efforts, Han's overall strength was finally raised to a level comparable to that of first-class powers.

In the field of electricity, hydroelectric power generation has been vigorously developed. In 1894, the first local hydroelectric power station with a capacity of one million kilowatts was built and put into use in Weizhou.

In 1898, the Han State built a hydroelectric power station with a generating capacity of 160 million kilowatts in the middle reaches of the Paraná River, in the Itaipu region, on the border between Paraguay and Brazil. Since then, this hydroelectric power station has replaced the Weizhou Hydroelectric Power Station and become the largest power station in the Han State, and also the world's number one hydroelectric power station.

With abundant water resources and dozens of hydroelectric power stations throughout the north and central parts of the country, the cost of power generation has been compressed to a relatively low level. Electrical machinery and products, represented by electric lights, flashlights, and trams, have gradually entered the lives of ordinary people. In particular, the popularization of electric lights has made the nights in the Han mainland full of light.

In addition to large hydroelectric generating sets, the Han State has invented and produced dozens of small and medium-sized generating sets of different powers using diesel engines and gasoline engines as power sources. The generating capacity ranges from hundreds of kilowatts to tens of thousands of kilowatts. They are widely used in industrial and mining enterprises, ocean shipping, military production and other fields.

By the beginning of 1899, the total market size of the electric power industry reached hundreds of millions of Han yuan. The exported industrial products in the electric power field, such as tungsten filament lamps, flashlights, batteries, diesel generator sets, gasoline engine sets, hydroelectric power generation equipment, etc., brought economic benefits of tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of Han yuan to the country every year.

As a result, Han became the first country in the world to commercialize and popularize electricity. The electric power industry gradually developed into an independent industrial sector and entered the lives of ordinary citizens of Han.

In the automobile field, the first four-wheeled automobile factory powered by diesel engines appeared in the Han territory in June 1895. The first trial production was carried out in October 6. By the beginning of 1896, the automobile production reached 10 units per month, and the selling price gradually decreased from 1899 Han yuan to 100 Han yuan.

The price of 1100 yuan per vehicle was higher than the upper limit of what ordinary people could afford, so the cars were mainly exported overseas and sold in small quantities to army units for military use.

In the field of education, the Han government continued to maintain the educational philosophy of high-quality education during the process of rapid population growth. The number of higher education institutions remained within 60. The admission rate of first-class universities represented by Chang'an University, Imperial College London, National University of South China, Songjiang University, and Hsinjing University was controlled within the 1% range, and the admission rate of technical colleges was controlled within the 8% range.

The enrollment rate of school-age children in primary schools has increased to 93%, the enrollment rate in secondary schools has increased to 76%, and the enrollment rate in higher education institutions, represented by universities and colleges, has increased to 9%. (The enrollment rate in higher education institutions is equivalent to the admission rate, that is, the proportion of students who graduate from secondary schools and enter higher education institutions.)
Education in the Han Kingdom, especially higher education, is aimed at cultivating high-quality talents for the country and is strongly supported and subsidized by the government. After obtaining an admission letter from a college, whether it is a first-class university or a junior college, students will enjoy government financial subsidies. Each student only needs to pay 3 yuan in tuition per year. (In 1899, the median monthly income of the Han Kingdom citizens increased to 10 Han yuan.)
Those whose families are financially disadvantaged may apply for funding from the Ministry of Education. Once approved, applicants may receive full exemption of tuition and accommodation fees, as well as financial subsidies to cover their financial expenses during their studies.

At the same time, in order to ensure that the government recruits public officials in a fair and just manner, academic qualification thresholds are set for various government positions. Those who have not obtained the corresponding academic qualifications and degrees do not meet the requirements for public servant recruitment and are not allowed to participate in public servant selection examinations. At the same time, academic qualification and degree certification is limited to major universities in China. Except for a few foreign universities certified by the Chinese Ministry of Education, academic qualifications and degree certificates obtained in other countries overseas are not recognized, and they are also not allowed to participate in public service selection examinations.

The recruitment threshold for public service positions was uniformly set by the central government. The recruitment threshold for core positions was graduation from a first-class university, and the threshold for non-core positions was relaxed to technical colleges. After the regulation was introduced and implemented, it was opposed by certain groups. However, in order to prevent the dangers of expansion and proliferation of colleges and universities, commercialization of higher education, and the "lottery" nature of public service positions, the central government of the Han Dynasty withstood the public pressure from some groups and officially promulgated and implemented it in May 1893.

In the field of public transportation, by August 1899, the Han Dynasty had completed the large railway construction plan four months ahead of schedule, with the total mileage of domestic railways reaching 8 kilometers, while the mileage of American railways reached 4 kilometers. Railway transportation in the Far East mainland developed slowly, with only 5.1 kilometers.

In terms of population, the total native population in South America exceeded 4100 million, the proportion of Chinese and naturalized Chinese further increased to 96%, the land area of ​​Songkhla expanded to 9.5 square kilometers, the population increased to 700 million, the population of Lan Fang increased to 600 million, the number of Chinese in the overseas province of Congo increased to 200 million, and the number of blacks was 800 million.

In comparison, the total population of the United Kingdom is about 3900 million, and the population of its colonies is 3.4 million.

The total population of the United States has grown to 8300 million.
Germany has a total population of 5800 million, France has a total population of 4000 million, Russia has a population of 1.2 million, Japan has a population of 4400 million, Italy has a population of 3400 million, Austria-Hungary has a population of 4700 million, and the Ottoman Empire has a population of 3100 million. In the Far East, the population remains at around 4 million.

The total number of Chinese in the mainland of China, Songkhla, Lan Fang and Congo exceeds 5600 million. Among the major countries in the world, it exceeds that of Britain, France, Italy and other countries. The population size has reached the same level as Germany, and the population gap with the United States has also further narrowed.

In the steel sector, at the beginning of 1899, the steel production rankings of major countries in the world were as follows:
1 United States 1000 million tons
2 Germany 640 million tons
3. United Kingdom: 498 million tons
4 Russia 220 million tons
5 France 157 million tons
6 Han Dynasty 120 million tons
7 Austria-Hungary 112 million tons
8 Belgium 65 tons.

9 Sweden 30 tons
10 Spain 19 tons
11 Far East Continent 1.2 tons,

12 Japan has less than tons.

Driven by technological progress and railway construction, China's steel production increased to 120 million tons, and its annual steel production increased to the sixth in the world, 6 tons behind France. In terms of economic output, the rankings of major countries in the world are as follows:

1 United States $190 billion

2 United Kingdom $162 billion

3 Germany $156 billion

4. The US$90 billion of Han Kingdom included overseas colonies such as Songkhla, Lanfang and Congo.

5. Russia: $75 billion

6 France: $58 billion

7 Far East Continent US$50 billion

8 Austro-Hungarian Empire $25 billion

9 Italy $20 billion

10. Japan: US$18 billion.

Compared with the same period in history, the U.S. GDP decreased by about US$1899 billion in early 20 due to the loss of part of the American market and the financial consumption in Chile and the Republic of Brazil.

Benefiting from more than 30 years of continuous investment and R&D in emerging industries, as well as the development of economic markets in Thailand and the Far East, as well as education and population,
Between 1889 and 1899, China experienced a period of rapid technological development in various industrial fields.
Industrial sectors represented by ocean shipping, railways, electricity, internal combustion engines, and chemicals have become powerful engines of economic growth.

Between 1889 and 1899, the average annual economic growth rate exceeded 18%, creating a remarkable economic myth.

The rapid economic development, especially the explosive growth of the ocean shipping industry, brought a large number of immigrants, but also affected the positioning and development strategy of the navy. In order to maintain the security and stability of the increasingly important immigration waterways and maritime economic and trade routes, the Han Navy also ushered in a spring of development.

In August 1899, the total tonnage of the Han Navy reached 8 tons. It had four main battleships of more than 27 tons, two of which were under construction. The third-generation battleship with a displacement of 4 tons would also be launched and put into service at the end of March 1.3. By then, the total tonnage of the Han Navy was expected to reach 1900 tons.

In comparison, the total tonnage of British naval warships is 129 million tons, France is 59 tons, the United States is 38 tons, Russia is 37 tons, Germany is 33 tons, Italy is 26 tons, Japan is 16 tons, Austro-Hungary is 11 tons, and the Netherlands is 8 tons.

The total tonnage of Han warships ranks sixth in the world, 6 tons less than that of the US Navy.

In the field of civil shipbuilding, due to the strong demand for 200-ton warships, ship building technology, and ocean-going ship shipping, the total tonnage of ships in the Chinese civil shipping industry has reached 5 million tons. In the field of civil shipping, it ranks fifth in the world, second only to the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, and France.

In terms of the military, the Han Navy, including the Marine Corps, grew to 4 people, the Army field force grew to 30 people, the garrison grew to 50 people, and the number of registered militia reserves exceeded 300 million.