Chapter 450 Treasure
Yannick sighed lightly. "If the United States joins the war, it will be a bit troublesome."
"???" Elder Bloom looked at him in surprise. Is the United States' participation in the war just "a bit troublesome"?
Although the United States before World War II was not as politically powerful as old capitalist countries such as Britain and France, it was the world's largest economy. Both industrial capacity and economic output ranked first in the world. In 1939, the industrial output value of the United States accounted for 7% of the world's total share, the economic output was close to 100 billion US dollars, and the gold and foreign exchange reserves accounted for half of the world. The strong strength made other countries far behind.
Take steel production as an example. Although the US economy was severely hit by the Great Depression and half of the blast furnaces were shut down, the US steel production capacity still hovered around 23-35 million tons.
In terms of energy, the United States controls emerging resources such as oil in its own country and the Gulf of Mexico. It is the country with the largest oil production in the world. The United States' oil production accounts for more than half of the world, reaching 60,000 tons in 1939.
Such a country with terrible potential is just "a bit troublesome" in the eyes of His Highness?
Is he arrogant or sure?
Looking at Elder Bloom's surprised expression, Yannick couldn't help but smile bitterly. Who could understand the terrible war potential of the United States better than him?
In World War II, the United States produced 80 million tons of steel, more than Germany, Britain, the Soviet Union, Japan, and Italy combined. In 1945, the United States' steel production accounted for 92% of the world's total production. The United States' oil production also accounts for more than half of the world's total production. At its peak, it once exceeded 70% of the world's total production. Oil and oil products are simply inexhaustible. The United States is also the world's largest food producer and exporter. The United States not only supplies food to its allies, but also uses the excess to produce alcohol and other materials to reduce inventory and food surplus. The United States' canned beef makes American soldiers want to vomit. Bread and cheese are made at will. Only the United States dares to be so willful.
The United States produced 40,000 aircraft, with 19,256 B-24 heavy bombers alone. When the overwhelming fleet flew over, the momentum alone was enough to make the opponent tremble.
840,000 tanks and self-propelled artillery, 230,000 vehicles of various types, and 20,000 artillery pieces were produced. Chrysler alone produced 40,000 tanks, which is almost the same as the three countries of Germany, Italy and Japan combined. Japan, known as the fifth largest industrial power in the world, has a tank production of less than a fraction of that of the United States.
The United States produced more than 150 aircraft carriers (including more than 30 aided to Britain), 58 battleships and cruisers, nearly 1,000 destroyers and frigates, and more than 200 submarines. In addition, there are 64,500 landing craft and a large number of various auxiliary ships. The United States is like making dumplings, and the more it fights, the more ships it has. If the United States had not deliberately reduced production in the late World War II, the number of ships in the United States would have been even greater.
In addition to military supplies, the United States also produced a large number of non-military supplies such as Coca-Cola and chocolate. During World War II, the United States produced more than 10 billion bottles of Coca-Cola, which other countries dared not think of. At that time, countries could not even get enough food, let alone drink Coke. In the late stage of World War II, due to the overcapacity of military industry, many military enterprises had to reduce production or turn to civilian industry, and many unused materials and equipment were even directly discarded. When people saw the mountains of surplus materials in the United States, they realized how powerful the American industry was and what a real industrial power was.
Although he knew how terrible the United States was, he couldn't say directly, "The United States is too terrible. If the United States joins the war, I will surrender directly!" He could only pretend to be indifferent.
Just as Yannick sighed in his heart, Elder Bloom took out something wrapped in a handkerchief from his arms and put it on the table. He opened the handkerchief carefully, as if there was something extremely precious inside.
Yannick couldn't help but wonder what it was. When he opened it completely, he saw a slightly blackened yellow cloth inside?
Elder Bloom pushed the handkerchief forward. "This is a small gift prepared to congratulate His Highness on taking over Egypt. Please accept it, Your Highness."
"What is this?" Yannick couldn't help but ask curiously.
Elder Bloom said mysteriously. "This is the treasure map of the French Knights Templar."
"Oh!" Yannick was really shocked.
There are many historical books that record that the French Knights Templar hid a lot of treasures, but these treasures have not been found until later generations, and have become an unsolved mystery.
The so-called Knights Templar was founded by several impoverished knights in France in 1119 to protect pilgrims and defend the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem established during the First Crusade. Since the headquarters of the order is located in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, it is called the "Knights Templar".
After the establishment of the Knights Templar, due to the extortion of Christians and Christians, coupled with the continuous donations from pilgrims and various gifts from the Pope, they accumulated considerable wealth. They owned fiefs and castles, opened banks for pilgrims and kings, and were early bankers in Europe.
These people lived a luxurious life, were greedy, were keen on occultism, and conspired to participate in political activities, which finally aroused the dissatisfaction of kings and other religious orders in Europe and they were denounced as heretics. In 1312, Pope Clement V had to officially announce the dissolution of the Knights Templar.
On October 5, 1307, King Philip IV of France ordered the arrest of all Knights Templar in France. The French king wanted to attack the Knights Templar and confiscate their wealth to subsidize the increasingly difficult financial expenses.
However, the Knights Templar cleverly hid a large amount of wealth (some people say that the Pope quietly tipped off the Knights Templar a few days before the French king took action).
According to several historians and folklore, when Jacques de Molay, the high priest of the Knights Templar, learned from prison that the French king wanted to completely destroy the order, he took drastic measures in order to save the Templars. "Traditional and noble fundamental teachings" of the regiment. He called his nephew, the young Count Quiche de Beauge, to prison, let the count secretly inherit the position of high priest, and asked the count to swear to save the Knights Templar and keep its treasures until the "end of the world."
He then told the count: "In the tomb of my former high priest, whose body is no longer there, there are archives of the Knights Templar. Through these archives, many holy objects and treasures can be found. With this treasure This treasure was taken from the Holy Land and included: the crowns of the kings of Jerusalem, the 7-branched candlestick of Solomon, and the 4 golden gospels with illustrations from St. Sepulchre. The main money of the Knights is still elsewhere, in the two large pillars of the altar at the entrance to the tombs of the high priests. The tops of these pillars can rotate on their own, and the huge savings of the Knights Templar are hidden in the hollow pillars. treasure."
In 1314, after the high priest Jacques de Molay was executed by the French king, the Count of Chichet de Beauge established an organization of "pure architects" and asked the French king for permission to bury Molay's body in another place. The king agreed. Beauje took the opportunity to remove gold, silver and precious stones from the large pillars of the Templar church. He hid these treasures in a coffin, perhaps in a few boxes, and moved them to a safe place known only to a few confidants.
Because the Knights Templar have been keen on occult arts for a long time, they have their own unique set of mysterious symbology. It is said that they used this symbolism and secret religious rituals to hide and retrieve their treasures. Because of this, there are still different opinions on the whereabouts of the huge treasure of the Knights Templar, which has become an intractable historical mystery.
It is said that there are other treasures that may be hidden by the Templars in Balzas-Agen, France, and near the small village of Lacolle in Indre-Royal. The mysterious symbols of the Knights Templar are also engraved on the walls of Valcooz Castle in the French city of Var, and there are also legends about the Knights Templar hiding treasures there.
According to French historian Jean Marcelo, Templar treasures may also be found in Marche, Touraine, France, which was formerly the site of the Templars' "Crypt of Gold and Cylinders of Silver." . The Knights Templar's trusted members knew how to withdraw the necessary money when needed, and would hide the new money again when ordered to do so.
Yannick picked up the yellow piece of cloth and found that it was not cloth, but the skin of some kind of animal; it was densely covered with various characters and symbols that he could not understand. Just when I was about to ask how to find treasure with this thing, I saw a map drawn on the handkerchief. "Rosslyn Chapel, Edinburgh, Scotland? Treasure buried in Rosslyn Chapel?"
Elder Broome nodded. "Exactly."
Yannick thought for a while and asked. "Now that you know the exact location, why haven't you dug up the treasure?"
Elder Bloom said rather helplessly. "We have also thought about it, but this church is a local cultural relic and the local government will not sell it or allow it to be destroyed."