The Crescent of the Sultan

The British probing did not achieve much effect. Regarding the so-called first request, Pitt himself knew that it was outrageous.

After all, Daiying's cotton purchase price in India was only 40% of the market price, and even a double premium was not enough.

What's more, Egyptian cotton is already a very high-quality variety.

Egypt's climate is suitable for cotton growth, and it has high lint yield, strong toughness and strength, which is suitable for the needs of various industries. The key point is that Egypt's long-staple cotton yield is good.

As for Indian cotton?

The varieties of cotton that have been passed down to this day are mainly long-staple cotton originating in South America and fine-staple cotton originating in Central America.

Although coarse staple cotton originating from India has low yield and short fibers, it is not suitable for machine spinning.

However, before the introduction of cotton from the Americas, it still dominated all kinds of fabrics in Eurasia and was widely spread in Asia.

But when Emperor Seth pulled out Egyptian long-staple cotton, Indian cotton was nothing.

In addition, it is much closer from Egypt to England than from India to England, so there is much less loss.

Of course, the most important thing is not these. The British are now short of cotton.

At this point in time, the number of bags of cotton imported by Britain from India was roughly three figures, whereas in 1810 the figure was seven figures.

Although everyone knows that the southern United States is the main area for cotton exports, even America has become independent.

But can Dixies and Yankees get along?

It's simply impossible. Planters or slave owners are inherently in conflict with northern capitalists. It's none of my business how you develop industry. Who should sell cotton to, unless you pay more.

Therefore, although the thirteen continents of North America were lost, Daiying could still buy North American cotton.

But this is not enough. Looking at the entire development process of the New England (USA) textile industry, the period from 1790 to 1820 can be regarded as its rise stage.

In 1790, British immigrant Samuel Stray successfully built a new spinning machine in New England, mechanizing the spinning process and marking the rise of the New England textile industry.

In 1793, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, which increased the efficiency of cotton removal hundreds of times and effectively promoted the development of the New England textile industry.

In 1813, Francis Cabot Lowell introduced the British Cartwright power loom and opened a comprehensive textile factory from carding and spinning to producing cloth. The establishment of the factory marked the beginning of the textile industry in New England. Industry has entered a new stage of development.

In the 1920s and 1930s, England's textile industry ushered in a period of rapid development.

The development of New England's industries, led by the textile industry, led to the urbanization of the entire New England region.

Lowell was the largest textile industry center in New England at the time and an emerging industrial city.

In terms of output value, in 1835, the total output value of the textile industry reached US$47 million, and in 1790 it was only US$20 million.

In other words, it is inevitable for Daiying to find a new source of raw materials, because the textile industry in North America needs to develop, and the textile industry in Daiying needs to develop even more.

Therefore, Emperor Sai did not refuse to agree, but replied to the British ambassador, promising to base the number of cotton bales exported from India to the UK and adjust the export amount in the future according to market conditions.

As for the second request of bringing Ying, he also exported technology in exchange for tax cuts. Let’s not talk about why he went there earlier. If he just brought Ying, Emperor Sai would believe that he was out of his mind.

Why did the Industrial Revolution happen in Britain? From the perspective of Emperor Cyril, the first reason is that the Malthusian trap was popular in Europe.

The second is that Britain is close to coal mines and transportation costs are very low.

Third, in fact, the ideological emancipation and academic logical reasoning after the Renaissance have already formed the prototype of today's science. The improvement of steam engines only achieved a breakthrough in efficiency.

In other words, Britain must be the first to break through the Malthusian trap and realize the exploration of early modern industrial design.

The Ottoman Empire did not have this condition, which is why Emperor Cyprus always advocated that the Ottoman Empire fund the project and the British send people.

For a country that does not have enough accumulation and a country that does not have the opportunity for trial and error, Emperor Sai is not at ease except for letting himself take control.

Is there a strong country that blindly imitates and imports other people’s machines?

Yes, of course there is, Tsarist Russia is, it looks really strong, and it is actually very strong, until it encounters Germany after the second industrial revolution, the record of World War I is enough to explain everything.

How can a country without its own industrial system remain strong?

Even if there is, this is a false power.

If we follow the British request to lower tariffs and let British engineers guide the industrialization of the Ottoman Empire, we will hand over the initiative to others. Emperor Cypriot could not even see this, so he might as well be killed headlong.

As for the British third request?

Emperor Cyril would like to ask, is George III the caliph or is he the caliph?

The Ottoman army has not moved yet, why do you British ask this question? Too busy to panic, right?

But, as for the British's three requests, I think so, but I definitely can't say that.

Diplomatic rhetoric is all about nonsense, but in fact it has one central point.

For example, the two replies written by Emperor Sai the Great under the instruction of Haji Pasha.

"As Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Sultan, I, Haji Pasha, respect the opinions of His Majesty King George of England and Prime Minister William Pitt.

However, regarding the issue of the protection rights of Orthodox Christians within the empire, our position on the Ottoman side is consistent and very clear.

Orthodox Christians are subjects of the Ottoman Empire. The issue of Orthodox Christians is purely an internal matter of the Ottoman Empire and does not allow interference from external forces.

The Ottoman side has previously made stern representations to Russia regarding the various false claims made by Russian Queen Catherine II.

We advise some people in Russia not to play the "Orthodox card" and not to play with fire, otherwise they will only get burned and reap the consequences.

All wrong actions against the general trend of the Ottoman Empire are like worms shaking a tree and are doomed to failure.

Of course, the Ottoman side’s position on the issue of foreign exchanges between Orthodox Christians within the empire is consistent and clear.

The Ottomans have no objection to non-governmental economic, trade and cultural exchanges between foreign countries and Orthodox Christians, but they oppose the development of any form of official relations.

The Orthodox Christians are also the subjects of the Sudan. Any reactionary remarks made by foreign forces under the guise of liberating the Orthodox Christians and rescuing the Slavs will make the Ottoman Empire in no way weak.

Of course, the Ottoman Empire also welcomes the Kingdom of England to stand on the side of peace and justice and join our country in condemning Russia's inappropriate remarks to prevent tragedies like Poland from happening again. "

This one was sent to the British Foreign Secretary, and the other one was sent to British Prime Minister Peter.

"As for the British concerns about the Arab region, the Ottoman side is very happy that the Kingdom of England, as a major European country, pays attention to regional security and peace.

However, the Arab region is an internal matter of the Ottoman Empire. The British side should believe that the Ottoman Empire has the ability and confidence to handle this issue.

The Ottoman side's policy stance towards the UK is consistent and clear. We are committed to achieving mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation with the UK side, while firmly safeguarding our sovereignty, security and development interests.

The Ottoman policy towards Britain has always maintained a high degree of continuity and stability.

The Ottoman side has always advocated the establishment of a Turkish-British relationship featuring non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, while firmly safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests.

The Ottoman Empire also made it clear that the Arab issue is the core of the Ottoman Empire's core interests. The Arab region's belonging to the Ottoman Empire is the principle of the Ottoman Empire's foreign exchanges and the political foundation of the Ottoman Empire's relations with other countries.

The British side should respect the principle that the Arab region belongs to the Ottoman Empire and abide by the basic norms of international relations that respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries and non-interference in internal affairs.

The Ottomans had indisputable sovereignty over the Arabian region and its adjacent waters.

The Ottoman side is willing to properly resolve relevant issues through consultation.

We also hope that the UK will earnestly respect its national sovereignty, refrain from taking actions that may complicate or expand disputes, and jointly safeguard peace and stability in the Arab region. "

Looking at the two replies in front of him, Emperor Sai was amused. Hehe, he felt nostalgic for his homeland.

After yawning, the Emperor signaled Paul to give the reply to Haji Pasha, asking him to forward it directly to the British Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister through the channels of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

As for Emperor Sai himself?

Of course there are activities, specifically tree planting activities.

The Mesopotamian Plain in the Mesopotamian Basin was originally a wealthy land, but the years of tug-of-war between the Ottoman Empire and the Safavid Persians, coupled with the Bedouin's love of plowing valleys, have made this Fertile Crescent completely deserted. .

In order to support the population growth of the Ottoman Empire in the future, Egypt alone will definitely not be enough. Egypt is indeed the perfect place to develop modern agriculture, but it is also the perfect place for industrialization, because the cotton textile industry is the first step in the industrial revolution.

As for why we rely on Bal, this kind of thing will be discussed later. Emperor Sai is not at ease now. He must wait for at least fifty years.

In this case, it is necessary to repair the Iraq area or the Mesopotamia Plain.

As early as 5000 BC, water control technology was used in early countries in the Fertile Crescent.

In the Nile and Tigris-Euphrates basins, completely different methods have been developed due to the different characteristics of the floodplains in the two areas.

In Egypt, states based on agricultural production first appeared in the Nile Valley in 5000 BC.

Nile floods were particularly suitable for agriculture. The floods come from the Ethiopian highlands during the monsoon rains in East Africa.

In early summer, the Nile's main tributaries, the White Nile and Blue Nile, reach flood level.

The river reached Egypt in early August and flooded the valley floor.

By late August, in time for the autumn planting season, the river receded, leaving behind silt deposits that covered the fields. It was not until the completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1972 that this pattern was interrupted.

The early Egyptian dynasty learned to take advantage of the floods of the Nile River and cultivate grains in accordance with its rhythm.

During the Pharaonic period, a system of river basin irrigation was developed to ensure regular grain cultivation.

They created openings in the river banks, allowing floodwaters to cover adjacent agricultural areas.

When the flood waters recede, water is pumped from the Nile through various lifting facilities. These facilities include water booms, Archimedean screw pumps, and water trucks.

These facilities could be powered by either humans or domesticated animals, and were well adapted to the Nile.

The environment in the Tigris and Euphrates river valleys is quite different.

The Tigris flood peak occurs in April, when it would harm the spring harvest, rather than in late summer. Moreover, its steep river banks and fast water flow pose challenges to water conservancy engineers.

Instead, the Euphrates trickles through an arid floodplain and loses much of its water through evaporation.

As early as 5000 BC, there is evidence of irrigation projects in the Tigris-Euphrates basin.

By 1500 B.C., humans were able to significantly alter the flow of water in floodplains. Through a systematic, politically directed process spanning more than a thousand years, five major transverse canals were opened to divert the waters of the Euphrates through the floodplains to the Tigris.

The second major engineering feat that expanded irrigation in this region was the construction of two huge, interconnected and parallel artificial canals between 1000 BC and 1000 AD. The canal (a true artificial river) from the Tigris - the Na Hravan and Gislavi Canal - one of the greatest engineering projects of its time.

In order to slow down and divert the fast river water, the rulers at that time also built water weirs.

As a result of these hydraulic projects, the Mesopotamian floodplains were greatly transformed. As far as Selim knew, during the Sassanid period in Persia, a large canal complex including five large dams was built on the Karon River and numerous tributaries of the Tigris-Euphrates River in northeastern Khuzestan.

It is no exaggeration to say that at the peak of the Sasanian Empire, floodplains contributed nearly 50% of land tax revenue.

The area of ​​irrigated land greatly increased, making it possible to grow summer crops, which greatly increased food supplies.

As a result, Mesopotamia's population reached an all-time high during the Sasanian period.

Although the Sassanids had impressive engineering projects, prosperity proved unsustainable once the central government declined and the water conservancy projects collapsed.

Looking ahead, the Euphrates' channel moved more than 300 kilometers between 1000 BC, leaving behind a high, dry center of the floodplain.

These movements become a cyclical pattern. Continued flooding and hydrological changes in the 6th and 7th centuries AD further undermined the prosperity of the Tigris-Euphrates delta region.

In the early 7th century, the Tigris moved again on a massive scale, converting some of the Diyala floodplains from prime agricultural land to desert and weakening the Sassanid Empire during a critical period of its war with the Byzantine Empire.

To the north, siltation and salinization gradually clogged transverse canals, weirs, and locks.

Although Arab conquerors made great efforts to restore this system since the mid-7th century and revived agriculture for a time, they all came to nothing.

By the time of the Mongol conquests, this complex in Mesopotamia had ceased to function.

So, what Emperor Sai had to do was to repair the ecological environment of the Mesopotamian Plain first. How could such a Fertile Crescent be wasted?

As for how to repair it, just plant trees first. The person who planted the trees had already thought about it.

First of all, there are those who shout slogans. Anna can take advantage of this opportunity to lead Muslim women and female Orthodox Christians to do some organizational work, which can be regarded as loosening the constraints of Muslim women.

As for who plants the trees? Shia Muslims live here, shouldn't they be the ones planting trees? After all, this is the place where they live all year round, shouldn't it be repaired?

Shias might say Sunni Muslims live here too.

Have it?

Anyway, Emperor Sai didn't know, so if he didn't know, he had to use Shia. This is also a win-win situation. It's not a win-win for Emperor Sai to win twice.

Thanks to all the book friends for your monthly votes, one of the previous chapters has disappeared. . . This problem arose because I got too excited while imitating. I'm a bit suicidal myself. . .