As early as last year, Marin had arranged for his subordinates to be responsible for the preparation of Egyptian trade routes. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 To this end, Marin also ordered shipbuilders from Venice to build two 500-ton galleys suitable for navigation in the Mediterranean.

Of course, Marin's galleys were different from those built by these craftsmen. The difference is that the galleys required by Marin were to be equipped with artillery. Therefore, these experienced Venetian shipbuilders needed to improve the galleys and increase the gun positions.

However, after all, they have built many galleys, and the specific data of the ships are still very clear. So, they directly built the two ships together, and after the main body was completed, they made improvements and added some gun positions.

At the same time, they also absorbed the experience of the previously built "Hoffmann-class" 500-ton battleships (Italian craftsmen had previously participated in the construction of battleships), and the galleys were slimmed, the masts were raised, and the gun doors on the lower decks were added.

After more than half a year of hard work, hundreds of Italian shipbuilders and local shipbuilders finally built two 500-ton galleys, which can not only hang larger spinnakers, but also use oars to row manpower, which is very suitable for sailing in the Mediterranean region where the wind is weak and the wind is often stopped.

It's just that because there are many rows of oars on both sides of the galleys, they need to swing and paddle in naval battles. So, this greatly affects the placement of gun emplacements. In the end, the craftsmen tried their best to free up 22 gun emplacements, 10 on the left and 10 on the left, and one at the end and one at the end. In naval battles, up to 12 guns took part in the battle.

Moreover, galleys require a lot of manpower. The same 500-ton ship, the Hoffman-class battleship, only needs 60 sailors to control the sails. The two 500-ton galleys require not only 60 sailors to control the sails, but also 120 oarsmen to row the oars. Paddleing was hard work, and it is said that Venice had many galleys on the Mediterranean, and many slaves were purchased to paddle them. Among them, many ships bought tall and sturdy Russian male slaves from Kaffa in Crimea, locked them in shackles, and arranged to be responsible for rowing on the boats.

Marlin had no slaves at the moment, so he had to recruit a group of strong men to row the oars, and some sailors to control the spinnaker. The two galleys, in addition to the 120 oarsmen and 60 sailors (including the captain) needed for each boat, were each equipped with 50 gunners and 70 musketeers for self-defense.

In this way, the crew of the two galleys reached a total of 600 people. However, because of the large number of people, there is no fear of pirates at sea.

It's only 1501, and the Barbary pirates who dominate the Mediterranean have not yet risen, and they will have to wait decades for them to appear. In this era, the hegemon of the Mediterranean is still Venice.

However, Spain is also quite powerful. Spain now occupies Sardinia and Sicily, and has even recently carved up the Kingdom of Naples with the French and gained control of the southern part of the Kingdom of Naples.

It can be said that Spain has become the hegemon of the western Mediterranean, while Venice dominates the eastern Mediterranean east of Italy, and also occupies the Greek island of Crete and the island of Cyprus near Asia Minor as its colonies.

However, Marin heard from Jewish merchants who traveled to and from the Mediterranean that although the Venetians had occupied the eastern Mediterranean, they still had to give Spain some face. If one or two Spanish-flagged merchant ships were to trade in Egypt and other places, the Venetians would not stop them. After all, Spain now occupies the southern part of the Kingdom of Naples, which is the outlet to the Adriatic Sea. Nor did the Venetians want to tear their faces with Spain if they didn't have to.

And it just so happened that Marin had the title of Count of the Spanish Barbarians. So Marin decided to have the two galleys fly the Spanish flag and stick to the Mediterranean coast of Africa to trade in Egypt.

As for those African indigenous pirates, there are, but they are not strong in this era, and 600 people on two ships can definitely drive away those indigenous pirates.

Of course, the two ships entering and exiting the Strait of Gibraltar, the western gateway to the Mediterranean, still need to say hello to the Spanish authorities. Moreover, Marin intends to use the Spanish colony of Ceuta on the Moroccan side, south of the Strait of Gibraltar, as an important stop to replenish fresh water and food. After all, he also has the title of Spanish Barbarian Count, and this thing can still be done.

For this reason, Marin specially sent Kohler, holding his own handwritten letter, to go south to Spain to negotiate with the Spanish court on related matters. Marin specially told him that this matter should be handled by Prince Juan, not by the cunning Spanish kings. Because, whether it is Ferdinand II or Isabella I, they are full old foxes. If you ask them to do it, you may make waves.

Looking for Prince Juan is different, Marin has a life-saving grace for him, so Prince Juan naturally has a good impression of Marin. In addition, as the only son of the two kings, Prince Juan already has the right to participate in politics, and he can do this little thing.

Once the formalities are completed, the two galleys, flying the Spanish flag, will enter the Strait of Gibro directly, arrive at the port of Ceuta for repairs, and continue along the African coast eastward to Egypt for trade.

As for the guide, Marin had already found it. Marin paid a fortune to bribe a few Jewish merchants who traveled between Europe and Egypt for many years, let them lead the way, and was responsible for liaising with local Egyptian merchants.

The Egypt route is so important to Marin, whether it is natural soda for making glass, or miscanthus for paper and pulp, Egypt is abundant. The alkaline wadi near Cairo was one of the most important sources of natural soda in Europe before the advent of the Lublan alkali method. Because the chemical industry has not yet developed, no one wants it in Egypt, so it is discarded as a waste product. Only a small number of alchemists will use miscanthus for alchemical research. As long as Marin wants to buy it, Egyptian manganese is abundant, and it is very cheap......

In addition, there is a lot of cheap wool in Egypt. Although the wool quality of the Arabian breed sheep is not as good as that of the Spanish Merino sheep, it may not be as good as the wool of the English fine-wool sheep. However, that's also wool. The point is, because grazing is popular in the Arab region, sheep are everywhere, so it's cheap......

In Egypt, with the exception of the Nile Valley, which was mainly agricultural, the rest of the country, including Jerusalem, the Hejaz, Syria and Lebanon, which were also under the control of the Mamluks, were predominantly nomadic. In these areas, there is not too much wool. After importing, it can also be processed into resistant-resistant wool textiles......

In any case, the opening of trade routes in Egypt is a very important thing for Marin. Therefore, Marin attached great importance to this and sent two ships with a huge scale of 600 people. You must know that before Columbus and Americago's expedition fleet, there were only a few dozen people on one ship......

In addition, the reason why Marin wants to open up the Egyptian route is not only the need for economic interests, but also political considerations. At the moment, Egypt was still under the control of the Mamluks. However, a dozen years later (1517), the Mamluk dynasty of Egypt was destroyed by the Ottoman Turks.

The Ottoman Turks were the sworn enemies of the Europeans, and if the Ottoman Turks controlled Egypt, Egyptian trade with Europe would be abolished. However, if the trade with Egypt was abolished, then Marin would not be able to obtain Egypt's natural soda and manganese. In this way, Marin's glass industry and paper industry will come to a halt, which Marin absolutely cannot bear.

Therefore, Marin planned to sell some good quality steel knives and armor, and even some muskets and artillery to the Mamluk dynasty through exchanges, so as to strengthen the strength of the Mamluk dynasty.

In fact, the reason why the Mamluks were wiped out by the Ottoman Turks was not that the Mamluks were too weak, but that the Ottoman Turks were too strong......

And once the Ottoman Turks occupied Egypt, the consequences would be even more serious. Because, the Ottomans would continue to move westward, controlling the Libyan and Algerian coasts. After that, the famous Barbary pirates would be born, threatening the safety of European merchant ships.

Moreover, with the Mamluk control of the Nile Valley in Egypt and rich areas such as Syria, the Ottoman Turks would greatly increase their national power. It was after the annexation of the Mamluk dynasty that the Ottoman Turks had no worries and officially started the mode of all-out hanging on Europe, besieging Vienna several times......

Marin didn't care if Turkey occupied Syria, but Egypt didn't want to be occupied by the Ottoman Turks. After all, the Ottoman Turks and the Europeans were extremely opposed, and when the time came, Egyptian trade would cease.

The Mamluk army may not be able to defeat the Ottoman Turks in the field. However, Marin decided to teach the Mamluks to build strong fortresses and intended to secretly sell them artillery in order to offset the artillery superiority of the Ottoman Turks. In this way, even if the main force of the Mamluk dynasty was defeated by the Ottoman Turks, it could still hold on with fortified cities, artillery and muskets, so that the Turks could not defeat them.

You must know that the Austrians relied on the fortified city of Vienna, and with only more than 10,000 people, they stubbornly blocked the siege of hundreds of thousands of Turkish troops. The Mamluks were much stronger than the Austrians. As long as you have mastered the technology of building a fortified city and have enough guns, you can rely on the fortified city of Cairo to resist the attack of the Ottoman Turks and keep the Nile Valley. The Nile River Basin is an important source of natural soda and miscanthus in Egypt. As long as the Mamluks kept the Nile Valley, Marin's interests were safeguarded. As for the rest of the Mamluks, Marin cares if he dies? Even, as long as the Mamluks kept the Nile Valley, the Ottoman Turks would have stopped their westward advance. At that time, the Barbary pirates in Libya, Tunisia and Algiers will not appear......