The Rise of the European Emperor

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Right now, Marin has a total of 4 refitted galleys in his hands, traveling to and from the Mediterranean Sea, and is responsible for trade with the Mamluk Dynasty. Marin used to import chemical raw materials such as trona and thenardite from Egypt, and sometimes bought some Arabian horses through Egypt.

Of course, there are not many Arabian horses in Egypt itself. Therefore, buying Arabian horses is more about borrowing the trading platform of Egypt. Because the Arabian horses purchased by Marin mainly come from the Najd and Hijaz areas in the east and southeast of Egypt, as well as Oman and other places. After all, there are not enough horses in Egypt. Most of the Mamluk cavalry have only one horse.

In addition, it should be pointed out that although the Hijaz area, which includes the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina, is nominally subject to the Mamluk dynasty of Egypt, in fact, the Hijaz area is autonomous and governed by Muhammad. The Mamluk dynasty did not directly rule the area. After all, the Hashemite family is an authentic holy family, and the Mamluk dynasty must also respect them. The Mamluk Dynasty’s rule over Hijaz is somewhat similar to the Qing Dynasty’s rule over Tibet. The Qing Dynasty authorized the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama to rule Tibet. The Mamluk dynasty also authorized the Hashemite family to rule the Hijaz region, which is only a matter of name. In exchange, the Hashemite family of Hijaz must also recognize the puppet Caliph of Cairo as the spiritual leader of the entire Allah world.

In fact, the Caliph, who was born in the Abbasid family, was also a branch of the Hashemite family. At the beginning, Muhammad married his daughter Fatima to his cousin Ali, and their descendants became the main branch of the Hashemite family. The Abbas family is actually descendants of Muhammad's uncle Abbas. Therefore, in general, the two families are originally a family.

But what is interesting is that the Shiites respect the descendants of Ali, the Hashemite family, as the authentic heirs of the caliphate, while the Sunnis believe that they do not necessarily need to be the descendants of Muhammad to become the caliphate. For example, the Abbasid Dynasty was established by the descendants of Muhammad's uncle Abbas, not Muhammad's descendants. It stands to reason that the Hashemite family should support the Shiites who support their own family. However, in fact, the Hashemite family, which controls the two holy cities, belongs to the Sunni sect... Of course, this is also helpless. Because the Sunnis dominate the Arab world. If they support the failed Shia, it is estimated that the family will also be expelled from the holy city. Occupying the holy city obviously has huge benefits. For example, receiving pilgrims from all over the world is a huge income every year. The Hashemite family ruled Mecca and could have made a fortune on the pilgrimage. For example, monopolizing the hotel industry, paying high prices for accommodation, and providing high-priced food. Then, some so-called "blessed" religious souvenirs were sold at a high price... It is said that the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in future generations, Saudi Arabia's income is as high as tens of billions of dollars... Therefore, in the face of interests, the Hashemite family bowed their heads and recognized the Sunnis It's also normal...

However, after acknowledging the mainstream Sunnis, others dare not touch them. After all, they are authentic descendants of the Prophet Muhammad. For example, the Mamluk dynasty, obviously drooling over the huge income of the sellers' pilgrimage, but they dare not just grab it casually. Otherwise, it will become the enemy of the world. Even if Ottoman Turkey later occupied here, it still entrusted the Hashemite family to manage the holy city. Of course, in exchange, the Hashemite family later recognized the Turkish sultan as the orthodox caliph...but what kind of onion is the Turkish sultan? Any Hashemite blood? No... But the Hashim family admitted that there is no way to do it. If they don't admit it, the Turkic people will turn their faces and kill people. But admitted, you can still control Mecca, which is rich in oil and water...

All in all, the Hashim family is a bit like the Confucius family in China. All dynasties have respected them and regarded them as mascots. However, no one from the Kong family went to Qufu for a pilgrimage, and they didn't make much money, only the false title of Duke Yansheng. The Hashemite family has a pilgrimage to Mecca and makes a lot of money.

...

Because they were worried that Turkey would annex the Mamluk dynasty and grow bigger,

Therefore, Marin sent a fleet to Egypt before to see if he could buy more Egyptian goods and give some economic support to the Mamluk dynasty.

Therefore, Marin instructed the fleet to go to Egypt to buy more livestock, such as cattle...

Marin thought, the Mamluk dynasty of Egypt is also a country with developed animal husbandry, so there should be enough cattle to sell, right? It just so happened that Marin needed a lot of cattle to develop the New World. Therefore, Marin instructed the fleet to buy more cattle, which not only supported Egypt economically, but also facilitated himself.

Unexpectedly, after the fleet came back, Hansel, the head of the fleet, came back and reported that there were very few cattle in Egypt...

"What? There are very few cattle in Egypt?" Marin was confused after hearing this. Then, after thinking about it, he asked:

"How did the Egyptians plow the fields?" You know, the Nile River Valley in Egypt is a famous agricultural area. Without cattle, do they use horses for farming? But it's not right either. Arabian horses are medium-sized horses, not heavy horses suitable for farming in Europe...

Hansel replied:

"Although there is a lot of arable land in the Nile River Basin in Egypt, only some of them use cattle to plow the land. Most of them use camels to plow the land..."

"What? Camels can also plow the land?" Marin was a little dumbfounded.

"Yes, camels plow the land! I have seen local people plow the land in the countryside of Egypt. The way they plow the land is that men hold the plow behind them. In the front, women or young boys with little strength lead the camels forward and control the direction. Also That is to say, the Egyptians need two people to use camels to plow the land. However, the person who pulls the camels does not need to work in the prime of life. Moreover, according to the local people, most of the arable land on the Arabian Peninsula uses camels. Because camels are more adaptable to the local drought The climate is hot. In addition, the land is usually not plowed, but it can also carry goods."

Marin was surprised when he heard that, and continued to ask:

"In other words, there are a lot of camels in Egypt?"

Hansel thought for a while and said:

"Yes, there are a lot! Walking in the cities and countryside of Egypt, you can see camels everywhere. Under normal circumstances, those camels either carry people or carry goods. It is said that a camel can carry 400 pounds of goods. Long distances, you can travel 40 miles a day, which is 64 kilometers. Moreover, camels are very resistant to rough feeding, just eat some weeds, and can go without water for several days, which is very easy to raise. Therefore, in Egypt and Arabia, it is very Camels are popular. And camels are also the main means of transportation there..."

"Carrying 400 pounds of cargo for 64 kilometers every day... My boy, this is an excellent means of transportation..." Marin clicked his tongue. You know, the average infantry marches only about 40 kilometers a day. A camel can run 64 kilometers a day with a load of 400 pounds, which is faster than an army march.

"In this way, raising camels is more cost-effective than raising cattle..." Marin thought while rubbing his chin.

Raising cattle can only plow the land. Although it can also pull an ox cart, the ox cart is too slow. There is no shortage of horse-drawn carts in Europe, so naturally no one uses ox carts.

"How fast is the camel plowing the land?" Marin asked.

"It is said that it can cultivate more than 5 mu of land every day, which is better than cattle!" Hansel replied.

"So powerful? Then, what is the price of the local camel?" Marin was surprised.

"10 gold coins a head, as much as you want! In Egypt, camels are everywhere!"

"That's great, I command you, go to Egypt again and buy as many camels as possible!"

After thinking about it, Hansel said:

"It's okay to buy a camel, but, Grand Duke, the ship may have to be refitted to ship the camel. After all, the camel is taller..."

"This is no problem, I will send the craftsmen of the shipyard to refit the ship!" Marin said vigorously. Since I can't buy enough cattle, I will buy camels instead. There are many camels in Egypt. Buying a camel is not only convenient for yourself, but also profitable for the Egyptians. It is a win-win situation...

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