My Italy

The day's work began again. Carlo sat in the office looking at the mountains of documents in front of him and sighed.

These are all the consequences of pro-government. Although his power has increased greatly, the number of documents that need to be approved by himself has also increased greatly.

Speaking of which, Carlo asked for the huge increase in workload. He was asked to take most of the work into his own hands.

However, there is nothing you can do about it. As a pro-government person, you always need to understand the various tasks of the government before you can be prepared. So during this period, officials at all levels of government could see Carlo's signature on the documents.

Of course, many people were dissatisfied with Carlo's performance. The main reason was that Carlo did not make adjustments to the government after taking office.

However, these dissatisfied people are divided into two groups, one is the kind who want to fish in troubled waters, and the other is the kind who had previously joined Carlo. Of course, Carlo would not pay attention to those who wanted to fish in troubled waters.

As for those who had surrendered before, Carlo also had no explanation. If they didn't even have this patience, they were not worthy of Carlo's attention.

After seeing that Carlo had not moved, the wave gradually subsided.

The Italian political scene has become calm again, but under the calm situation, various political giants are watching Carlo's every move. They will not let go of any clues, trying to seize the opportunity in future politics.

Carlo did not pay much attention to these people, because his status and power determined that everyone who wanted to challenge the position of prime minister must move closer to him and gain his approval. This is the characteristic of the dual constitutional monarchy. You must be recognized by the monarch before you can become the prime minister.

Now Carlo just wants to finish the work at hand and doesn't pay much attention to other things. However, his wish was not fulfilled. When he was trying to reduce the thickness of the documents on his desk, the guard took another pile of thick documents and placed them on his desk.

However, the efforts paid off. After a morning of struggle, the number of documents on the desk was reduced by one-third.

Looking at the results of his efforts in the morning with satisfaction, Carlo spoke to the captain of the guard who appeared in front of him. "Who are you having lunch with?"

"The Minister of Industry, His Excellency Stam, has arrived and is waiting for His Majesty."

"Then let's go, don't keep him waiting."

Arriving at the private small restaurant, Industry Minister Stam was already waiting here. The somewhat pudgy Minister of Industry quickly stood up after seeing Carlo's arrival. "His Majesty."

"Your Excellency Stam has been waiting for a long time. He was so busy at work that he forgot the time, so he came late."

Facing Carlo's explanation, how could Stam take it seriously.

"Your Majesty has a lot of things to do, and it is my honor to wait to have lunch with Your Majesty. Besides, I haven't been here long, so I should wait for Your Majesty."

Carlo sat down after the attendant pulled out the chair. "Haha, you are just too polite."

Facing Carlo's words, Stam smiled apologetically.

After both of them were seated, the food was served quickly.

The fragrant food aroused Carlo's empty appetite.

"Let's eat first."

"OK."

For a moment, there was only the sound of knives and forks and chewing in the restaurant, and the two people's eating postures were also different. Carlo ate quickly, while Stam was more gentle.

About a quarter of an hour later, Carlo, who was full, put down his knife and fork, and Industry Minister Stam also put down his knife and fork. Both knew it was time to talk things over.

"Your Excellency Stam, what is your Ministry of Industry planning to do regarding the promotion of electricity?"

When Carlo invites guests to dinner, there will inevitably be something to discuss. Stam had already anticipated this.

Yes, Carlo can't wait to bring Italy into the fast lane of electrification. Although Italy lacks the resources for electrification, in this era of free trade, as long as there is no war, the problem is not that big. Of course, Carlo has not forgotten this hidden danger, but he still needs time to prepare.

"Your Majesty, this is the support plan for electricity prepared by our department. Please take a look at it."

Stam took out a document from his bag and handed it to Carlo.

Carlo took the document and read it immediately. The document listed a lot of clauses, mainly tax exemptions and other aspects for factories that use electricity as power.

Regarding the exemption clause of the Ministry of Industry, Carlo asked several questions about the exemption based on his own understanding, and Stam answered them one by one.

Carlo, who received a satisfactory answer, then praised him. "It's very good. This clause will greatly promote the application of electricity. I very much agree with it."

Facing Carlo's praise, Stam took over with a smile. "This is all your Majesty's credit. If Your Majesty hadn't helped us make the decision, this plan would not have been come out so quickly."

Stam was right. If not for Carlo's urging, the Ministry of Industry would not have been so determined in this promotion plan. You must know that electricity is a new technology, and many people will choose to treat new technologies with caution.

And Carlo has the memory of future generations, and of course he is not willing to let Italy waste time like this. Therefore, promoting the development of electric power in Italy has become Carlo's top priority.

"Needless to say, it's still the result of your hard work."

After getting satisfactory results, Carlo asked another thing. "Your Excellency Stam, after the electric power promotion plan is implemented, the demand for electricity will increase significantly. Do you have any response plans?"

Faced with Carlo's question, Stam, the Minister of Industry, immediately responded. "Your Majesty, our department has also considered this. In response to the demand for electricity, we plan to use a public-private approach. Our department will build a number of thermal power stations to provide electricity nearby. At the same time, we will guide private capital to invest in power construction. A public-private partnership approach will ensure the supply of electricity.”

Facing Stam's answer, Carlo shook his head to express dissatisfaction.

"Although this method can be used as an emergency, it is not the best method."

Facing Carlo's objection, Stam looked like he was listening.

"Your Majesty, please correct me."

"I think that although the current electricity production in Italy is still in its infancy, we must see that it is the result of no planning, which also results in the lack of a standard for electricity supply. This is not conducive to the promotion of electricity use, and disorganized electricity supply should not If this continues, they need a standard."

Regarding Carlo's words, Stam asked tentatively. "Then Your Majesty thinks we should set a standard first?"

"Yes, I think the 220V figure is reasonable."

That's right, Carlo directly borrowed doctrine and used it directly from the later dynasties. Of course, he also knows that even industrial electricity currently does not meet this standard, so he did not mention 380V industrial electricity. Not many factories can currently afford this thing, because current electricity costs are not affordable at all.

"The voltage set by His Majesty is very reasonable."

Where it makes sense, Stam doesn't know. Stam had no objection to the answer given directly by Carlo, because there are not many factories using electricity at present, and it is not worth his objection.

"It is not enough to set standards. We need to build power stations on a large scale so that people can feel the changes brought about by electricity and promote their use of electric lights."

When Carlo said this, he threw out a plan that he had already prepared. "So this power construction plan promoted by the government and combined with private capital is not strong enough and needs to be reconsidered."

Facing Carlo's words, Stam couldn't sit still. "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Industry has limited funds and cannot support large-scale power construction. Moreover, how should the excess power produced by this be used?"

There is some truth in Stam's words. Unlike other products, electricity cannot be stacked and stored. The electricity produced must be used.

Carlo was not worried at all by Stam's inquiry.

"This is easy to handle. If the industry cannot use up the electricity, then we will provide electricity to the private sector. At present, it is too inconvenient to use oil lamps in China, and it is also easy to cause fires. So as long as the government provides some guidance and large-scale production, the cost will be reduced With this reduction, electricity will be supplied to thousands of households, enough to allow power stations to operate at full capacity.”

Hearing the king's words, Stam wanted to speak again, but before he could speak, Carlo spoke out what he was worried about.

"Of course, I also know that building a power station on such a large scale will put a lot of pressure on funding. How much funding can your Ministry of Industry provide now?"

"Less than thirty million lire."

Hearing the words of the Minister of Industry, Carlo did feel a little lacking.

"Let's do this. Your department will find a way to raise 30 million lire. If it's not enough, go to the prime minister to help you solve it. Then the royal family will spend 70 million lire to jointly establish a company specifically responsible for the production, supply, and maintenance of electricity. Specifically responsible for Responsible for the construction, production and maintenance of electricity in Italy.”

Carlo began to use the temple funds obtained from India, which was what he had planned from the beginning. For the electrification of Italy, he must be involved and have a controlling and driving role.

When Stam heard this, he became a little anxious. It's not that he disapproves, but that he has seen that such a company will inevitably monopolize the country's electricity production and supply, and the Ministry of Industry or the government will lose the power of control if it invests in this way.

"Your Majesty, it is inappropriate to contribute funds like this."

"I know, don't worry Sir Stam."

After reassuring the Minister of Industry, Carlo continued. "Your Ministry of Industry will first provide 30 million lire of funds, and then provide 10 million lire of funds each year for the next four years, so that we can all get 50% of the shares."

Faced with the conditions given by Carlo, Stam thought about it and agreed. This company destined to monopolize the country's electricity was born during the conversation between the two.

"Your Majesty, what name should we give to such a company?"

The Minister of Industry, who had reached the end of the discussion, remembered that he had not yet given a name to this company.

"Then let's call the State Grid Corporation of China."

When he thought of the world's largest electric power company in later generations, Carlo said the name without hesitation.