Chapter 1535: Chapter 1441: In the Future, a Great Canal Will Be Built Here

Even though Muhammad Ali had always conducted himself with composure, he widened his eyes at this moment: "Are you suggesting an ironworks?"

Talleyrand nodded: "Of course, and it will be a factory capable of producing high-quality steel used for cannons.

"Oh, you don’t need to worry about the technology. The Crown Prince has granted your factory permission to join the ’French Steel Technology Association’, and you can obtain the necessary technology by paying a small annual license fee."

He said this, but Joseph certainly would not allow high-end technologies such as "blast furnace heating" and "alloy steel" to be provided to Egypt.

In reality, merely using the blast furnace iron-smelting and crucible steelmaking techniques that are very common in Europe would be sufficient for Egypt to dominate the Middle East.

"I really don’t know how to praise the Crown Prince’s generosity!" Muhammad Ali’s excitement waned noticeably halfway through his speech, "However, even with an ironworks, Egypt lacks sufficient iron ore."

Currently, Egypt only has two very small iron mines in the southern desert, which not only have low output and poor quality but also very high mining costs.

Talleyrand remained unconcerned: "The Wenza Iron Mine in Algiers was established last year, and iron ore from there can be shipped to the Port of Annaba and reach the Port of Alexandria in less than a week."

"This is truly wonderful..."

Talleyrand continued, "Besides iron ore, you can also purchase coal from the Port of Marseille.

"That’s right, you can use charcoal for the ironworks, but you know, the output of a coke-fired blast furnace is more than 20 times that of a charcoal-fired one. And the cost of purchasing coal in large quantities from Marseille should be much lower than collecting wood from all over the country and then transporting it to Cairo."

Muhammad Ali’s eyes grew wider.

Egypt doesn’t have much forest resources; if trees were cut down to smelt iron, the banks of the Nile would be barren in a few years.

The French even prepared coal for him!

Talleyrand continued: "In addition, the Crown Prince also permits Egypt to join the French Textile Association, thereby acquiring new cotton combing machines.

"This way, Egypt can directly export carded cotton instead of raw cotton to our country in the future.

"Oh, and there’s the steam pumping machine and phosphate rock, which you can also purchase through the Port of Marseille. His Highness hopes you can use these things to quickly expand the area of cotton cultivation."

Currently, cotton is Egypt’s most important economic source.

If Egypt obtains steam combing machines, it can efficiently remove seeds from raw cotton and process it into carded cotton.

Carded cotton can be directly used for spinning and is easy to stack and transport, which alone could increase the profits of Egypt’s cotton industry by a quarter.

As for the steam pumping machine and phosphate rock, they can help Egypt cultivate arable land in arid areas far from the Nile River, directly increasing fiscal revenue.

Muhammad Ali felt as if his head was spinning, overwhelmed by the great surprise.

Previously, he had been contemplating how to break free from the Ottoman Governor and become King of Egypt. Now, with the enormous aid from France, not only controlling Egypt was within reach, but he also had the confidence to march all the way to Constantinople and proclaim himself Sultan!

However, he also clearly understood that with the substantial investment from France, he had to offer equivalent interests in return.

Thus, he stood up to fill Talleyrand’s coffee cup, asking respectfully, "My dearest friend, I wonder what I should do to repay the Crown Prince’s generosity, as endless as the waters of the Nile?"

"His Highness only hopes that his Egyptian friend can gain more order and prosperity." Talleyrand perfunctorily said a few words, then changed the subject, "Of course, in recent years, the Ottoman Sultan has paid less and less heed to our trade agreements, not only increasing taxes on goods entering Anatolia and the Levant but also frequently conducting private transactions with the British.

"All of this is because Constantinople has monopolized the Eastern Mediterranean market. His Highness hopes that Egypt can become a necessary trade competitor."

He paused, his tone becoming more casual, "Oh, additionally, His Highness wants a channel to connect with India without relying on the Ottomans. You know, the last time our supplies for Mysore inexplicably disappeared in the Arabian Sea."

"You mean controlling the Red Sea trade route?"

"Not that severe." Talleyrand waved his hand with a smile, "Our nation only needs to lease the Suez City District."

Muhammad Ali quickly asked, "Then, what about Ibrahim Port?"

"That, of course, is your port, as long as our merchant ships can use it normally."

Muhammad Ali breathed a sigh of relief.

Suez is merely an ancient town with a population of over 3,000, at most serving as a transit warehouse for Red Sea trade.

The real seaport is Ibrahim Port to the east of the city.

As a matter of fact, not only he but even Talleyrand was puzzled as to why the Crown Prince did not want the Port of Suez but instead a decrepit town.

Currently, only Joseph might know that the most important northern port of the Red Sea, Ibrahim Port, is fundamentally a "defective product" — with critically insufficient depth, unable to accommodate slightly larger ships, and a very irregular coastline lacking breakwaters.

Historically, after the Suez Canal was excavated, French experts found that a new port had to be built to meet the canal’s navigational design requirements.

Ultimately, they replanned Taofik Port several kilometers from Suez as the supporting port for the canal. Ibrahim Port subsequently fell into decline.

Meanwhile, the outskirts of Suez were entirely within France’s leased area.

"How could I refuse His Highness such a trivial request?" Muhammad Ali immediately nodded, "His Highness can appoint a Governor of Suez at any time."

At present, the Sinai Peninsula hardly accepts his rule, so Suez is practically the eastern frontier of Egypt. As for Suez City, it’s just a remote wasteland, not to mention leasing it — even giving it to France outright would not be significant.

Talleyrand suddenly remembered something, took a sip of coffee, and said, "By the way, our nation also hopes to obtain a trade foothold on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean."

Muhammad Ali’s heart tightened, fearing that the French had designs on the Port of Alexandria — the heart of Egypt’s maritime trade.

He was about to suggest establishing a foothold at Rashid Port when he heard Talleyrand say, "Therefore, perhaps you could also lease Famara to our nation."

Muhammad Ali was taken aback: "Ah? Where are you talking about?"

"Famara."

"King of Egypt" frowned, obviously not recalling what place this was.

Talleyrand reminded him, "It’s the beach on the easternmost side of Manzaleh Lake."

Muhammad Ali cautiously checked the map, confirming that the aforementioned place was indeed a barren spot, also adjacent to the Sinai Peninsula, so he readily agreed.

What he didn’t know was that in the future, a port named Suez Port would be built on this barren land.

It would also serve as the northern outlet of the Suez Canal.