Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

Historically, France’s industrial revolution didn’t start much later than England’s, but its progress was consistently about 20 years behind. It even got caught up and surpassed by Germany.

Certainly, the major revolution’s impact on social production played a role, but the core issue was France’s lack of coal and iron mines, especially after Alsace-Lorraine was occupied by Germany.

Currently, the development of Alsace-Lorraine is on track, but it’s mainly rich in iron resources. There are some coal mines, but the veins are very scattered, leading to high extraction costs.

The Cologne coal mine, however, was the second largest coal field in later Germany.

The coal layers are shallow and very easy to extract, and once extracted, they can be directly loaded onto ships and transported along the Rhine River.

The overall extraction and transportation costs are outrageously low.

Currently, the coal in Cologne is mined in small quantities, but since the Germanic Region has not yet started the industrial revolution, the output is almost negligible.

If large-scale extraction of the coal resources here begins, it’s foreseeable that Cologne’s economic level will undoubtedly soar.

Although the coal mines in the Palatinate Region are small, they are equally easy to mine and are closer to France. After development, they can also significantly boost the local economy.

Moreover, there are rich salt and potash mines here, both of which are extremely valuable.

Therefore, Joseph intends to thoroughly integrate the Rhineland into France as a national strategy—

Firstly, France’s “natural boundary” requires the Rhineland to be stable.

Secondly, there are extremely rich resources here.

Once the industrial system of Walloon-Rhineland-Lorraine takes shape, France will possess the richest coal and iron resources in Europe.

Combined with the advanced technologies and concepts he brings, France is bound to win in the European industrial revolution competition!

Archbishop Brienne thought for a moment and said, “Your Highness, then we should follow the Luxembourg model, have the Industrial Development Fund and local capital form joint ventures to buy the local coal mines, and build extensive wooden tracks. Then lead the domestic factory owners there to build factories and mine, correct?”

He is already familiar with the routines of mineral resource development since the Crown Prince has demonstrated them repeatedly in the Walloon Region and Luxembourg.

Joseph slightly shook his head: “The Rhineland is too large; relying solely on the Industrial Development Fund to drive investment could lead to a domestic shortage of funds.”

Just the Cologne coal mine alone is larger than the combined scale of all of France plus the Walloon Region currently. One can imagine the scale of investment required for the entire Rhineland.

Of course, once Austria surrenders, war reparations can solve part of the funding problem, but it is still far from enough.

So we have to rely on the continuous development of the local economy, followed by continuous investment in mineral extraction, forming a spiral upward model.

Brienne was stunned: “Your Highness, what should we do next then?”

Joseph had already devised a plan and responded immediately: “We must first purchase the coal mine ownership. The coal mines in the Rhineland are currently still barren land and are very cheap.

“However, there is no rush to start mining for now. The Walloon Region’s coal is barely enough at the moment.

“The Rhineland area can prioritize the development of industries like potash, salt, basalt, and limestone.”

These industries are closely related to people’s livelihoods. More importantly, they are not much related to the industrial revolution, so they can quickly be monetized and improve the local economy.

The salt mines, needless to say, are necessities of life, and the salt taxes of all countries are the cornerstone of fiscal revenue.

The northwest of the Palatinate has the fourth largest salt mine in Europe, only behind those in Russia and eastern Poland, and the purity is very high. Just a little extraction can be exchanged for a large amount of gold coins.

Basalt and limestone are important building materials.

The Eiffel Volcanic Belt from Cologne to Koblenz is rich in these. Whether for urban construction or building factories, these building materials are indispensable.

As for potash mines, they are Joseph’s main developmental focus.

Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are the three core elements of fertilizers, and potash mines are the largest source of potash fertilizer, bar none.

Previously, France’s chemical industry hadn’t developed, coupled with the lack of large potash mines, so even if Joseph had the intention, he didn’t have the resources.

But now both obstacles have disappeared.

Pushed by the demand for refining coal tar, France’s chemical industry has surpassed England and dominated Europe. And judging by the development of British gas lamps, France’s advantages in this area will continue to expand.

Moreover, Palatinate has the largest potash mine in central and western Europe. After the nineteenth century, it supplied over half of Europe’s potash fertilizer demand.

With a supply of cheap fertilizer, we can significantly increase grain output in the Rhineland area.

This, on the one hand, can reduce the living pressure of the lower-class populace here, and on the other hand, can support a larger population, thereby attracting more French people to immigrate here.

Currently, the Rhineland area has just over 2 million people. If we can attract 1 million French-speaking people to settle here, then it will become inseparable French territory.

Furthermore, with the potash output of Palatinate, the Rhineland area cannot consume it all, so a large portion can be transported to the French mainland.

France’s agricultural reform has been underway for several years, with at least a 5% increase in grain output annually.

If the use of potash fertilizer can be expanded, this growth trend will likely continue for a long time.

Joseph understands that for the vast majority of ordinary people, the improvement in living standards brought by the industrial revolution mainly manifests in the fertilizer industry.

According to his plan, the next step is to industrially purify the “phosphate rock” brought from North Africa, which is phosphate ore. This can increase its efficiency several times and reduce transportation costs.

Afterward, potash mines and phosphate mines can further be processed to produce mono-potassium phosphate.

Anyone with farming experience knows that this product is one of the core elements of modern fertilizers.

The other core element is, of course, urea. However, the production of nitrogen fertilizer is extremely challenging, requiring the preparation of ammonia, which is unlikely to be accomplished in the short term.

But mono-potassium phosphate can be produced on a large scale with some basic chemical equipment—as long as there’s raw material and Lavoisier.

Moreover, the process of producing fertilizers can, in turn, promote the development of the chemical industry.

After all, with such a large scale of industry, the number of technicians involved will be in the tens of thousands.

If a few genius individuals emerge among them, they might be able to develop industrial manufacturing technology for ammonia ahead of time.

At that time, France will hold all five cornerstones of the modern chemical industry—three acids and two alkalis.

Then various technology branches like synthetic dyes, vulcanized rubber, and synthetic drugs can be illuminated.

Eventually, with the emergence of picric acid, nitroglycerin, and the like, France’s military advantage will be unchallenged!

And all of this will start with the production of potash fertilizer in the Rhineland area.

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