Muhammad Ali had always been steady in his dealings, yet even he could not help widening his eyes. "You mean an ironworks?"
Talleyrand nodded. "That's right—and one capable of producing high-quality steel for cannon.
"Oh, you needn't worry about the technical side. The Crown Prince has specially permitted your factory to join the French Steel Technology Association. By paying only a small Permit Fee each year, you will be able to obtain the necessary technology."
That was what he said, but Joseph would certainly never allow Egypt access to advanced technologies such as Blast Furnace Heating or Alloy Steel. In truth, the blast-furnace Iron Smelting and Crucible Steelmaking techniques already widespread across Europe would be more than enough for Egypt to run rampant through the Middle East.
"I truly do not know how to praise His Highness's generosity!" Muhammad Ali said, though halfway through, his excitement suddenly faded considerably. "It is only that, even with an ironworks, Egypt lacks sufficient Iron Mine resources."
At present, Egypt had only two very small Iron Mines in its southern deserts. Not only was their output low and their quality poor, but the cost of extraction was extremely high. Talleyrand said indifferently, "The Wenza Iron Mine in Algiers was completed last year. The ore can be loaded at Annaba Port and transported to Alexandria Port in less than a week."
"This... this is truly wonderful..."
Yet Talleyrand continued without pause. "Not only iron ore—you can also purchase coal from Marseille Port.
"Of course, you may have the ironworks use charcoal. But as you know, a Blast Furnace using coke produces more than twenty times as much as one using charcoal. And the cost of purchasing coal in bulk from Marseille should be far lower than gathering Timber from across your country and transporting it