Greece to roman road

"However, regarding the construction of the steel plant, interested investors will come to Athens in the past two days. It is estimated that there will be a result soon. You also know that heavy industries such as steel plants require huge investments and a long cycle of cost recovery. It will take a long time. If we don't show enough sincerity, I'm afraid it will be difficult for others to make up their mind to invest in such a project," Constantine said to Trikupis.

"As long as they are willing to invest, even if they don't collect taxes for a few years, it will be fine," Trikupis said quickly after hearing Constantine lamenting that it was difficult to find investment for the steel plant.

"But who are these investors? People who are not wealthy enough do not dare to invest in projects like steel plants."

"Prime Minister, you are well-informed. Have you ever heard of the maritime transportation "dynasty" among Greek shipowners?" Constantine deliberately let it slip.

Hearing the word dynasty leaked out of Constantine's mouth, Trikupis suddenly understood, and instantly understood the origin of Constantine's so-called intended investor.

Greek merchants, especially Greek shipowners, have a huge influence on the coasts of the Mediterranean and Black Sea. Some Greek merchants have gradually become well-known because they have been engaged in maritime transportation for many years.

The best among them are known as the shipping "dynasty" due to their reputation in the ocean transportation industry.

Such as London-based Larris Brothers and the Rodokanaski family.

In the 1830s, Greek merchants gradually regained the market that the Greek shipping industry had originally lost due to Greek independence.

Russia in the 19th century was an agricultural country, and its largest export commodity was food.

Exporting grain to Western Europe is an important source of income for the Russians. 50% of Russia's commodity imports and exports are completed through the Bosporus.

From this we can also understand why the Russians fought against the Ottoman Turks for nearly three hundred years to get Constantinople.

The fact that the Ottoman Turks levied tolls on ships passing through the Bosporus made Russia hate them.

This strait is really important to Russia.

Most of the commodities along the Black Sea coast are transported by Greek shipowners. They depart from ports on the Black Sea coast, such as Odessa and Crimea, to transport Russian agricultural products and other minerals to Western Europe. On the return voyage, they transport Western European industries The goods were shipped back to Russia.

Among them, the Larris Brothers Company and the Rodokanaski family are among them.

Trikupis nodded and said, it is indeed appropriate to ask them to invest in the Gang Iron and Steel Plant.

"So, when planning your rail and road routes, try to accommodate the needs of these companies as well," Constantine demanded.

"Also, once the cotton textile factory is established, Prime Minister you will need to increase the tariff on imported cotton cloth."

As the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the UK, the cotton textile industry is a very mature industry in the UK. The symbols of the Industrial Revolution, the Jenny loom and the steam engine, are themselves machines used in large-scale production in the textile industry.

If Greece wants to develop in the textile industry and compete directly with established industrial powers, it is almost impossible without the protection of tariffs.

"You can rest assured that the development of industry and commerce in Greece has always been my political opinion and I fully support it."

Trikupis said.

······

After bidding farewell to the Prime Minister, night has fallen.

“Go back through Syntagma Square”

On the road from the Prime Minister's Palace to Tatoy Palace, Constantine, who was sitting in a carriage, ordered the driver.

When the driver in front of the carriage heard Constantine's request, he cracked his whip.

When the carriage arrived at Constitution Square, they saw two rows of black iron pillars on both sides of the road. At the top of the iron pillars, the dim light from light bulbs dispelled the nearby darkness and illuminated the road.

Citizens gathered around the street lights in small numbers and curiously observed these new sights.

“Every night, Athenian citizens would come to watch the lights,” Schmidt explained as he watched Constantine chatting about the curtains and observing the scene outside the window.

These street lights are the lighting facilities installed together with the electric lights in Tatoy Palace.

"I heard that after seeing these street lights yesterday, some people shouted loudly to the people around them, saying that some kind of miracle from God had appeared, and caused a lot of trouble."

"After all, this is the first time humans have used lighting other than fire."

Schmidt exclaimed.

The reason why Constantine came here specifically was to observe the attitude of the Athenian people towards electricity, a new type of energy.

"Let's go," Constantine told the driver.

·····

The next day, when Constantine was in his office in the Tatoi Palace, reviewing the army's demand documents for new weapons, Schmidt walked in and informed: "Your Highness, Mr. Larris and Rodokana are coming from London. Mr. Ski came to visit”

Constantine raised his head after hearing the news and said: "Welcome to the reception room, don't be lazy"

After that, he straightened his clothes in front of the mirror in the office, and then hurried to the reception room to wait.

After a while, two young men in their thirties, wearing bowler hats and black woolen coats, walked into the reception room holding civilized weapons.

After the greetings, everyone sat down.

"Mr. Larris, Mr. Rodokanaski, you should already know the purpose of inviting you here. What do you two think?"

Constantine asked.

Through the Greek ambassador in London, Constantine invited the Laris brothers and the Rodokanaski family to send commissioners to Athens to discuss investment in steel plants.

Why these two companies, whose main business is transportation, were invited as the subject of investment in the steel plant was also the result of Constantine's careful consideration.

First of all, as the leading merchants engaged in the Black Sea-Mediterranean-Western Europe route, these two families have deep connections in Britain and Russia.

Greece lacks high-quality coal and iron ore, and its own lignite cannot be used for steel smelting.

Under such circumstances, Greece can only develop its steel industry by importing iron ore and coal from overseas, just like Italy.

Based on Greece's geographical location, the most convenient countries to import coal are the United Kingdom and Russia.

The UK has abundant coal reserves and ranks among the top in the world in terms of mining volume. It has always been an important coal exporter in Europe.

Among them, Wells white coal is a world-famous thermal coal. For example, during the Sino-Japanese War of 1898, Japanese warships used imported Wells white coal.

Russia's Ukrainian region is also dotted with huge coal reserves, such as the Donbas coal mine.

Therefore, these two investors were chosen to be investors in the steel plant, firstly to facilitate future coal transportation. They are engaged in sea transportation, and the coal needed by the Greek steel plant must be transported by others.

Secondly, they took a fancy to the relationship network of these two companies in Britain and Russia. This will provide convenience for Greece to transport large quantities of coal, and possibly even iron ore.