The Rise of the European Emperor

Just after the war was over, and 7,000 troops were dispatched to Italy, Marin felt that it was better to develop the economy honestly recently.

Among them, the development of the textile industry has been put on an important agenda. You know, in the current Europe, the textile industry is definitely one of the important industries to increase fiscal revenue.

The Flanders region, because of the wool textile industry, has become an economically developed region in Europe. In Flanders, many women work in the woollen industry, earning no less than men. Even in many families, men have nothing to do and take care of their children at home, while women go to woolen factories to earn money to support their families.

Moreover, whether it is operating a woolen factory, or exporting wool, or even importing and exporting wool, taxes can be generated. It is precisely because of the well-developed wool textile industry in Flanders that Flanders became a well-known and affluent region in Europe at that time. Of course, it also aroused the covetousness of Charles the Bold, the father-in-law of Maximilian I, who was annexed.

Moreover, after Prince Philip, the son of Maximilian I, inherited Burgundy, he did not live in the deep inland Burgundy directly, but moved his resident directly to the most developed city in the woolen industry in Flanders. Ghent.

At this time, Ghent, with a population of 55,000, was the fourth largest city in the Holy Roman Empire, after Milan, Prague and Genoa. It was the textile capital of Europe at this time. Most of the city's 55,000 residents are also related to the textile industry.

Every year, more than half of the Dutch tax is collected from Flanders. It is a pity that Prince Philip was separated from his father since childhood and was not too close to Maximilian I. Therefore, the famous handsome king Philip, the husband of the mad woman Juana, although financially sound, was unwilling to fully support his father Maximilian I, but withheld most of his financial income to maintain his luxurious life. Had it not been so, Maximilian I would not have been financially stretched.

However, Maximilian I couldn't do anything about it. After all, the Duke of Burgundy is his son Philip, not him. Therefore, the financial strength of the Netherlands, Maximilian I has been unable to make full use of it. Moreover, the Dutch Parliament, has been egging Prince Philip against his father. Prince Philip has been separated from his father since he was a child, and has been growing up in the palace of Ghent, accompanied by those members of the Dutch parliament. Under their influence and instigation, Prince Philip's feelings for his father were weak. It was Maximilian I, who didn't mind his son's selfishness. After all, he is such a son.

In fact, the crazy girl Juana, until now, is still a good person. It's just that he was maddened by his ruthless husband Philip.

Of course, we will not discuss in detail the selfishness and indifference of "Handsome King" Philip here. The main discussion here is the developed wool textile industry in Flanders.

Originally, there were two reasons why the wool spinning industry in Flanders was so developed. First, the local textile industry was full of talents. In addition to various craftsmen who were good at making textile machines and processing wool, there were also a large number of local craftsmen who were proficient in Women spinning and weaving; besides, Flanders is on the North Sea, opposite England. At first, Britain was a major exporter of wool. Moreover, the British wool is a fine wool sheep with high quality wool. In the whole of Europe, British wool ranks second in wool quality, and Spanish Merino wool ranks first.

However, the Spanish Merino sheep are regarded as national treasures and are prohibited from being exported. Even the wool of merino sheep is only circulated in southern Europe such as Spain and Italy, not in Flanders at all.

Moreover, it is not that other countries have not tried to introduce merino sheep secretly. However, Merino sheep have a characteristic that they like the sunshine and dry climate of Spain very much, and are not suitable for the humid climate.

for example,

Historically, merino sheep were introduced to North America, but failed. Because Merino sheep, accustomed to dry climates, are prone to rot hoof disease when they arrive in humid North America. After being introduced into the dry continent of Australia, it has developed rapidly and achieved Australia, a "country on the back of sheep".

Similarly, other countries in Europe, especially the northern countries, could not feed the Merino sheep even if they introduced them. Because the soil is not acclimatized.

However, Marin has a countermeasure...

This strategy is to use ewes to "borrow" the rams of Merino sheep to create mixed breeds...

As long as the mother is a sheep native to Northwest Europe, most of the offspring produced in combination with Merino rams will be able to adapt to the humid climate of Northwest Europe and will not suffer from foot rot.

Remember, the animal's body is developed in the mother's body. Its physical characteristics are also closer to the mother. Therefore, Jews have a way to determine Jewish blood based on their mothers.

Therefore, if you want to introduce excellent livestock breeds from abroad, but you are afraid that the exotic species will not adapt to the local climate, the best way is to introduce foreign male animals and let the local female animals get pregnant.

In later generations, the domestically produced Merino sheep in China were made by mixing Australian male Merino sheep with ewes of local fine-wool breeds such as the native Xijiang fine-wool sheep. Merino sheep in Germany are also obtained by breeding native ewes with merino rams.

British fine wool sheep, produced in the humid British Isle, naturally do not get rotten feet. The climate of the UK is very similar to that of the German North Sea coast. Previously, Marin quietly produced a large number of British fine-wool sheep from the United Kingdom at a high price, ready to be used as a mother, and introduced the excellent genes of Merino sheep to create a new sheep breed.

After combining the characteristics of Merino sheep and English fine wool sheep, the final breed, the quality of wool, will exceed the wool of English fine wool sheep, but less than pure merino sheep.

Marin also intends to develop the wool textile industry locally, but the wool textile industry also needs enough wool. Also, it has to be good wool.

Europe is not short of wool, but European sheep are mostly coarse wool, similar to those in North Africa and West Asia. Coarse wool is available everywhere, not rare, and cannot be sold for high prices. The fine wool is mainly Spanish Merino wool and British wool. These two high-grade wools are in short supply.

Silk production in Europe is currently very low and the quality is not good. Even so, only wealthy nobles could wear silk clothes. Generally, people with better economic conditions in their families cannot afford silk, but they are not willing to wear the same coarse wool clothes as ordinary people. Therefore, the high-grade wool made of fine wool has been widely sought after by the wealthy class in Europe.

Therefore, in the European trade market, Merino wool and British fine wool are now "hard to find". After Henry VII came to power, British officials are now cracking down on wool exports in favor of wool textile exports. This is mainly because exporting wool textiles receives more taxes than exporting wool. Moreover, the development of the wool textile industry can also generate a large number of labor positions.

Therefore, in recent years, the economy of Flanders has actually suffered a certain blow. Because, they can get less and less high-grade British wool. Therefore, many woolen factories have closed down. Even if it didn't go out of business, it had to change to medium and low-grade wool spinning with coarse wool as raw material. However, in this way, the profit will be much lower.

Marlin worked hard and spent a lot of money to get 1,500 female British fine wool sheep from England at a high price within a few years. Now, he plans to ship these British fine wool sheep to the Laayoune oasis in Western Sahara, where they will be bred with the merino rams. These pregnant ewes are then brought back to East Friesland. After the ewes are produced, the optimization is carried out, and some breeds that are most suitable for the local climate and the best wool quality are selected for breeding. In this way, a high-quality fine-wool sheep of a quality exceeding that of the English fine-wool sheep can be obtained.

Before, although 100 pairs of merino sheep were imported from Spain, Marin was forced to promise the Spanish double king not to take the merino sheep out of Western Sahara. Now, Marin did not violate the agreement with the two kings. He just got a bunch of "British girls" in the sheep world, and after lingering with purebred Merino rams, he left with the seeds. Even if the Spanish kings knew, they couldn't blame Marin for anything. Because the lambs born from the British fine-wool sheep are no longer Merino sheep, but a new breed. Moreover, it is a new variety that can adapt to the climate here in Germany.

The quality of this new breed of fine wool is not as good as that of the Spanish Merino, but it exceeds that of the English fine wool. British fine wool is still in short supply in the European market, and the export price of British wool is about 2,000 pence for a bag weighing 360 pounds. With a heavy duty of 400p a bag, the export price of British wool was as high as 6.66p per pound.

If, by that time, East Frisian breeds a new breed of sheep with better wool quality than British fine wool. At that time, will wool still have trouble selling? The price is not too low...

At that time, breeding such high-quality fine-wool sheep will become a high-yield industry. Exporting wool or processing it into high-grade wool before exporting is a good choice.

Moreover, this new breed of sheep is generally adaptable to the climate of the Americas. How big is America? At that time, the sheep industry will be developed in North America, and it will be a sheep industry that raises new-style sheep whose wool quality exceeds that of the United Kingdom. Will the sheep industry in the United Kingdom be defeated?

Sheep farming is different from agriculture, because arable land, sowing and harvesting require a lot of human, material and animal power. Therefore, if there is not enough population, even if there is more land, it cannot be developed.

But sheep farming is different, as long as there is enough land, herders can raise many sheep. In particular, with the help of a sheepdog, a family can keep a lot of sheep.

For example, the New Zealand ranch that Marin saw on the Internet in his previous life was 100,000 acres in size and raised 28,000 sheep and 26,000 cattle. However, this ranch has a family of 7 and 40 sheepdogs.

Therefore, in the absence of labor force and advanced agricultural machinery, the best way to develop a site as large as North America is to raise more sheep, cattle and horses, and make full use of the land.

Thinking of this, Marin suddenly remembered the famous German Shepherd. It seems that this breed has not yet appeared. However, it should have its ancestors, right? Marin decided to send someone to search all over Germany...