Chapter 190 Declaring War on Natural Disasters (Please subscribe)

Charles was received by the assistant to the French Admiralty Minister at the Palace of Versailles. A small commendation ceremony was held for him and he was given a bonus of 500 livres.

Charles did deserve such a commendation. Without him buying the pirate information from smugglers, the combined fleet might still be trying its luck in the vast Mediterranean Sea.

However, after the commendation meeting, a French official told him that the original arrangement for him to testify at the public trial of pirates had changed. Now he needed to return to Algiers immediately to help the French "diplomat" contact Yunes Pasha. .

…

Bourges in north-central France is a very poor area, and the parish of Rabon is one of the poorest villages here.

Niangonnon Alberic sat on the barrel, breathing in the hot air. The dry and cracked land in front of him made his face look full of despair.

He really didn't have the strength to continue carrying water.

As the weather gets hotter and hotter, the small river that originally flows through the village has dried up. Now he has to walk 2 miles to carry water from a neighboring village to water his fields.

Yes, there are too few public horses in the village, and it takes more than ten days for his family to use them.

The little water he had to fetch by manpower was of no use to the 30 acres of land he planted.

After the hail disaster, he applied for government relief for potato seeds, but he didn't expect that it never rained.

He has only planted two acres of potatoes so far, which is the limit of what he and his son can irrigate together. If he plants more, the potatoes will dry out due to lack of water.

Alberic was already wondering whether he should eat the potatoes used as seeds - although that was a serious violation of the rules, the priest said that these things could only be kept for half a month, so they couldn't be allowed to rot.

At this moment, a young tenant farmer in the village passed by not far away, ringing a bell, and shouted loudly as he walked:

“All men meet at the church!”

Alberic waved to the man and asked loudly:

"Didi, do you want to work for Lord Baron?"

"No, I'm going to help," Didier said, "helping Yanal Parish move stones."

"Huh? Moving rocks?"

Didie nodded impatiently: "Yes, the government brought it specially and said it was some kind of fertilizer. It can make the crops grow better. But it just looks like stone."

Alberic hurriedly greeted his son, and they rushed to the church together.

Forty or fifty people have gathered near the church, and everyone is whispering:

"Why do you want to work in Yanar Village?"

"I heard Mr. O'Derian say that the government instituted a 'Pump Lend Act' and they obtained a water pump!"

"But what does this have to do with us?"

The parish of Yanal is a relatively better-off parish and can barely afford to rent a water pump, while the parish of Rabon is extremely poor and cannot even afford a monthly rent of 200 livres, let alone a parish bank.

A villager immediately said: "Mr. O'Drean said that according to the Lend-Lease Act, Yanar Village will lend us its water pump for 11 days every month, and we need to help them work."

"Water pump?!" Alberic said excitedly, "I heard that thing can irrigate dozens of acres in a day. Now we can save it!"

Not long after, the parish consul Odrian came to the church, counted the number of people first, and then ordered:

“Today and tomorrow we are moving fertilizer for Yanal Parish. The day after tomorrow we are moving our own.

"After that, we have to help them repair the canals."

He said with a smile on his face: "But they will send the water pump tomorrow night!"

The tenant farmers immediately burst into cheers. With water, there was hope of survival. They immediately followed Alderian towards the neighboring village regardless of the scorching sun above their heads.

Two days later, the Alberic family also received the light gray "stone" with some black spots. According to the priest, this is a very precious fertilizer. Just break it into powder, soak it in water, and then pour it on the ground, which can greatly increase the harvest of crops.

All fertilizers were obtained on credit after the parish signed an agreement with a company called "Twin Trading Company". Calculated, one acre of land requires an investment of 5 to 7 sous, and payment is made after the autumn harvest. However, the company promised that if the increase in production did not exceed the cost of fertilizer, it would not charge a penny.

Yes, these stones were brought back from Nauru by Joseph. Their scientific name is phosphate ore, but they are actually mineralized guano.

This stuff is definitely the best fertilizer available in this era!

You know, Nauru in later generations relied on selling "struvite" to become the top rich country in a short period of time. Every citizen owns a supercar, buys real estate in Australia, and flies abroad to treat colds.

Of course, when the ore was sold out and they fell into poverty overnight, that's another story.

Due to limited transportation capacity, only two shipments of phosphate ore, totaling more than 600 tons, have been shipped back so far, which are temporarily used to supply more difficult areas in France. However, the second fleet has arrived in the Pacific Ocean by now, with a total of seventeen ships. When they return, they will greatly increase France's agricultural production.

It's just that the world's maritime hegemon is still Britain, so France can't publicize this matter at the moment and can only quietly transport the "stone" back. If the news leaks out one day, it is likely that the British will rob him.

So Joseph has prepared another plan, which is to promote composting.

The so-called "composting" is to use microorganisms to process organic matter, such as leaves, straw, food scraps, and even feces, to break it down into humus, which is fertilizer that plants can absorb.

Before the popularity of chemical fertilizers, this could be regarded as the best way for humans to produce fertilizers, which could maintain soil fertility for many years without leaving it fallow.

Although simple composting existed in Europe in the 17th century, it was based on experience in randomly mixing organic matter and leaving it for a while, and the fertility of the pile was very average. It was not until the mid-19th century, with the scientific theory of composting, that fertility was gradually improved.

Joseph learned about the general principle of composting from later documentaries. It is nothing more than a layer of organic matter and a layer of soil, controlling the moisture and isolating the air. Then turn the pile once a month and let it mature in three months.

However, theory is theory. How to operate it specifically, as well as the ratio of organic matter to moisture, etc., need to be figured out by professionals.

Joseph gave this task to the Church.

Yes, compared to inefficient bureaucrats, the church still cares about people's livelihood. Let the priests of dozens of churches start composting according to different proportions and observe the effects. Then you can try out the most suitable composting method and then promote it nationwide.

Late at night.

Alberic and two villagers followed the carriage back to the village, then lit torches and unloaded the coal from the carriage next to the water pump.

The coal was brought from a small coal mine more than ten leagues away. Such small coal mines are everywhere now. Not long ago, the government promulgated the "Coal Mining Promotion Act" to encourage coal mining. The government will provide subsidies to coal mines whose sales volume reaches a certain level.

Since then, investors with more than a dozen people to set up small coal mines have sprung up, and the price of coal has continued to fall. Now as long as the villagers go to the coal mines to carry the coal, the village can fully afford the coal consumption of the pump.

Watching the water illuminated by the torches flowing through the canals towards the vast farmland, Alberic and others were so tired that their bodies ached, but their faces were full of smiles.

Obviously, the 11 days of watering every month cannot cover all the cultivated land in the village, but at least it can save more than 60% of the crops. With the said to be magical stone fertilizer, this autumn should be able to harvest enough food to keep the whole family alive.

The Diocese of Raburn is fortunate. Limited by the output of French steam engines, there are still a large number of areas in urgent need of irrigation. Although they have submitted applications in accordance with the Pump Leasing Act, they can only wait anxiously for life-saving pumps.

…

Sfax, eastern Tunisia.

A man in his thirties with sunken eyes and a thin and high nose got off the carriage and quickly walked into a sugar shop on the street that was obviously French-style.

There are many French businessmen across Tunisia, especially high-end shops selling silk, sugar, tea, etc. Many of them are opened by French people.

The shopkeeper looked up at him, then opened the door on the counter as if nothing had happened and let him go straight into the back room.

Prosper of the Paris Police Intelligence Department was wearing a gray-white robe commonly worn by Tunisians and a golden bucket-shaped hat sitting in the room, playing with the dates on the plate boredly.

The man with North African features entered the room. Prosper quickly raised his hat to him and said in French:

"Fabian...ah, sorry, it should be Mr. Ishaq, how is the situation?"

Ishaq first picked up the water on the table and drank a few gulps, and then said excitedly:

"I met the officer named Imanzad. He did know Younis, or rather, he admired him.

"The most fortunate thing is that Imanzad is about to retire and only serves as a casualty in the Tunisian army."

"What kind of luck is this?" Prosper paused mid-sentence, and then his eyes lit up. "You mean, he has enough time to go to Algiers."

"That's right!" Isaac nodded, "It's just that he doesn't seem to trust me yet, so he doesn't want to agree to anything. Next, our consul will take action."

Prosper did not expect it to go so smoothly. Only ten days after they arrived in Tunisia, they contacted Younis's old department.

Of course, this is also thanks to Ishaq, a member of the Police Intelligence Service with North African ancestry - before this, his ancestry often caused him to be discriminated against. But here, his mastery of Arabic and familiarity with North African customs helped him show his talents.

Prosper also drank a few large gulps of water - if you don't drink enough water before going out in this damn place, you will soon feel thirsty and uncomfortable - he pulled up Ishaq and walked out the door:

"Let's go find Consul Qiao An."

Three days later, after several contacts between the French consul and Imanzad, the latter finally boarded a smuggling ship waiting at the port with agents from the Police Intelligence Division.

They will rush directly to Dakhla in Algiers to meet Younis, who has left Tunisia for more than thirty years.

…

Versailles Palace Square.

There were crowds of people everywhere, probably tens of thousands of people gathered in the entire square. They all came from Paris to attend His Majesty the King's birthday celebrations.

A month ago, the newspaper said that on the three days before and after the King's birthday, a grand singing and dancing competition and a swordsmanship competition would be held here. Of course, the most attractive thing is that free food is distributed at 5 pm every day.

Of course, many people came here for the lottery that the newspaper said had a prize of up to 3,000 livres - you only need to spend 1 sou to buy a lottery ticket.

On the King's birthday, His Majesty will personally announce the winning numbers and award huge bonuses in public.

Paris citizens are very interested in this kind of thing that can make them rich overnight. Most people who have spare money bought a lottery ticket, and some people bought several or even dozens of tickets in order to increase their chances of winning.

Although the celebrations have not yet begun, there are already many vendors in the square selling snacks or small toys, and street theater groups are performing in the open air. There is a festive and lively scene everywhere. People have long forgotten the hail that destroyed 65% of France's agricultural harvest.

In the hall on the first floor of the Palace of Versailles, a fat official sitting behind a wooden table looked at his watch, stood up, and was about to put away the wooden sign that read "Swordsmanship Competition Registration" on the side.

At this moment, a thin young man with a low-brimmed hat came forward, stopped him politely, and said in a strange voice:

"Please wait, I want to sign up."

"Oh, okay, you came just in time." The official had to sit back on the chair and said with a pen, "You cannot sign up for others. Please tell me your name."

"Jean-François Henri de Freze."

The official quickly wrote down the name, stamped it, and handed the note to him:

"Please keep your registration voucher, Viscount Fraise."

"Thank you." The latter took the note, turned around and left.

The official suddenly remembered something, reached out to him and said:

"Wait! You said you are Viscount Fritz?"

The young man didn't answer at all, he lowered his head and walked faster.

"Stop him!" the official in charge of registration shouted.

Upon hearing this, the three guards immediately gathered around and blocked "Viscount Fraise".

The official in charge of registration came over, looked at the applicants suspiciously, and said:

"If you don't mind, could you please take off your hat?"

"Viscount Fraise" had no choice but to take off his three-cornered hat and show him an apologetic smile.

With pretty eyes and a sweet smile, she is clearly a beautiful lady.

"As expected! You are the sister of Viscount de Frétz, Miss Sorel, right? You can't do this," the official in charge of registration said, "This is a game for men, and fighting and killing is not suitable for a beautiful lady like you. . Now, please return your registration voucher to me."

"But, if I don't participate, who will win the championship?" Sorel smiled slightly, suddenly pulled the guard on the left hard, hooked his ankle with his leather boots, and took advantage of the moment when he lost his center of gravity to shoot from the left Flash past.

The guard blocked the view of the guard on the opposite side. The last guard hurriedly chased after her, but after only two turns on the stairs, Sorel disappeared.

At the same time, on the wooden platform in the middle of the marble courtyard, the competition between the ladies was in full swing.

With Queen Mary as the core, there were five to six hundred nobles surrounding the wooden platform in a fan shape.

A row of soldiers stood behind them, separating the thousands of civilians watching from the outer circle. Common people in Paris had rarely had the opportunity to witness an aristocratic lady show off her singing voice before.

Suddenly, the nobles shouted excitedly: "Mrs. Garland! It's Mrs. Garland!"