Back to Ming Dynasty with Industrial Revolution System

Chapter 1734 One Hundred Thousand Egyptian Laborers
"General Corner, the Suez Canal Company wants to recruit 10 Egyptian laborers to carry out this great plan-to build a great shipping line and shorten the journey of at least 5000 kilometers for the east-west trade. The recruitment of laborers requires you s help."

Several Chinese businessmen who dominated the Suez Canal Company found the Venetian general who controlled Cairo and Lower Egypt.

During the First Mediterranean War, Sun Chuanting led the Allied Forces of Six Nations to expedition to Egypt, plundered the city of Cairo, and at the same time divided the area of ​​Lower Egypt where Cairo was located to the Venetians.

During the Second Mediterranean War, Chu Yun forced the Ottoman Turk Empire to sign the Treaty of Constantinople, allowing the Ottoman Empire to officially recognize that Lower Egypt was ruled by Venice.

The Venetians obtained the colony of Lower Egypt. In return, they stood on China’s side in the affairs of the Mediterranean world. At the same time, they helped Chinese merchants in digging the Suez Canal and recognized all China’s rights to the Suez Canal.

After long-term preparations, Huaxia finally established the Suez Canal Company, which used galleons to transport directors, staff, skilled workers, and machines to Egypt through the Indian Ocean, and was ready to officially dig the Suez Canal.

After the Suez Canal Company conducted power exploration, the blueprint of a north-south vertical artificial river appeared on the paper.

Everything is ready. In the era when machines were not developed enough, digging the Grand Canal required a lot of cheap labor.The Suez Canal Company immediately found the Venetians who ruled Lower Egypt.

The recruitment of a large number of Egyptian laborers also requires the help of the Venetians.

"Hey... 10 laborers, is the number too big? 10 people are a huge waste just to eat and drink." Governor Konar of Cairo saw that Chinese businessmen wanted 10 Egyptian laborers at a time, and couldn't help but wonder. Shocked by their generosity.

"I heard that the pharaoh who ruled Egypt thousands of years ago ordered several 10 people to build pyramids. Since pyramids hundreds of meters high could be built thousands of years ago, there is no problem in recruiting 10 laborers to dig the Suez Canal. The northern section is basically a piece of saline-alkali land, and the middle section is a desert. To complete the construction of the Suez Canal within 10 years, I think only 10 laborers are not enough, and new laborers will be recruited according to the needs of the project in the future." Huaxia businessman said .

"I understand what you mean. What price are you going to pay to hire labor to dig the Suez Canal?" Governor Konar asked.

"There are many free people in Egypt who are poor and can't afford to eat, and there are also many people who have become slaves. As long as we can give them a bite to eat, what complaints can they have?" said the Huaxia businessman.

When Conal heard what the other party said, he understood that the other party wanted to recruit the poorest group of workers in Egypt. Basically, they only cared about food and didn't want to pay much.

No wonder the other party will send businessmen to be responsible for the construction of the Suez Canal. No one will be smarter than the businessmen. They will find a way to build the Suez Canal at the lowest cost.

The length of the Suez Canal is estimated to be hundreds of kilometers. With the help of some machines, it still takes 10 people to spend 10 years to build it, and the number of laborers may be increased by 10 in the middle.

Even if the average number of 10 workers is maintained for 10 years, if each worker needs to be paid 10 taels of silver, then the entire project will only cost 1000 million taels of silver to the workers.

In order to reduce costs, businessmen will definitely first try to cut off the fees paid to labor, and find ways to reduce the cost of the project.

"General Konar, we have signed an agreement with the Parliament of the Republic of Venice. When we dig the Suez Canal, Venice should give us generous assistance. The Lower Egypt area under your rule accounts for the majority of the population of Egypt. Except for Mamluks The nobles are very poor, so it shouldn’t be a problem to provide 10 cheap labor for us to build the Suez Canal?” the Chinese businessman asked.

"Of course there is no problem. I will ask some Mamluk nobles to recruit enough laborers in their jurisdiction to bring you there. There should be some people who will help you work for a meal, and there are quite a few of them," Konar said.

"Then thank you, please accept this kindness." The Huaxia businessman put the heavy bag on Conor's table.

Conal opened the bag face to face, revealing the golden little yellow croaker, and quickly closed it again: "How can this be done?"

"Why can't it be done? The matter of supplementing labor will fall on you in the future." Huaxia merchant said.

"In this way... I will arrange it as soon as possible, and I will definitely be able to recruit the laborers you want." With the shortage of manpower and the signing of the contract between the two parties, Konar must help the Suez Canal Company recruit 10 Egyptian laborers.

The Venetian rulers in Lower Egypt quickly ordered the Mamluk nobles everywhere to send some of their labor to participate in the construction of the Suez Canal.

"The canal company recruits laborers. As long as you have physical strength, you will have a bite to eat. You tramps sign up quickly, so you don't need to be hungry all day long."

"The prisoner can also go to dig the soil, and the sentence can be reduced!"

Lower Egypt caused a lot of trouble because of the large-scale recruitment of laborers. The lowly local tramps, criminals, and slaves were the first to be recruited.

These people already have a good meal, especially criminals.The Venetians who rule here are also very shrewd. They don't want to spend money to provide food to criminals, but drive them to continue the Suez Canal. They can let Chinese merchants provide them with food and sell them a favor .

In order to prepare meals for 10 laborers, food transportation is also a big problem. The northern section is a saline-alkali land, and the middle section is a desert. It is necessary to provide food for 10 laborers in harsh terrain. It is doomed that the food for these canal laborers will not be good. , it is estimated that they can barely eat and wear.

On the one hand, the Suez Canal Company asked the ruler of Venice to provide 10 laborers, and on the other hand, it found local food suppliers in Egypt to prepare them to provide water and food for this mobile "city".

Many Egyptian businessmen bid on this large and long-lasting food supply project, and they competed fiercely.

Supplying fresh water and food to 10 laborers within ten years is a business worth millions of taels of silver.If they win this business, they may become one of the few grain merchants in Egypt.

"Our food supply has been decided to be handed over to three merchants. If any of them is short of grain or taels in the middle, we will stop cooperating with that merchant forever." The Huaxia merchant finally announced the Egyptian merchant who won the bid.

(End of this chapter)