Chapter 926: Development Planning
Historically, France's industrial revolution had not started much later than Britain's, but its progress had consistently lagged behind by nearly twenty years. Eventually, it was even overtaken and surpassed by Germany.
While the disruption of the Great Revolution on social production played a part, the core factor was France's lack of coal and iron ore. This was especially true after Germany occupied the Alsace-Lorraine region.
Currently, the development of Alsace-Lorraine was back on track. However, the region was primarily rich in iron. While coal existed, the seams were highly fragmented, making extraction costs quite high.
In contrast, the Cologne coal mines were destined to become the second-largest coalfield in future Germany.
The coal seams there were shallow and incredibly easy to mine. Once extracted, the coal could be loaded directly onto ships and transported along the Rhine River.
The overall cost of extraction and transportation was staggeringly low.
While there was currently some small-scale mining in Cologne, the German states had not yet begun their industrial revolution, so the output was almost negligible.
If large-scale extraction of these coal resources were to begin, it was easy to see that Cologne's economic level would inevitably skyrocket.
Although the coal mines in the Palatinate were smaller in scale, they were equally easy to mine and even closer to France. Their development would similarly provide a massive boost to the local economy.
Therefore, Joseph intended to make the complete integration of the Rhineland into France a core national strategy.
For one, France's "natural borders" required stability in the Rhineland.
Secondly, the region possessed exceptionally abundant resources.
Once the Wallonia-Rhineland-Lorraine industrial complex took shape, France would possess the most abundant coal and iron resources in Europe.
Combined with the various advanced technologies and concepts he had brought with him, France would surely emerge victorious in the competition of the European Industrial Revolution!
Archbishop Brienne thought for a moment before speaking. "Your Highness, shall we follow the Luxembourg model? The Industrial Development Fund can form joint ventures with local capital to purchase the coal mines and construct wooden rail tracks on a large scale. Then, we can lead domestic factory owners there to establish mining operations?"
By now, he was very familiar with the process of developing mineral resources. After all, the Crown Prince had demonstrated it repeatedly in Wallonia and Luxembourg.
Joseph shook his head slightly. "The Rhineland is too vast. If we rely solely on the Industrial Development Fund to drive investment, it might lead to a shortage of capital within France."
The Cologne coal mine alone was larger in scale than all of current France and Wallonia combined. The investment scale required for the entire Rhineland was easily imaginable.
Of course, once Austria surrendered, the war reparations would solve part of the funding problem, but it would still be far from enough.
Therefore, they had to rely on continuous local economic development, followed by the steady injection of mineral extraction, forming a self-sustaining upward spiral.
Brienne was stunned. "Your Highness, what should we do for now?"
Joseph already had a plan in mind and said immediately, "We must first secure ownership of the coal mines. The mining lands in the Rhineland are currently just wasteland, and the prices are very cheap."
"However, there is no rush to start mining just yet. The coal from Wallonia is still barely sufficient for our current needs."
"In the Rhineland, we can prioritize industries such as potash, salt, basalt, and limestone."
These industries were closely related to the people's livelihoods. More importantly, they were less dependent on the core of the industrial revolution, allowing them to be quickly monetized and improve the local economic level.
The value of salt mines went without saying. As a daily necessity, salt taxes were a mainstay of fiscal revenue for every nation.
The northwestern Palatinate possessed the fourth-largest salt mine in Europe, with a yield second only to mines in Russia and eastern Poland. Moreover, its purity was very high. Simple extraction could be exchanged for a vast amount of gold coins.
Basalt and limestone were vital construction materials.
The Eifel volcanic belt between Cologne and Koblenz was rich in these materials. Whether for urban construction or building factories, these materials were indispensable.
As for potash fertilizer, that was the focus of Joseph's development.
Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium were the three core elements of chemical fertilizer, and potash mines were the single largest source of potash fertilizer.
Previously, France's chemical industry had not yet developed, and without large-scale potash mines, Joseph lacked the resources to pursue this, even if he had the intention.
But now, both of these obstacles had vanished.
Driven by the demand for refining coal tar, France's chemical industry had already surpassed Britain's to lead Europe. Furthermore, judging by the development of gas streetlights in Britain, France's advantage in this field would only continue to grow.
At the same time, the Palatinate possessed the largest potash deposits in Central and Western Europe. After the nineteenth century, this region would supply more than half of Europe's potash needs.
As long as there was a supply of cheap fertilizer, the grain yield in the Rhineland could be significantly increased.
On one hand, this would reduce the living pressure on the local lower classes. On the other, it could support a larger population, thereby attracting more French immigrants to settle there.
Currently, the Rhineland had a population of just over two million. If they could attract one million French speakers to settle there, the region would become an inseparable part of France.
Moreover, with the potash production of the Palatinate, the Rhineland could never consume it all, so it could be shipped in large quantities to the French interior.
France's agricultural reforms had been underway for several years, with grain production increasing by at least five percent annually.
If the use of potash fertilizer could be spread, this growth momentum would surely persist for a long time.
Joseph knew very well that for the vast majority of ordinary people, the improvement in quality of life brought by the industrial revolution was primarily reflected in the fertilizer industry.
According to his plan, he would later move toward the industrial purification of "stone fertilizer"—the phosphate mines brought from North Africa. This would increase its potency several times over while reducing transportation costs.
After that, potash and phosphate could be further processed to produce potassium dihydrogen phosphate.
Anyone with farming experience knew that this substance was one of the souls of modern fertilizer.
The other great soul was urea. However, the difficulty of producing nitrogen fertilizer was far greater, as it required the synthesis of ammonia, which was unlikely to be achieved in the short term.
But potassium dihydrogen phosphate only required some basic chemical equipment to be mass-produced—as long as they had the raw materials and Lavoisier.
Furthermore, the process of producing fertilizer would, in turn, drive the development of the chemical industry.
Given such a massive industrial scale, the number of technicians involved would be counted in the tens of thousands.
As long as a few geniuses emerged from their ranks, they might even develop the industrial technology for ammonia manufacturing ahead of schedule.
By then, France would possess all five cornerstones of the modern chemical industry—the three acids and two bases.
Following that, the technology tree for synthetic dyes, vulcanized rubber, synthetic medicines, and more could all be lit up.
Eventually, when things like picric acid and nitroglycerin appeared, France's military advantage would be unshakable!
And all of this would begin with the production of potash fertilizer in the Rhineland.
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