Eduardo led me to a warehouse.
“Are we allowed to use this place?”
“Hmm… technically, we probably shouldn’t.
“But, well, the director of the academy is my uncle, so he lets me use it.”
‘Should he really be telling me that?
‘The management of military supplies here is an absolute disaster.’
“Oh, really?
Fine.
What did you want to show me?”
Eduardo rummaged through one corner of the warehouse and pulled out what looked like an ordinary flintlock musket.
“What’s special about this?”
“Look inside the barrel.”
There were spiral grooves cut along the inside.
‘A rifled barrel?’
I felt slightly disappointed.
Rifling was unquestionably an important advancement in firearms technology—important enough to distinguish a rifle from a smoothbore musket—but the concept had existed for a long time.
The problem was that rifled weapons had two major disadvantages that prevented widespread adoption.
“It’s a rifled gun.
“I know rifling improves accuracy and range, but it’s much more expensive to manufacture, and reloading is slower because the bullet has to fit the grooves.
Right?”
“Oh!
So you know about firearms.
You really are interested in this.”
“…I told you I was.
Is that all?”
“Of course not.”
Eduardo opened his palm.
A bullet rested there.
‘A bullet too?
‘Seriously, what is wrong with this academy director?
What happens if something goes missing?’
The academy’s military-supply management continued to astonish me, but I forced myself to focus on the bullet Eduardo was showing me.
“It looks a little different.
What’s special about it?”
Bullets in this period were usually simple metal balls.
Eduardo’s projectile had a more aerodynamic shape, closer to a modern bullet, with two deep grooves near the rear.
“Look.
When the weapon fires, gas pressure pushes against the bullet from behind.
“These grooves allow the rear portion to expand under pressure, making it engage the rifling automatically.”
“Oh!
“Then you don’t have to carefully align the projectile with the rifling while loading it.
You can simply load it normally.
“That’s incredible.”
“You understood that quickly.”
I wasn’t a firearms enthusiast, so I hadn’t immediately recognized what he had done.
Once he explained it, however, the principle became obvious.
‘This is basically a Lorenz-type bullet…
‘Although in this world, should I call it the Eduardo bullet?
Or the Vega bullet?’
“You’ve solved one of the two biggest problems with rifled weapons.
That’s genuinely impressive.”
I meant it.
Had someone in Mexico really developed a projectile resembling the later Lorenz bullet years ahead of schedule?
“But if you already designed this, why did you enter the military academy instead of starting a business?”
Mexico still operated as a semi-feudal society dominated by vast haciendas, but the Industrial Revolution had begun in England more than fifty years earlier.
Information about industrialization, the rise of the bourgeoisie, and new commercial opportunities had naturally spread to Mexico.
By the late colonial period, people in Mexico were already establishing significant businesses.
Any ambitious young man could at least consider entrepreneurship.
“My family doesn’t have the money to start a business.
“The only real connections we have are in the military.
“I thought that if I improved a weapon here and demonstrated its effectiveness, I might convince the army to finance production through the military budget.”
At this time, weapons and other military supplies were still largely produced through state arsenals.
The modern concept of privately owned defense companies barely existed.
If Mexico’s finances weren’t in such terrible condition, Eduardo’s plan might actually have had a chance.
But judging by the history I remembered, it probably wouldn’t have succeeded.
‘Still, he’s a real patriot.’
And patriots deserved recognition.
“So you don’t actually want to be a soldier.
You’re mainly interested in developing weapons?”
“…Yes.”
Eduardo nodded.
‘I’m going to make you rich.’
“Then how about going into business with me?
I have an idea too.”
“What idea?”
“It’s called a rifling machine…”
Even in this era, rifling wasn’t literally carved into every barrel entirely by hand.
Manual machines using crank mechanisms existed, but cutting the grooves was extremely labor-intensive.
Rifles only became widely adopted during the second half of the nineteenth century after steam-powered rifling machines made mass production practical.
I didn’t know the exact engineering design of such a machine.
But I understood the general principles well enough.
‘If the two of us work on it together, maybe we can finish one before graduation.’ Get faster updates on g.com.
“If we can make what you’re describing, we could reduce the production cost of rifles enormously.
“I like it.
“Let’s do it.”
***
During the day, I trained and studied.
During my free time, I exchanged letters with my representatives to manage my businesses while also developing weapons with Eduardo.
My life became extremely busy.
‘Everything is going well, but this military academy has absolutely no sports culture.’
Training and work kept me occupied, but I still thought the lack of organized sports was a shame.
Sports weren’t merely entertaining.
They made physical exercise enjoyable and encouraged teamwork.
For a military academy, sports were an excellent way to improve cadets’ stamina, strengthen bonds among comrades, and help them relieve stress.
There was no reason not to encourage them, especially when many military academies would eventually do exactly that.
‘Looks like I’ll have to introduce sports myself.’
“Everyone, come here.”
I gathered my classmates, who had been relaxing in the dormitory, and dragged them out to the training field.
“What is this?”
Lorenzo scratched his thigh with an annoyed expression.
‘With that pretty-boy face of his… maybe I shouldn’t have told him he could speak to me so casually.’
“See that?”
After persuading the instructor and academy director of the benefits of sports, I had received permission to install a football goal on the training field.
“What is it?”
“Stand over there, in front of it.”
Lorenzo walked into the goal.
I kicked the ball as hard as I could.
A furious shot!
THUMP!
“AAAAH!
DAMN IT!”
The ball flew straight toward him, and Lorenzo hurriedly threw himself sideways to dodge.
“WHY DID YOU DODGE?!
YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO STOP IT!
YOUR TEAM JUST CONCEDED A GOAL!”
“HEY!
AT LEAST EXPLAIN WHAT THIS IS FIRST, YOU IDIOT!”
“What just happened is called a ‘goal.’
“Now gather around.
I’ll explain the rules.”
I explained the basic rules of football, and we began our first match.
“THIS IS A TACKLE!”
“AAAAH!”
“Oh…!
So that’s how this works?”
The football match quickly transformed into something resembling a brawl, filled with fouls and chaos.
“HEY!
THAT’S A FOUL!
I TOLD YOU THAT’S A FOUL, IDIOT!”
Despite playing football for the first time in his life, Lorenzo was surprisingly good.
‘Why is he so talented?
‘Is it because his surname is Torres?’
Our team was being thoroughly crushed by this natural talent, who already seemed to be the ace of the first-year cadets.
‘I refuse to lose to someone playing football for the first time.’
I abandoned any thought of taking it easy on him because he was a beginner.
“Ah… Behold!
The man once feared as the sharpshooter of the Bloody Kick has made his grand entrance into Mexico City.”
“What the hell are you talking about, lunatic?”
“…”
After a bloody struggle, we won 3–2.
My classmates seemed to have enjoyed themselves tremendously.
And I added another objective to my growing list.
If Mexico managed to survive all its crises and become a great power someday, I would develop the football industry.
‘I’ll create legendary clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid, and every week we’ll have our own Clásico.’
In this world, the pioneer nation of football would not be England or Spain.
It would be Mexico.
***
Training and weapons development were important, but my businesses remained the most critical part of my plans.
Even while living at the military academy, I continued managing them by exchanging letters with my representatives.
Although I used the same dormitory, equipment, and food as the other cadets, I had requested one privilege: a small private room for handling business matters.
‘The dormitory is far too noisy for writing letters.’
I had tried doing it there at first, but it was impossible.
Whenever Lorenzo got bored, he came looking for me so we could play football.
It was incredibly annoying.
This week, three letters arrived.
I sliced open the first envelope with a letter opener.
[Your Highness,
I hope this letter finds you in good health.
This is Emilio.
Thanks to the capital you provided, I successfully purchased the iron-bearing land you identified at a reasonable price.
As expected, the previous owner was unaware of the iron ore beneath his property.
I hired a mining specialist, and he has confirmed that the area contains a considerable quantity of iron ore.
Based on this information, I intend to proceed with the next phase of the project.
With assistance from Her Majesty the Empress, I have secured additional funds, which will be used to develop the iron mine.
With my best wishes for Your Highness’s continued success and progress,
Emilio Estrada.]
“Hmm… Maybe I put him in an awkward position.”
Although I had personally provided the initial capital, I couldn’t expect Emilio to constantly visit me while I was confined to the military academy.
I needed someone trustworthy who could manage my money and distribute funds to my representatives whenever necessary.
That person was Mother.
Mother came from a wealthy landowning family and had received a solid education in finance and accounting because she needed to understand the management of her family’s estates.
In fact, she already supervised all of Agustín I’s agricultural properties through estate managers.
So I explained my business plans to her in detail and asked her to manage my funds.
She agreed without difficulty.
“Now that I think about it, telling Emilio to go ask the Empress for money… that must be incredibly awkward.”
I planned to change the arrangement eventually, but for now Mother was the only person I trusted completely with my finances.
“Everything seems to be going well with Emilio.
“Let’s see what else we have…”
[Your Highness, I am deeply grateful that you have taken the time to read this letter…]
“Good grief.
What’s with all this formality?
I’ll have to tell him to cut out these unnecessary pleasantries next time.”
I skipped the excessive formalities and went directly to the important part.
[Unfortunately, I have been unable to locate a domestic supplier capable of providing a continuous cotton supply.
Since trade with Britain recently resumed, large quantities of British cotton products have flooded the market, causing many local businesses to lose competitiveness and collapse.
Therefore, I have signed an agreement for a stable supply of imported British cotton.
However, in consideration of Your Highness’s previous instructions, I have decided to import only limited quantities for the time being.]
“Ah, damn it.”
At the moment, there was simply no way for Mexico to compete with Britain in the textile industry.
The technological gap was enormous.
We were barely introducing machinery while Britain had already improved its equipment through generation after generation of development.
[Fortunately, we have secured blacksmiths and workshops capable of continuously producing rivets.
We intend to begin with limited production and release the products to the market.
Regarding the cotton-supply problem, I would be deeply grateful for Your Highness’s guidance.
I wish you continued progress and success.
Your loyal servant,
Ramón Alvarado.]
“Tsk.
This is a headache.”
If immediate profit were the only consideration, using British cotton would obviously be the logical choice.
But as Crown Prince, I had to think about the economy of the entire empire.
Relying completely on Britain would be a serious mistake.
“If there are no domestic cotton mills, Mexican cotton plantations will have no choice but to sell to foreigners.
“And once that happens, foreign buyers will use their position to crush the price.”
Domestic cotton mills needed to remain active so Mexican producers retained at least some bargaining power.
Otherwise, foreign companies could collude and take practically all the profits from Mexican plantations.
They would keep the plantations barely alive while squeezing them as hard as possible.
The plantations might earn almost nothing, but after investing heavily in cotton production, they would be trapped and unable to simply abandon everything and switch industries.
“It’s better to think long-term, even if it means taking the slower road.”
In my reply to Ramón, I ordered him to purchase the most stable domestic cotton mills that had gone bankrupt.
I instructed him to balance production between domestically sourced material and British imports at roughly fifty-fifty.
“This will raise production costs, but once we reinforce the work clothes with rivets, the profit margin should still be enough.”
The business would develop more slowly than I had planned.
There was no alternative.
I took a sip of water and opened the third letter.
[Your Highness, this is Alfonso Ríos.
We have begun our courier and transportation business between Mexico City and Veracruz.
Relay stations have been established every forty miles, and stagecoaches have been adapted for mail transport.
I have hired drivers, guards, and office staff.
Three days ago, we launched our first courier service.
Based on the initial results, this route appears likely to generate a healthy profit.
I will provide a more detailed income report in my next letter.
For the time being, all profits will be reinvested to expand operations onto additional routes.
Alfonso Ríos.]
“Wow.
Concise.
Efficient and fast.”
Alfonso had always been quiet but practical while we were building houses in California.
His letters reflected exactly the same personality.
“In the end, Alfonso was the first one to turn a profit.”
Since everything was going well, there wasn’t much advice to give him.
I simply replied that he had done a good job.
Hernando, who was responsible for Sacramento, and Isidro, who was heading to San Francisco, had sent their final letters before departing for California.
The distance was far too great for regular correspondence.
I had already given them all the money required to begin their businesses.
I probably wouldn’t hear from either of them for at least a year.
‘Not everything went according to plan, but things are progressing surprisingly well.’
The snowball had begun to roll.
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