Crop Yields Fall

On March 2nd, the emperor's entourage arrived in Sofia.

At this moment, the snow on the high hills had not yet melted, and a cold wind was blowing. Varro, wrapped in a thick coat, walked slowly with the group.

Located south of the Balkan Mountains, Sofia is less affected by cold waves. He observed the winter wheat seedlings in the fields and found them to be in generally good condition, with about 80% of the harvest expected in the summer.

The situation worsened after entering Serbia.

The wheat fields are sparse and not completely frozen, but the yield has been severely reduced. It is estimated that only 50% to 60% will be harvested this summer.

Fortunately, crops such as potatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes from the New World spread to Europe.

During the reign of John XI (the former emperor), the Agricultural Department of the Eastern Roman Empire recognized the superiority of potatoes.

This crop has a growing period of just over three months. It is adapted to cool climates, is sown in March, and can be harvested around July.

Moreover, potatoes do not require high soil fertility and can still provide a certain yield even when planted on barren slopes.

Passing through a rural area, Varro saw dozens of farmers gathered outside the church.

The crowd whispered among themselves, discussing a notice posted on the wall that mentioned a nearby Agricultural Company was selling potatoes at a discounted price.

While Varro was serving on the Northern Black Sea Coast, local farmers were also growing potatoes.

Therefore, the common dishes in the officers' mess changed to fish and chips, instead of the smoked salted fish and bread from the Vitus era.

Even in the Ryazan region, which is further north at latitude, potatoes could still grow during the short warm season, thus feeding a large serf class.

The downside of potatoes is that they cannot be planted continuously. After harvesting this season, it is best to switch to other crops next year, such as rye or Barley.

On March 13, the emperor arrived in Smederevo on the banks of the Danube, the former capital of Serbia.

Currently, more than 100,000 troops are stationed in various locations along the Balkans border.

On the western front, the two sides faced each other along the Danube and Sava River, with neither side planning a large-scale crossing.

The main battlefield is in eastern Wallachia, where House of Habsburg forces crossed the Wallachia Carpathian Mountains last year and captured several locations.

However, given the relatively favorable situation, the House of Habsburg considered withdrawing their troops.

This isn't because they're being generous; the key issue is that Bohemia is in turmoil, and the unrest is about to spread throughout the entire Germany region!

In the 15th century, the Hussite Wars broke out in Bohemia, one of the important reasons being that the Holy See had seized too much land in Bohemia, which aroused the dissatisfaction of the local people.

A similar phenomenon occurred in the Germany regions in the 16th century. Clergymen such as Martin Luther opposed the Roman Curia, and their influence was even wider than that of Jan Hus.

It was now 1611, and many princes had chosen the sect of Martin Luther, Calvin, and others as a name to rebel against the authority of the House of Habsburg.

War is imminent.

It is conceivable that the destructive power and scale of this war far exceeded that of the Hussite Wars two hundred years ago.

The House of Habsburg had no choice but to reluctantly abandon this golden opportunity to weaken the Eastern Roman Empire.

The negotiations between the two countries were held in Belgrade.

From December of last year to March of this year, representatives from both sides argued countless times, resulting in a return to the pre-war state.

Varro wasn't high enough to be allowed to enter the meeting room to listen in, so he stood outside the City Hall, enjoying the cold wind and occasionally lighting a cigarette.

Boom!

A flash of lightning illuminated the depths of the clouds, and a cool drizzle began to fall. Varro ran back under the eaves to take shelter from the rain.

Not far away, a House of Habsburg servant leaned against the wall, yawning boredly.

Seeing Varro puffing out smoke, the servant said in Latin, "I forgot to bring matches, could I borrow a light?"

The two began to chat. The House of Habsburg servant was handsome, with a high hairline, a mustache on his upper lip, and a goatee on his lower lip. One side of his wide hat brim was rolled up, while the other side was decorated with long ostrich tail feathers.

Alberrecht Wallenstein.

Varro had heard of this family; they were a renowned Bohemia family with a history spanning hundreds of years.

However, the vast majority of Bohemia were Protestants (Hussites, Lutheranism), and were at odds with the Catholic Church House of Habsburg.

Assuming the war ends and the Kingdom of Bohemia breaks free from House of Habsburg rule, what will happen to Wallenstein's homeland?

"Not leaving himself a way out? What a guy who combines ambition, decisiveness, and cold-blooded calculation."

Meanwhile, inside the City Hall.

Since the House of Habsburg emperor did not attend, Manuel IV would also not be present, striving for Foreign Affairs equality.

Bright candlelight illuminated the entire hall, a group of reporters scribbled furiously, and two Foreign Affairs ministers, representing their respective monarchs, signed their names at the end of the agreement.

Beneath their enthusiastic smiles, the two ministers harbored different thoughts. "Just you wait, once we quell the internal strife, you'll be in for a world of hurt."

"You wait, once we've repaired the canals and railways, we'll storm Vienna sooner or later and smash the palace to pieces."

With the signing of the peace treaty, the situation in the Balkans eased somewhat.

The emperor planned to send tens of thousands of troops to reinforce the Northern Black Sea Coast and repel the massive Ryazan army.

Ryazan's technological level was inferior to that of the Eastern Roman Empire and Western Europe, but their system was naturally suited for warfare.

This country has a large serf class, and the monarch can force them into the army.

After serfs enlisted, the army usually issued them a set of cheap uniforms, bedding, and a flintlock musket (including bayonet) that cost 4 Hyperpyron.

During their service, their annual salary was roughly equivalent to six Hyperpyron, far less than the thirty Hyperpyron earned by the Eastern Roman Empire soldiers.

In fact, the high command in Ryazan understood that this military pay was insufficient for survival.

Therefore, they tacitly allowed soldiers to live in the homes of local residents, demanding supplies from them and shifting the cost of maintaining the army onto the civilian population.

The Eastern Roman Empire Cabinet unanimously agreed that even if the Frontier Army achieved a great victory, with an exchange ratio of 1:3, they would still suffer a loss.

"Malaka! This battle cost us 20 million in military spending, which is equivalent to two-thirds of the cost of the canal."

The heavy Finance burden constantly plagued the emperor, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted and losing any desire for leisurely travel.

On March 30th, Varro returned to Sofia with the emperor.

Now that winter has passed, some wheat fields are in low-lying areas, where melted snow and ice have accumulated and rotted the roots of the winter wheat.

With no hope of a harvest, the farmers decided to plow up the winter wheat fields and plant potatoes instead.

Accompanied by their shouts, the oxen struggled through the muddy ground, the plow turning over the dark brown soil to reveal the rotting wheat roots underneath.

The woman followed behind, carrying a wooden basket filled with diced potatoes, each piece retaining one or two eyes.

Varro asked a farmer who was resting by the roadside, who told him that the village had bought the potatoes with money, but the villagers couldn't afford the full amount, so they had to buy them on credit from the Agricultural Company, with the agreement to repay the debt in the fall.

"My lord, could you perhaps plead with His Majesty to allow him to..."

This is clearly impossible.

John XI left behind a debt of 30 million, of which more than 20 million are still outstanding. Last year's war also cost the Finance another 10 million. Where will they get the money to help you?

With limited grain supplies from Egypt and the Levant, Varro speculated that the emperor would only provide relief to the most severely affected areas, villages that were barely surviving and therefore excluded from the relief efforts.

On April 15th, as soon as Varro returned home, Anastasia rushed to him and asked about his experiences during that time.

"It was pretty boring; the whole trip consisted of taking the train, traveling, and inspecting military camps."

Varro put down his suitcase and sat wearily on the sofa, panting. The journey had exhausted him, and he needed to rest well for the next few days.

However, his vacation lasted only two days.

The Southern Canal Company's board of directors was formed, and Varro, as the royal representative, was notified to attend the first board meeting.

The meeting was held in a street-facing building in the southeastern part of the city, with a sign for the Southern Canal Company hanging in front of the door.

Varro surveyed the surroundings, thinking, "The location is off the busiest street; it doesn't suit the company's image."

The entire building is still under renovation, and several workers are laying carpets and installing chandeliers in the lobby.

A young employee, who appeared to be a recent college graduate, stood at the front desk. After inquiring about Varro's identity, he led the important figure to the conference room.

The space is spacious, with sunlight streaming in through the windows and curtains swaying gently in the breeze. A large oval Oak table sits in the center, surrounded by twenty chairs.

Varro arrived half an hour early, and there were only four people present: Fiore Di Maggio, Nikephoros, and two other businessmen.

"My dear nephew, how are you doing up north?"

Nikephoros was born in 1572 and is thirty-nine years old this year. He is large in stature.

Although he was only eight years older than the emperor, he always liked to talk about seniority and referred to himself as the emperor's uncle.

Varro was born in 1585, thirteen years younger than Nikephoros, and was even more despised by him.

After a few seconds of thought, Varro began to recount the events of his trip.

Hearing that more and more farmers are switching to growing potatoes, Nikephoros remarked, "Potatoes have a high yield, but the downside is that they are difficult to store and transport; they rot easily if the skin is even slightly bruised. It's a good thing the Cabinet didn't include potatoes in the list of goods subject to taxation."

Varro read a commentary in the Golden Horn News that shared similar views with Nikephoros.

Now, many villagers grow potatoes and pumpkins for food, and use the remaining half of their land to grow wheat. The harvested grain is used to pay taxes and exchange for daily necessities.

The current unstable climate is no longer suitable for winter wheat, a traditional crop. Instead, the crops of the New World are more resilient, saving many farmers from famine.

Over the next half hour, all the attendees gradually arrived.

The project raised 20 million, equivalent to 65% of the shares. Each 65% share represents one director, so thirteen directors attended.

As fundraising continues, more board seats will be added, bringing the total number of board seats to twenty after raising 30 million.

After the pleasantries, Joseph, as the person in charge appointed by the Prime Minister, was unsurprisingly elected as chairman of the board.

"Thank you all for your trust. This is the company structure I have proposed."

Joseph distributed a booklet to everyone.

In the future, the headquarters of the canal company will be located in Constantinople, where it will be responsible for fundraising, taxation, shareholder meetings, and other matters.

The Egypt branch is located in the port of Pelusium (north end of the canal) and includes departments such as engineering, finance, and procurement.

The most crucial department was the engineering department, with Joseph personally serving as its head.

When the railway was being built, the construction team surveyed the terrain, and the data they left behind saved Joseph a lot of trouble.

The canal is planned to be 160 kilometers long, and he plans to divide it into multiple sections and start construction simultaneously, appointing an engineer to each section to manage multiple construction teams.

One of the board members suddenly asked, "Is the canal really that deep?"

Currently, the largest steamship has a full-load displacement of 1,500 tons and a draft of 5.5 meters, with a margin of about 6.5 meters of water depth sufficient for passage.

Considering that future ships will be larger, with a tonnage increasing to three or four thousand tons, and the canal will be dug to a depth of 7.5 meters, that should be sufficient.

However, the construction manual specifies digging to a depth of 8.5 meters. Isn't that excessive?

Digging one meter deeper increases the amount of earthwork significantly, and more importantly, it makes it easier to hit rock layers, which are difficult to deal with. The only options are to use explosives or simply take a detour.

Joseph put down the manual and clearly told everyone, "This is the Admiralty's request, Prime Minister has agreed. The depth can only be increased, not decreased!"

For over a century, the navy has dreamed of breaking out of the Mediterranean Sea and robbing businesses from France, Portugal, and other countries in the Indian Ocean.

The modern navy primarily consists of wooden-hulled warships, with first-class sailing Battleship reaching a displacement of 2,600 tons, 120 naval guns, and a draft of 7 meters.

The shipyard is developing a new steam-powered warship with a design draft of 7.5 meters, so the canal must be at least 8 meters deep.

0.5 meters.

"A new warship?"

Fiore Di Maggio, deep in thought, inquired of Joseph, "I recall the Navy commissioned a steam paddlewheel warship, but it wasn't mass-produced? What new ship type are they developing?"

Last week, Joseph sat in on a meeting with the Prime Minister, the Minister of the Navy, and others to learn about the relevant information.

It is said that the shipyard planned to replace paddle wheels with propellers as the power source for steam warships.

However, this matter was highly confidential, and Joseph dared not speak of it carelessly, lest he attract the attention of the intelligence agencies.

The meeting reached a brief stalemate.

The board members whispered among themselves. Varro, being the least experienced and least capable, did not participate in the discussion.

Varro, representing the royal family, could only stand on Joseph's side; no one else bothered to win him over.

He looked down at the patterns on the porcelain cup, then looked up at the clear blue Sea of Sea of Marmara outside the window.

"Little Pigeon recently hired a French chef; she's really spending money like water. I heard an Oriental restaurant opened in Thirteenth District; how about I take her there for a change of pace, and maybe catch a show while we're at it..."

A warm sea breeze swept into the room, causing the curtains to flutter. After consulting with the three factory owners, Nikephoros solemnly declared, "I support the chairman's construction plan."

There are two key factors in doing business overseas:

First, there's competitiveness. Assuming multiple products are of the same quality, your price must be lower than your competitors'.

Secondly, the support of a fleet is required.

After the canal was opened, the Eastern Roman Empire could deploy its main fleet to the Indian Ocean to compete for strongholds and spheres of influence of countries such as France and Portugal.

The more victories the fleet achieves, the more money the factory owner earns.

Twenty years ago, Nikephoros and others planned to sell a shipload of goods to Siam, but the ship never returned, presumably having been swallowed up by the navy of some country.

The shipping insurance policy did not cover areas east of India, therefore, the investor must bear this loss.

Nikephoros came from a prominent family, and his family helped him pay off his debts.

The remaining three partners were not so lucky; two jumped into the sea, and one fled to South America, never to be heard from again.

Many years have passed, and although Nikephoros has no evidence, he believes the culprit was the France warship.

Let's assume the navy can win a victory like the Battle of Antikythera, which would be avenge for our friends.