Chapter 575: Real Sugar-Coated Bullet

Chapter 576: Real Sugar-Coated Bullet

"Your Highness, it is undeniable that sugar production from beets is indeed a very novel technology."

Mathilaine Jacques Brisson, a judge of the Supreme Louis Prize for Biomedicine and a famous French biologist, said: "However, it is also a useless technology."

Guillaume Bosc, another judge next to him, added in a low voice: "It is even harmful."

"Yes, even harmful." Brisson nodded and continued, "In fact, I heard about Mr. Achard's technology when I went to Bavaria to study birds the year before last.

"Using this technology to extract sugar from beets, 1 franc can produce about 1.2 pounds, while sugarcane in the Caribbean can produce 1.9 pounds. Oh, this is the situation after "large-scale" production as Mr. Achard said, and the initial cost will be higher.

"In other words, using sugar from beets can only lose money.

"In addition, our sugarcane plantations in Saint-Domingue can make tens of millions of francs a year. If the sales there are affected by sugar production from beets, it can be said to be a damage to the national finances. "

Joseph nodded slightly, he knew that what these biologists said was right.

However, he looked at a few people and said: "Gentlemen, if Britain and France go to war, the British fleet cuts off the trade route in the Caribbean Sea, and even if Saint Domingo can produce more sugar, it will not be able to be shipped to Europe for sale. In this case, how much money will we have to spend on buying sugar? "

Brisson and others were stunned.

Although the French are not as dependent on sugar as the British, sugar is still a very important daily consumer product for people. Nearly one-fifth of the calories in their diet come from white sugar.

So once the sugar from Saint-Domingue cannot be shipped, France can only buy high-priced sugar from Britain.

What Joseph didn't tell them was that in history, Napoleon had to forcefully promote sugar production from beets at a loss because Britain blocked sea transportation. In the end, although he barely solved the sugar shortage in Europe, he also spent a lot of money.

Of course, Joseph would never repeat the old path of the emperor. After all, he has 21st century knowledge in his mind.

Bosque stammered: "But, Your Highness, we didn't go to war with Britain..."

"Maybe, there has never been peace between us and Britain." Joseph said calmly, "It has been less than 30 years since the Seven Years' War.

"Now, I need Mr. Franz Achard. Do you know how to find him?"

"Oh, yes, Your Highness." Leroy, the second president of the Talent Committee, said hurriedly, "He and several Bavarian scholars live in the 'Old Eden Inn'. I will invite him over now."

Joseph nodded, and said to Emman: "Let President Leroy use my carriage."

The reason why he attaches so much importance to Achard is that dealing with the British naval blockade is only one aspect of his consideration. At the same time, beet sugar production is a killer that can hit the British economy hard. If it is managed properly, it can make a lot of money.

You know, Britain is currently the world's largest producer and consumer of sugar.

Everyone knows that the British like to drink tea. In fact, it is better to say that the British like to drink sugar water. If you don't add a lot of sugar to the tea, they basically refuse to drink it.

The labor intensity of British industrial workers is extremely high, so sugared drinks - including tea, coffee, cocoa, etc. - have become the only pleasure in their lives. At the same time, these drinks also have a refreshing effect, which helps them cope with high-intensity work.

As for the British aristocracy, they even developed tea drinking into a kind of etiquette.

In addition, the British are notoriously bad at cooking, so their chefs will also add a lot of sugar to the food so that the food they make can be eaten.

Therefore, the entire British society is very dependent on sugar, and the money spent on buying sugar every year is as high as 100 million francs! [Note 1]

It can be said that whoever controls the sugar industry is equivalent to holding his hand on the economic lifeline of Britain.

But unfortunately, the sugar industry of this era is in the hands of Britain.

Therefore, the British produce and sell their own sugar. The more sugar they eat in their own country, the more they earn. At the same time, they can also sell a huge amount of sugar to Europe, America and Central Asia, which is an important pillar industry of their economy.

At present, most of the world's sugarcane planting is concentrated on islands in the Caribbean Sea. Among them, except for Saint-Domingue Island in the hands of France, they are basically occupied by Britain-there is no way, the British navy is too powerful and has an unparalleled advantage in controlling islands.

In addition, the Brazilian colony controlled by Portugal also produces a lot of sugarcane, but Portugal is basically in the same boat with Britain, so it is also part of the British sugar industry system.

There are hundreds of sugar refineries in London now, producing more than 80% of sugar products in Europe.

The appearance of Achard gave Joseph the opportunity to tear a hole in the British "sugar hegemony".

Achard, who was strolling on the Champs Elysees before, was still in a daze until he entered the Tuileries Palace.

Then he walked in with a blank mind, saluted, and sat on the sofa at the warm invitation of the crown prince.

"So, you already have a complete set of production technology for refining white sugar from beets?" Joseph looked at him with a smile.

"Yes, yes, Your Highness." Achard nodded quickly and said in poor French, "This was actually invented by my teacher Dr. Margrave, and I further improved it.

"Oh, in fact, my main job is to cultivate beet varieties with higher sugar content. "

Joseph immediately asked: "So how much sugar content do your beets have?"

Speaking of this, Archad's nervousness disappeared, and he said proudly: "It has exceeded 8%, Your Highness."

Joseph praised him on the surface, but frowned in his heart.

No wonder the emperor lost money in making sugar from beets, the sugar content is really a bit low.

He remembered that the sugar content of beets in later generations was about 20%. Therefore, if they want to compete with the sugar cane in the Caribbean, the beets must continue to be improved.

He looked at Archad and asked: "How long do you think it will take to cultivate beets with a sugar content of 12%?"

The latter was silent for a few seconds, and put on a desperate expression: "Your Highness, if you need it, I will do my best to cultivate such beets within 20 years!"

[Note 1] Although the cost of producing sugar in the Caribbean is as low as 1 pound 48 to 50 pounds (that is, 1 franc 1.9 pounds). But after being shipped back to Europe, it undergoes secondary processing (such as removing impurities and making sugar cubes), packaging, and sales, and then earns a little profit. The final selling price is basically a little more than 1 franc per pound.

At the end of the 18th century, Britain consumed about 100 million pounds of sugar, which cost about 100 million francs.