Chapter 69: A Fruitful Return Journey
December 29, 1900 – Hamburg, Germany.
The acquisition of Benz & Cie. had gone smoothly, and the relocation of the entire company and its research facilities proceeded without issue.
Thanks to Wilhelm II's endorsement, the process faced no obstruction. Arthur spent only £2 million to complete the acquisition and all related matters.
As Germany's largest automobile company, Benz & Cie. owned one automobile factory, one research laboratory, and a foundry and mechanical workshop built to develop and produce engines.
Together, these facilities employed more than 500 people. Of those, just over 100 agreed to emigrate to Australia, even with Arthur's generous salaries.
But for Arthur, having over 100 people willing to relocate with their families was already great news.
After three days of preparation, the employees and their families reached Hamburg, ready to board transport ships bound for their new lives in Australia.
Accompanying them were employees from a company called Diesel Engine Laboratory and Engine Works.
That's right—Arthur's ambitions went beyond Benz. In the closely related field of engine development, there was another figure as prominent as Benz: Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel, known as the "Father of the Diesel Engine."
Diesel was a genius and pioneer in engine technology, especially diesel engines. The German word "Diesel" itself originated from his name.
Like Benz, Diesel had already made significant progress with his invention. His diesel-powered compression-ignition engine offered high output, low fuel consumption, and could run on low-grade fuel—clearly a technology with vast future potential.
If Benz was a half-inventor, half-entrepreneur with limited business skills, Diesel was a pure inventor—brilliant in engineering, but utterly inept in commerce. Though he had earned millions from his inventions, a series of bad financial decisions and stock investments had pushed his company into crisis.
After signing the acquisition agreement with Benz and planning the relocation, Ministers Andrew and Pierre immediately traveled to Munich in search of Diesel.
Diesel, a German who had been educated in Paris as a child, had fled to London with his family during hostilities between Prussia and France. After graduating, he had worked in Switzerland and Paris, eventually setting up his engine research lab in the French capital.
At the time, Diesel was staying in Munich, recovering at a local sanatorium from severe nervous exhaustion.
Due to his achievements in diesel engine development, Diesel was well-known, and the ministers quickly located him.
Like Benz, Diesel was a man devoted entirely to his work, with little concern for profit.
When told that Duke Arthur wished to acquire his laboratory and factory, Diesel's first question wasn't about the purchase price—it was about how much funding would be provided for research.
Arthur had no intention of being stingy, especially when the money would go toward genuine innovation.
Both Benz and Diesel were offered £1 million per year for research, with the possibility of applying for more.
As expected, Diesel readily agreed to the acquisition, with only two conditions: his research funding must be guaranteed annually, and he would be allowed to bring all of his assistants.
Thus, the two most legendary figures in the future of automotive and engine technology were successfully brought aboard Australia's development project—at the cost of only a few million pounds.
As with Benz & Cie., Arthur reserved 10% of the shares in the engine factory for Diesel and left full control of the research lab to him.
The factory itself, however, would be overseen by others, as Diesel's business skills were lacking, and he needed to focus entirely on technical work.
With everything in place, Arthur led hundreds of workers, his newly recruited talents, the diplomatic delegation, and a team of guards aboard the warships, beginning the voyage back to Australia.
Onboard, Diesel and Benz finally met the man behind their recruitment—Arthur.
Seeing the mix of admiration and nervousness in their eyes, Arthur graciously promised them each a villa in Sydney and assured them that their families would receive Australian citizenship.
That's right—Arthur also required them to become Australian citizens, true Australians.
Initially reluctant, both men were eventually persuaded by Arthur's reasoning about the future and agreed.
Satisfied with their decision, Arthur knew these two would bring transformative impact to Australia's industrial future.
The journey from Hamburg to Sydney would take just over a month—an extremely long and uneventful stretch.
But perhaps due to mutual admiration, Benz and Diesel quickly became close friends. They spent most of the voyage in the same cabin, discussing engine principles, innovations, and practical applications in automobiles.
Arthur was more than happy to see it. After all, these were titans of their respective fields, and their collaboration could produce insights capable of reshaping Australia's technological landscape.
Even better, the discussions led to new discoveries for both men.
They repeatedly asked Arthur to accelerate the voyage so they could begin building their laboratories and resume research as soon as possible.
Arthur, both amused and exasperated, ordered the fleet to proceed at maximum speed and promised them that upon arrival, sites for their research centers would be immediately secured, and funding made available to begin work without delay.
(End of Chapter)
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