Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 410 Sugar
After the liberation of Egypt, the reconstruction of Egypt and the announced canal digging plan naturally required more iron.

Assuming that 30,000 people are prepared to dig the canal, and assuming that each person has a shovel, then that would require 140,000 pounds of iron. Adding losses and other expenses, it would probably be one or two million pounds of iron a year.

Such a huge demand is naturally a great thing for the kingdom's metal smelting industry.

But Cyprus is, after all, a tiny island country with neither iron ore nor coal mines on its mainland. Currently, it basically relies on charcoal and ore imported by Italian merchants to maintain its current steel smelting.

What is most valuable about Cyprus is not even its copper output, but its long tradition of copper smelting.

Although there are certain differences in technology and principles between the smelting of copper ore and iron ore, a lot of copper ore smelting experience can be applied to iron ore.

For the Kingdom of Jerusalem, only Cyprus has a systematic smelting industry heritage.

In addition, the demand for metal smelting was not great in the early days, and it could be met by transporting raw materials by sea and using local forests in Cyprus.

Therefore, the kingdom's metal smelting center was placed here.

But as time progressed, the kingdom's demand for metals became increasingly strong. If it continued to rely on cutting down forests and burning charcoal for smelting, the damage to the local environment would inevitably be difficult to reverse.

A tree that is several decades old can only produce about one cubic meter of material, which after drying weighs about 500 to 600 kilograms. After burning it into charcoal, only about 600 to 700 pounds will be left.

And to produce a thousand pounds of iron every day, you need seven thousand pounds of carbon.

In other words, for every day the blast furnace where Gellis worked was in operation, seven decades-old trees disappeared.

According to Gellis's survey of the forests on the island of Cyprus, the average timber volume per acre on the island of Cyprus is only about 6 to 8 cubic meters.

This number should be much higher than that in later generations.

But it's no use.

Because every day the blast furnaces on the island are in operation means six acres of forest disappear.

This number may not seem large, but that is because the metal smelting industry of Cypriots today is still at the medieval level, that is, the heyday of the Middle Ages.

This was not even achieved at the end of the Middle Ages.

But we need to take a long-term view, once Egypt's major infrastructure is built.

With Egypt's exaggerated population density, it is very likely that it will take small steps towards an era of Renaissance and the rise of towns.

All the problems that previously restricted the development of the Kingdom of Jerusalem will be solved with the liberation of Egypt.

In a period when there is no limit to infrastructure construction, the demand for steel and metal will naturally increase exponentially.

Six thousand pounds of pig iron a day would only be the beginning.

If the metal smelting industry continues to be located in Cyprus, it will put extremely heavy pressure on the local ecological environment.

Cyprus is just an island, and the self-recovery ability of its ecosystem will only be worse.

It is conceivable that the transfer of the steel smelting industry to continental regions such as Antioch and Anatolia was almost inevitable.

By that time, the Cyprus metal smelting industry, which is still booming, will face the challenge of transformation.

However, there is no need to say such words in this kind of occasion. Even if Cyprus' metal smelting industry is to be relocated, these people present here, as skilled workers in the metallurgical industry, will not be treated unfairly, but will be able to change their positions and continue to shine.

However, although Garys didn't want to continue this topic, someone nearby noticed Garys's actions.

"Oh? It seems you have a different opinion?"

The people who were speaking were not the craftsmen at the same table as Gellis, but those at the next table.

The man was about thirty-five years old, of medium to thin build, with a thin and angular face.

Judging from the way he dresses, you can tell at first glance that he is not an ordinary person.

As for the accent, he spoke Greek with a strong Venetian accent.

There is also a young man next to him. They look somewhat similar in appearance, perhaps they are father and son.

Since someone started talking, Gellis had nothing to hide, so he talked about his views on future development and how the high cost of Cyprus' iron smelting industry had an upper limit to future development.

The craftsmen standing by wanted to say something but held it back after hearing this opinion, mainly because what Garys said did make sense.

There is no iron or coal in Cyprus, and even the copper mines have begun to see a decline in production.

There will be development dividends in the future, and as technical personnel, they will definitely be able to reap the benefits.

But their simple local sentiments make them attached to this isolated island in the Mediterranean and they do not want Cyprus to decline.

After hearing this, the Venetians looked even more amiable.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Villeroy. Let me introduce myself first. My name is Corner and this is my son Federico. We are currently traveling in the Holy Land, um... looking for some new business opportunities, you know."

After hearing the other party's address, Garys restrained his expression, realizing that he had been recognized.

After all, he had never revealed the title of Mr. Villeroy to anyone else before.

"Have you found any business opportunities here?"

Garys made a joke, and then saw Korner seriously raised a glass of wine from his table and shook it towards Garys.

"I think I found it."

That was a glass of rum.

……

Happy times in the pub are always short, with people reading newspapers, playing chess, playing cards... and drinking one glass of wine after another.

As masters in the metal smelting industry, they can spend up to 6 silver coins on wine every day and every week.

That's enough for a fun men's night three times a week.

After all, a glass of beer only costs a few copper coins, and it doesn't mean that everyone has to get each other drunk.

When many people drink, they want to enjoy the feeling of relaxation brought by being slightly tipsy, and the feeling of being in ecstasy without making them feel nauseous.

After sending those craftsmen home, Korna had actually been waiting there for a long time.

When only Gairis, Marwan and Korna and his son were left on the street, Korna bowed respectfully to Gairis.

"I didn't expect to meet you, the prophet, here."

"Did you really not expect that?"

Garys was a little skeptical. After all, it was unusual for a guy who was obviously dressed like an upper-class person to end up in a tavern of the artisan class.

Although Garys did not deliberately hide his whereabouts, he still felt very uncomfortable being investigated like this. "Well, actually, I wanted to meet Mr. Marwan at first, but by chance, I ran into you."

Marwan on the side raised an eyebrow, not expecting that he would be involved.

"Then, this isn't a good place for conversation, right? Why don't we go to the inn and have a good chat?"

Garys did not reject the other party's proposal, and he was also quite curious about Korner's purpose.

Korna's place of stay is not far from here, and the overall layout of the hotel is relatively luxurious.

After Gelis secured peace in the Levant, the number of people coming to Jerusalem for pilgrimage and business increased significantly.

In this situation, local parliaments and kingdoms investigated and evaluated each inn in order to ensure the safety of pilgrims and merchants.

You know, there is an old saying in China: "People who work in carriages, boats, inns, or hotels should be killed even if they are innocent." For outsiders, hotels are not necessarily safe places.

After completing the investigation and evaluation, the Kingdom also issued business licenses to safe hotels and rated them.

The hotel where Corner was seated was already the highest-rated one in Paphos.

In addition to cleanliness and hygiene, there will also be rooms specifically for meeting guests and waiters on call around the clock.

Living in this kind of hotel may even make you feel more comfortable than at home.

Even though it was late at night, in response to Korner's request to negotiate with someone, the hotel still opened the reception room and asked the waiter to bring drinks and midnight snacks.

These things will of course cost extra afterwards, but Korner doesn't look like someone who is short of money.

"What do you want from Marwan?"

"It's mainly about a piece of land, and the area nearby is currently being used for steel smelting."

"Which piece of land?"

"Ipiskopi village."

Garys was unfamiliar with the place name. He turned his head to look at Marwan beside him, and from his expression he knew about the matter.

As expected, Marwan gave a brief introduction to the village of Ipiskopi.

The village of Episkopi is located in Cyprus, about ten kilometers from the port of Limassol, where there are few flowing rivers in Cyprus.

Cyprus is an island, which means that its rivers are limited in the area where they can collect water.

Most rivers are seasonal rivers, appearing during the rainy season, which is winter, and disappearing during the dry season.

In this case, even if water power projects can be built, it is actually difficult to utilize the water power.

Therefore, there are not many places on the island where water power can be used to blast the blast furnace, and the village of Ipiskopi is one of them.

"I actually wanted to talk to Lord Marwan about buying that piece of land."

"Can you tell me why you did this? What was your motivation?"

After hearing Gairis' question, Korner hesitated for a moment and finally chose to speak frankly: "I think the island of Cyprus, in addition to smelting metals, is also very good for growing sugarcane, especially near the village of Ipiskopi."

What is sugarcane?
A tall, solid perennial herb.

Its greatest role in this era was to extract sugar, and the remaining residue could be used to make rum.

People's desire for sugar was engraved in their genes before the birth of civilization.

Therefore, the price of this crop grown from the soil has become high.

Of course, one thing needs to be clarified. Although the price of sugar is high, most of the time it is not higher than the same weight of silver.

The reason why people in England can't afford sugar is simply because they are too far away from the sugar-producing areas.

And where were the world's major sugar producing areas in the 13th century?
China, India, and the eastern Mediterranean region.

Currently, the Kingdom of Jerusalem itself is a sugar-producing area, bringing in tens of thousands of gold dinars in revenue every year.

Judging from what Korner said, he obviously wanted to expand the scope of sugarcane cultivation and introduce it from the mainland to Cyprus.

"As far as I know, sugarcane likes warmth and light, and requires long periods of sunshine and high temperature accumulation. Cyprus not only has hot and dry summers with long sunshine hours, but also fertile, well-drained loam..."

"All of this provides unique conditions for sugarcane cultivation."

Indeed, I haven't paid much attention to it before, but given the conditions in Cyprus, growing sugarcane is a good choice.

In fact, in the original history, after Richard the Lionheart conquered Cyprus, he sold it to the Knights Templar and Guy successively, and established a kingdom ruled by the Franks.

Under the rule of the Lusignan dynasty, Cyprus was actively developed into an economic center in the eastern Mediterranean, and particularly became an export center for crops such as sugar, cotton, silk, and wine.

The production, processing and trade of sugar are of utmost importance, as they can bring in a large amount of foreign exchange to support the Crusaders here.

Metal smelting requires water power, sugarcane planting requires water irrigation, and sugar extraction also requires water power.

The areas on the island where hydropower can be developed are relatively limited.

Therefore, there was a conflict and exclusion between blast furnace iron smelting and sugarcane planting.

Korna felt that he needed to have a good talk with Marwan, the head of the iron smelting industry.

Who would have thought that he would actually run into the prophet?
After that, when Gellis mentioned that the metal smelting industry in Cyprus might be moved away, Korner would be more enthusiastic to approach him.

The prophet said so, so how could it be false?

Doing business depends on the speed of information, and what is the fastest way to get information?
Of course, that is to be the one who makes the news!
Or get as close as possible.

Faced with Korner's intention to invest, Gellis naturally would not refuse.

Today, the Kingdom of Jerusalem is open to all kinds of investment. If it wants to develop rapidly, it must seize the opportunity.

"I have already told you the general direction. As for the details of the land purchase, I don't think you need to discuss it with me. You should actually communicate with the Cyprus Parliament. But there is one thing I hope you can prepare in advance."

"You say."

"Cyprus is currently also dependent on the kingdom, and every city here has actually signed the Anti-Serf Declaration. Any products produced by serfs through forced labor for free will be banned from circulation."

As a region, Cyprus has its own relatively independent parliamentary institutions and government departments, and it is not directly under the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

But it does not mean that this is a lawless place, and it does not mean that you can do whatever you want here.

Certain moral standards of the new era and certain persistence that are not understood by the old world are also implemented here.

(End of this chapter)