The Rise of the European Emperor

Looking at the cotton seeds, sisal seeds and cocoa seeds left by Diego Columbus, Marin fell into contemplation. Originally, the lieutenant, Diego Columbus, should not have come to report this matter to Marin, but the chief officer had been Columbus's assistant for many years, and regarded Columbus as the master, and naturally also regarded Diego as the little master. So, after arriving in the mainland, the chief officer pretended to be ill and asked Diego to come to report the work and accept the reward.

Of course, the credit of the chief officer cannot escape. It's just that the show was left to Diego.

Marin suddenly felt that it was time to develop Cuba and Panama...

Needless to say, Cuba Island is a large island for sugar production in later generations, a world-famous sugar producing area, rum producing area, and cigar producing area.

Grenada is still too small after all, only 344 square kilometers in total. Moreover, the island has rolling hills, and there are not many real plains at all. If it weren't for the safe environment without poisonous insects, Marin would not have chosen this place as a colony.

The island of Cuba is different, reaching 100,000 square kilometers, and most of them are plains. It is the most suitable area for agriculture in the Caribbean Sea.

What's more, there are huge reserves of nickel ore in the mountainous area along the southwest coast of Cuba Island. With nickel mines, Marin could not only make cupronickel but also counterfeit silver coins. Moreover, it can also be used to make stainless steel, instead of tinplate, it becomes the best shell for wrapping the hull.

Marin didn't know the specific distribution of Cuban nickel mines, but he knew that there was a city called Moa on the northwestern coast of the island of Cuba. There are obviously large nickel mines near the city. Because the two largest nickel smelters in Cuba are located in Moa.

The general location of Moa, as Marin, who is the emperor of history and the emperor of geography, still remembers, it is just a little west of a stubby peninsula facing northeast. Its latitude, probably a little further south at the southernmost tip of Greater Inagua.

As long as you find the location of Moa, the next step will be easy. You said looking for nickel ore? That is so easy! Because the nickel mines in Cuba are laterite nickel mines. As long as you find red clay, you can smelt it in the furnace and try it. As for the problem of impure purity, it is not a problem. Wait until nickel is found, and then finely beneficiate it.

So, as long as you find Moa, and then look around for red soil, nickel ore is easy to find. In fact, Marin vaguely remembered that on the satellite map he had seen in his previous life, there was a large red area in the east of Moa City, near a large lake near the sea. The red area is reminiscent of laterite nickel ore, and Marin thinks that the nickel ore is there.

In fact, Marin was right, there is the largest nickel mine near Moa, and as long as you find it, you will find a huge nickel mine.

To this end, Marin intends to open up two colonial points in Cuba - Havana and Moa. Needless to say, Moa, that is nickel ore, and it will be treasured in future generations. As long as nickel was available, Marin could already imagine counterfeit silver coins made of cupronickel flooding Europe.

Unlike lead-tin alloys, the physical and chemical properties of cupronickel are very stable. For example, the melting point of lead-tin alloy solder is too low, only 183 degrees. Just get a red-hot iron block and put the counterfeit lead-tin alloy against it, and it will melt into a liquid immediately. Or, get an acid and throw the lead-tin alloy into it, which is also easy to dissolve.

But cupronickel is different, the physical and chemical characteristics of cupronickel are stable. Whether it's red-hot iron or acid, it's impossible to tell. Moreover, in this era, the world still doesn't know about nickel. As long as no one under their own divulges the secret, the Europeans will not know the existence of nickel. What's more, the Europeans have already added a lot of copper to silver coins, and they are almost turning into copper coins.

This also makes the alloy of nickel and copper more difficult to identify.

Thinking of the scene where he made a fake silver coin made of cupronickel, even if it was circulated, no one could recognize it, Marin smiled slyly. He can already imagine that in the future, he will use white copper coins as silver coins to buy beautiful scenes all over Europe...

Cuban laterite nickel ore has reserves of several million tons. Marin doesn't need to beat 10,000 tons, as long as 10,000 tons, he can make white copper coins hit the whole of Europe and squeeze the real silver coin market.

In the Moa area, in addition to mining and smelting nickel ore, there is actually a bit of agriculture nearby. Although there are more mountains and less plains, but no matter what, it is larger than the area of ​​Grenada. Just looking for a quick open space by the nearby river, you can reclaim a lot of fields. Don't need too much, as long as you are self-sufficient.

...

As for Havana, it is located in the western plains, which is most suitable for agricultural development. Here Marin can grow sugar cane, rice, cotton, sisal, cocoa, spice and rubber trees...

Well, the plains on the island of Cuba seem to be able to grow anything...

Of course, sugar and cotton, the two main commodities traded in the 18th and 19th centuries. Therefore, sugarcane and cotton should become important crops. At the same time, sisal is also very important. After all, it is very necessary for big sailing. In addition to making cables and canvas, it is also very important to make fishing nets and rain cloths.

On the last trip to Cuba Island, Columbus had already found Havana Bay. And, coincidentally, there was a vacuum of Taino power, between the two Taino tribes. Therefore, Marin's men can build a city and reclaim the land with peace of mind. As long as you get a foothold, the local Taino people will not be a problem.

...

As for Panama, the situation is a little more complicated. Because, in Panama, the climate and environment are very bad. Not only hot, but also humid and rainy. This is not to mention, there are many poisonous insects and mosquitoes in the local area. When foreigners go there, they are easily bitten by poisonous insects and mosquitoes, and then contract diseases such as yellow fever and die.

Therefore, in order to conquer Panama, Marin prepared for a long time, and also prepared a big killer - mosquito repellent toilet water...

Mosquito repellent toilet water is to use the sun-dried petals of pyrethrum picked in autumn, soak them in high concentration alcohol, and then supplement with some essence to make a low concentration perfume - toilet water.

Because it is soaked with pyrethrum petals with strong insecticidal ability, it contains strong insecticidal ability. Not to mention mosquito bites, as long as they just touch the skin that has been wiped with mosquito repellent toilet water and smell the smell of pyrethrum (actually pyrethrin), they will paralyze their nerves and show signs of poisoning. Two more puffs of "immortal qi" can kill you directly... Pyrethrin is a very strong poison for mosquitoes or other insects. However, for large mammals such as humans, the toxicity is minimal, and presumably only babies are affected at all. As for adults, it doesn't matter at all. Moreover, Marin will not send babies to a poor place like Panama...

When the pyrethrum was harvested last fall, Marin sent someone to buy a lot of dried pyrethrum flowers to make mosquito repellent toilet water. Now that it's time to conquer Panama, it comes in handy.

The instructions given by Marin to the colonization team going to Panama were - after arriving at Colon, Panama (the first planned colony point, as for the name, Marin didn't bother to change the name, Havana, Moa and Colon all used the original name), don't worry Instead, build a colony first, and then plant all the seeds of pyrethrum and wormwood that they brought with them. As long as pyrethrum and wormwood grow, they form a barrier that keeps local mosquitoes from getting too close to the colony.

Then, the next task of the colonial team is to keep cutting down trees, cutting down trees in the direction of the Pacific Ocean. The ultimate goal is to cut down a road. Moreover, on both sides of the road, pyrethrum and wormwood were planted again, making this road a forbidden area for mosquitoes...

Once the road is opened, Marin will consider transporting cement from the mainland and making a concrete road to facilitate communication between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Then, on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, Panama City can be built.

With Panama City, Marin was able to build several clippers and house them in Panama City. Then, from Panama City, through the Pacific Ocean, to find the route of Daming, and finally, complete the exchange and trade with Daming...8)