The Rise of the European Emperor

The ensuing recruiting work really went much smoother. Seeing that the recruiting point was full of maple sugar compressed biscuits and dried salted fish, and the recruits who were selected were allowed to eat, many rumors were self-defeating.

Although the taste of grilled salted fish is not very good because there is no cumin powder at present, it is much better than nothing. Moreover, the maple sugar compressed biscuits mixed with maple syrup, with a sweet taste, is an indescribable enjoyment for ordinary Europeans in this era!

In this era, I am afraid that only nobles have the opportunity to be late for sweets, and ordinary people have no chance to eat sweets at all. For the average person, the only opportunity to experience sweetness is probably when eating fruit. Ripe apples, for example, are the only chance many ordinary Europeans have access to sweetness...

Now, soldiers and soldiers of the Beihai Kingdom can eat sweet biscuits almost every meal every day. How can it not be exciting?

Of course, in fact, the soldiers of the Beihai Kingdom did not eat maple syrup biscuits every day. Because, strictly speaking, compressed biscuits are food that is only used in wartime. Usually, everyone still eats black bread. Then, plus Chinese fast food. That taste is much richer than compressed biscuits, and the nutrition is more comprehensive.

But these little buddies who participated in the recruitment in southern Germany didn't know it. They thought that eating sweet compressed biscuits was an emperor-like enjoyment. Just like in the joke - the emperor must drink two bowls of soy milk every meal, drink one bowl, pour one bowl...

Under the temptation of delicious food, the anti-propaganda of those princes can hardly stop the enthusiasm of those brothers from the mountainous areas in southern Germany. After eating a few sweet biscuits and grilled salted fish, some young men who were not selected also stayed at the recruiting office and refused to leave...

In desperation, the person in charge of the recruiting office contacted the mainland with a pigeon, asking for a solution...

After seeing the report, Marin cheerfully ordered—bring them all back! Even if you can't serve as a soldier, you can still be brought to America as an immigrant. Coincidentally, there is a shortage of people over there...

...

As time goes on, the arrival of September heralds the beginning of the autumn harvest in parts of southern Europe. Of course, at the same time, there is also the Beihai country in the north...

The autumn harvest in southern Europe is due to the warm climate and low latitude here, so the planting is earlier than in the north, so the autumn harvest is naturally earlier. And Beihai's autumn harvest is purely due to the application of phosphate fertilizer...

However, although the North Sea has many provinces, only the five provinces of East Frisia, West Frisia, Oldenburg, Schleswig and North Münster have used new fertilizers. In other areas, volcanic ash was only partially used. Therefore, there are only these five provinces where the crops start to be harvested in September. For other provinces, we have to wait until October...

At this time,

Louis XII, who was in Naples, was also very concerned about the autumn harvest. Mainly, look at the effect of volcanic ash...

Since occupying the Kingdom of Naples, Louis XII dug up a large amount of volcanic ash from the Kingdom of Naples, transported it back to the mainland, and tried it in the Provence region near Italy in southwestern France, mainly for the barley fields of some local manors belonging to the royal family.

Today, the barley harvest is almost beginning in Provence. Therefore, Louis XII is now very concerned about the production of barley over there...

If it coincides with the results of the previous small-scale experiment in Paris, then France will try its best to take down the Kingdom of Naples. If there is a difference in the results, Louis XII has to consider whether to back down...

...

While Louis XII waited anxiously, finally, one day, a carrier pigeon delivered the news...

"Your Majesty, great joy!" Earl Duert, who was in charge of intelligence under Louis XII, happily trot over to report to Louis XII, waving a secret letter.

Louis XII also stood up and asked anxiously:

"How? How's the situation?"

Earl Duert breathed a sigh of relief and reported:

"According to the report of the royal estate on the outskirts of Provence, after using volcanic ash, the yield of barley there was more than 2,200 pounds per bonnier (an ancient unit of area in France, equivalent to one hectare) (equivalent to about 150 pounds per mu), It has increased to more than 3,300 pounds (equivalent to 220 pounds per mu), and the lifting effect has reached half!"

When Louis XII heard this, his face was filled with ecstasy. Although it is only a 50% increase, it is also great news. after all. Every bonnier lifts 1100 pounds, and 10,000 bonniers is 11 million pounds lifted. This amount of promotion is completely enough for France to launch a large-scale war. Even if tens of thousands of war horses are dispatched, there is no need to worry about the lack of food and grass. Moreover, even if there is no war, the extra food can still be sold for money...

The only disadvantage is probably that the Kingdom of Naples has a limited production of volcanic ash, which cannot be provided to the whole of France, but only enough to provide what is needed by the French royal family.

But this is enough, Louis XII wished that the royal family would be strong and other great nobles would be weakened. The royal family has sufficient money and food to ensure absolute control over the Kingdom of France.

The cultivated land belonging to the French royal family probably has tens of thousands of Bonniers. If all volcanic ash is used, it can be predicted that tens of millions of pounds of grain can be produced every year. With so much food, it can definitely support France to launch a large-scale war against Spain...

Even if you don't fight Spain, you can fight Austria. Anyway, France has long taken a fancy to the wealthy Netherlands region, if it can be taken away from Austria...

At this moment, Louis XII was full of pride and full of longing for the future. At the same time, he also strengthened his determination to fight the Spaniards to the end - for the volcanic ash of the Kingdom of Naples, for the imperial hegemony of France, he must work hard!

...

In fact, Louis XII did not know that not all volcanic ash has such a strong fertilizer effect. It is also a coincidence that the volcanic ash from the several volcanoes obtained by the French happens to be suitable for crop fertilizers. But not all volcanic ash is suitable as fertilizer, and some volcanic ash is even harmful to crops because it is rich in toxic substances. Moreover, the newly erupted volcanic ash cannot be used as fertilizer immediately. It needs to be mixed with ordinary soil for many years before it can become fertile soil. Even, some volcanic ash soils grow various plants for many years. Plants rot after death and become highly nutritious rotting impurities, which accumulate from generation to generation and become more fertile naturally.

But the French didn't know that the few volcanoes they chose happened to have large areas of volcanic ash and fertile soil. Then, they firmly believe that volcanic ash soil is the best fertilizer.

Just like the Icelandic volcanic ash developed by Marin now, because Iceland is cold, there are not many plants that can grow on the volcanic ash soil, and there are few decaying impurities, so it is not a good volcanic ash. However, before Marin sent the volcanic ash to the following, he added a lot of "materials" to it, such as potassium salt and apatite, etc., which enhanced the effect, and it was no worse than those volcanic ash with good fertilizer efficiency...

...

Louis XII was unaware of the many possibilities of volcanic ash. He thought that as long as it was volcanic ash soil, it would be a good fertilizer.

At this time, he has regarded volcanic ash as the only reliance on France's rise and domination of Europe. At an internal meeting attended by only a few of his cronies, Louis XII exclaimed excitedly:

"For the ash! For France!"

Obviously, Louis XII is mentally prepared to fight Spain...